Girl, 9, held on after friend fell from funfair ride

A 9-year-old girl grimly held on to her seat to save herself after watching a friend’s mum fall 40ft from a funfair seat, the Circuit Civil Court has heard.

Eileen McAuley, counsel for Nicole Moore, now aged 15, of Tyrone Place, Inchicore, Dublin, told Judge Matthew Deery that Nicole had been on a Superbowl ride at the funfair in Millennium Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin, when the accident happened in Sept 2007.

She said staff at the funfair had omitted to properly attach a safety bar across the seat before starting the ride.

Ms McAuley said that when the bar came loose, Nicole had watched her friend’s mother being thrown from the seat into the air and fall 40ft to the ground. “Nicole managed to hold on and prevent herself from being thrown from the seat,” said Ms McAuley.

She said Nicole, who sued Colin Cullen, trading as Funfest, of Oakleigh, Celbridge, Co Kildare, and John Bagnell of Wolverhampton, had been shocked and shaken and suffered soft tissue injuries to her right knee and abdomen.

Ms McAuley said Nicole, who sued through her mum Mandy, had developed a fear of heights and had suffered from nightmares and flashbacks.

Judge Deery said he had no difficulty in approving what he considered was a very good settlement offer of €21,500 from the defendants.