'I was thrown from a fairgound ride at 60mph, I'm lucky to be alive'
Jade, 27, says the last thing she remembers is thinking 'I don't like that' as the ride made a strange clicking noise
A woman says she's 'lucky to be alive' after she was thrown from a fairground ride at 60mph. Jade Harrison, 27, was was flung from the Airmaxx 360 ride at Hull Fair when a metal bar across her lap gave way. The preschool teacher from Hull was left with a broken jaw and struggling to breathe.
Jade received a five-figure settlement from the insurers of the ride's owners, Taylor's Funfairs, who admitted liability for the accident. She visited the fair every year with her friends, but had never ridden the attraction before.
'I wasn't planning on going on any rides,' Jade said. 'But my friend wanted to go on the Airmaxx 360. I didn't want to be left on my own.'
The Airmaxx 360 spins full circles while lifting and dropping individual carriages, reaching speeds of up to 60mph. 'I watched it go around and I thought no that's alright I'll go on that. A minute and a half into the ride, Jade said she heard a strange clicking sound from her seat restraint, but brushed it off when her friend said theirs had done the same. I didn't really panic.'
Then the carriage began to shift and changed position. 'I just remember thinking I don't like that, I don't like that. And then it was too late. As soon as the ride started bouncing the bar just gave away."
Jade was hurled from the ride, hitting another attraction mid-air before crashing to the ground. She blacked out instantly.
'All I remember is the feeling of flipping like you do in a dream when you wake up startled. When I came to I was laid on the floor next to the ride but everyone was just around me and I was a bit confused. I kind of forgot where I was and what I was doing so it took me a minute to realise what had happened.
'Then obviously I started panicking and everyone was telling me to calm down. It felt like ages for the paramedics to get there but in reality it was only about two minutes.'
She was rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary where she was found to have a broken jaw requiring surgery and metal plates. She also suffered serious nerve damage to her right thigh, which remains numb to this day, as well as internal bruising to her chest, facial injuries and damaged teeth that needed removal and repair.
'The most painful part was my chest,' she said. 'I couldn't sit up or take a deep breath. When I got home, I couldn't get out of bed without my partner's help.'
Jade spent four days in hospital and was unable to return to work for nearly a year after the accident in October 2019. She continued to undergo dental work into 2021 and says the mental recovery took just as long.
'I was in denial in the beginning. It was hard for me to accept that it happened to me. I would constantly tell myself I'm not going to think about it, I'm not going to think about it. But by doing that I was just delaying pain.
'When I think about it deeply and I think how differently it could have gone I think I'm lucky to be alive.'
'When I came off my ride I hit the ride next to me. They even said if I had hit that ride differently I would be dead. There was no way of surviving. Luckily I hit the ride the way that I did so I hit the carriage, rather than the floor or anything else.'
Jade received a five-figure settlement from the insurers of the ride's owners, Taylor's Funfairs, who admitted liability for the accident. A criminal investigation by the Health and Safety Executive was later dropped in 2023.
The report found that the safety restraints of the Airmaxx 360 were 'inadequate'. She hasn't returned to a fairground since.
'I would never go on a fairground ride again.' she said. 'I've been on the teacups with my nephew, but that's about as far as I'll go. Anything where my feet leave the ground isn't happening.'
Now living with the lasting effects of her accident, Jade says the incident still impacts her life, six years on. 'It's still a prevalent factor in my life. When I look in the mirror I always notice my leg, my right thigh that is damaged.
'That's quite a big insecurity to me. That's the main thing that reminds me.'
Jade is unable to have further surgery on her leg, as it is classed as cosmetic surgery, meaning she will be unable to have paid time off work. She believes more must be done to prevent similar accidents.
'I definitely think something needs to be done to stop this happening. It just doesn't make sense.'
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"When I came off my ride I hit the ride next to me. They even said if I had hit that ride differently I would be dead. There was no way of surviving." A woman has said she is "lucky to be alive" after she was thrown into the air from a fairground ride at 60mph. Jade Harrison has spoken about her terrifying experience in October 2019, when the metal safety bar on the Airmaxx 360 ride at Hull Fair malfunctioned. She struck another ride in mid-air and fell to the ground unconscious. The 27-year-old from Hull was left with a fractured jaw and a catalogue of other injuries, and experienced difficulty breathing after the incident. Although an annual visitor to the fair, she wasn't planning to go on any rides until her friend said she wanted to try the Airmaxx 360, known for intense spins and swinging carriages, the Mirror reports. Jade recalled: "I wasn't planning on going on any rides. But my friend wanted to go on the Airmaxx 360. I didn't want to be left on my own." She added: "I watched it go around and I thought no that's alright I'll go on that." However, just 90 seconds after they set off, Jade heard a concerning clicking from her safety bar, but put it to the back of her mind after her friend said they heard the same sound. She said: "I didn't really panic." As the carriage suddenly shifted, her fears returned: "I just remember thinking I don't like that, I don't like that," she explained. "And then it was too late. As soon as the ride started bouncing the bar just gave away." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. She was flung from the ride, hitting another ride in mid-air before dropping to the ground and losing consciousness. She recalled: "All I remember is the feeling of flipping like you do in a dream when you wake up startled. "When I came to I was laid on the floor next to the ride but everyone was just around me and I was a bit confused. I kind of forgot where I was and what I was doing so it took me a minute to realise what had happened. "Then obviously I started panicking and everyone was telling me to calm down. It felt like ages for the paramedics to get there but in reality it was only about two minutes." Jade was rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary, where medics found her to have a broken jaw requiring surgery to fit metal plates. She also suffered severe nerve damage in her right thigh, which still affects her today, as well as internal bruising, facial wounds and damaged teeth, which were later repaired or removed. She said: "I'm lucky to be alive. The most painful part was my chest. I couldn't sit up or take a deep breath. When I got home, I couldn't get out of bed without my partner's help." Jade stayed in hospital for four days, but was unable to work for nearly a year. Her treatment to restore her teeth continued into 2021, and said the psychological recovery took just as long. She explained: "I was in denial in the beginning. It was hard for me to accept that it happened to me," she admitted. "I would constantly tell myself I'm not going to think about it, I'm not going to think about it. But by doing that I was just delaying pain. "When I think about it deeply and I think how differently it could have gone I think I'm lucky to be alive. When I came off my ride I hit the ride next to me. They even said if I had hit that ride differently I would be dead. There was no way of surviving. "Luckily, I hit the ride the way that I did, so I hit the carriage, rather than the floor or anything else." Following her harrowing ordeal, Jade received a five-figure compensation payment from Taylor's Funfairs, which operated the ride and admitted it was at fault. The Health and Safety Executive shelved its criminal inquiry in 2023. An examination of the Airmaxx 360 revealed the safety bars were "inadequate". The experience has since left Jade terrified of rides. She said: "I would never go on a fairground ride again. I've been on the teacups with my nephew, but that's about as far as I'll go. Anything where my feet leave the ground isn't happening." She still lives with the effects of the incident, admitting it is a "prevalent factor" in her life. She continued: "When I look in the mirror I always notice my leg, my right thigh that is damaged. That's quite a big insecurity to me. That's the main thing that reminds me." As she is unable to have any further surgery on her leg due to it being considered aesthetic, she faces the possibility of not getting paid time off work. She is now calling for stricter measures to ensure similar incidents do not happen in future: "I definitely think something needs to be done to stop this happening. It just doesn't make sense."
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