18-Year-Old Girl’s Scalp Is ‘Ripped Off’ in Freak Accident After Her Hair Got Caught in Fair Ride
A teenage girl is in the hospital after her hair allegedly “got caught” while on a fair ride.
At around 10:53 p.m. local time on Saturday, July 26, an 18-year-old woman was injured on a ride at the Netley Marsh Steam and Craft Show in the village of Netley Marsh, England, according to the BBC and the local news outlet Southern Daily Echo.
Emma Perry — a 51-year-old heart failure nurse who was experiencing the attraction with her 17-year-old daughter at the time — alleged that the teen slipped “on the oscillating floor” of the attraction, fall backward and her hair “caught in the rollers on the floor.”
“Her friend came off the ride and said she was bleeding, so I offered my services as a first aider,” Perry said of the injured teen, per the Southern Daily Echo.
“When I got up there, I saw that three-quarters of the girl’s scalp had been ripped off in what we call a degloving incident,” she continued. “First responders were already on the scene, so I cradled the girl’s head and kept talking to her.”
Perry added that a portion of the ride had to be cut for first responders to rescue the teen, who was “screaming” and “clearly very distressed.” The teen suffered potentially life-changing injuries, per the Southern Daily Echo.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary stated that police are liaising with the Health and Safety Executive in response to the incident, the BBC reported.
The Netley Marsh Steam & Craft Show and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further information on Sunday, July 27.
Charles Cole, owner of the fun fair operating at the Netley Marsh Steam & Craft Show, alleged that the walk-on ride had been subject to daily checks and paperwork prior to the incident. He added that “50 people had been on the ride before the 18-year-old woman and there “were no issues,” the Southern Daily Echo reported.
“The ride is 20 years old but it had been tested that day. This was a freak accident,” Cole said, per the outlet, while confirming that the girl’s “hair got caught” and “she could not grab on to the handrails.”
“Nobody wants to hurt anyone, and we are a family business,” Cole said. “Last night was very upsetting, especially for the man who owns the ride
“Safety is our priority, and we sympathize with the girl and her parents. It is under investigation and the ride is closed,” he added, per the Southern Daily Echo.
In a statement shared on the Netley Marsh Steam & Craft Show’s Facebook page on Sunday morning, organizers confirmed the event would be reopening that day.
“Despite what you may have read or seen online, we are open and look forward to seeing you all,” the statement read.