The victim was flung about 10 to 20 feet in the air before hitting the ground, according to his uncle
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GO FUND ME
The incident occurred just before 2:45 p.m. local time Sunday afternoon at the Antioch Chamber of Commerce’s Taste of Antioch carnival, according to a statement from the Village of Antioch Police Department.
The victim, identified as Huntley, was flung about 10 to 20 feet in the air before hitting the ground, according to a GoFundMe campaign started by his uncle Robert Pohlman.
The child was airlifted to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge after the incident, which involved a ride called Moby Dick, WGN-TV reported.
Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner ordered the remainder of the rides at the Taste of Antioch to be shut down following the incident, according to police. Officials will “review the safety of each ride” in the meantime.
“We are always trying to make sure these are safe, fun family events and our thoughts and prayers go out to the child that fell and his family,” Gartner said, per WGN-TV. “I have two young daughters myself. It hit close to home and we have to make sure something like this never happens again and the child is okay.”
Village officials believe the boy was not properly strapped into the ride when the incident occurred, according to ABC affiliate WLS-TV.
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At least two people told local outlets that they experienced safety concerns with the ride. Carnival-goer Elliott Johnson said he had to re-secure the bar for his seat multiple times, per the reports.
“My bar was coming up over my head, so every time I went up because it was going up and I was almost about to fall out, I would slam down to close it so that way I would not fall out,” the kid explained. “Then as soon as it started slowing down and it was about maybe rocking on the floor, I was able to push it up and slide out."
Ronald Hipolito said his wife and son experienced a similar issue. "My wife said that she had to stop the ride because my youngest son felt unsecured inside the roller coaster," Hipolito recalled, per WLS-TV. "He felt like he was going to fly out."
Charles Smith, Commander of Operations for the Antioch Police Department, said several people witnessed the “traumatic event” involving the 10-year-old boy, according to WLS-TV. Erin Maloney and her son were among those waiting in line for the ride at the time.
"We were standing right in front of the ride, maybe five to six feet back from the ride, and we were looking at it and all of a sudden I turned and I hear a woman screaming," Maloney recalled. "And my son said, 'Mom look.' I turned around and this little boy was just on the pavement, not moving, not responsive."
The Illinois Department of Labor, which is responsible for carnival ride safety, is assisting in an investigation into Sunday’s incident, according to police.
More than $11,000 has been raised to support Huntley via GoFundMe as of Monday. Pohlman said his nephew is a "strong" and "truly remarkable" child.
"He once broke his arm and pushed the bone back in, on his own because ‘it didn't hurt,'" Pohlman added.