A Lancashire fairground owner has been prosecuted and fined, after a twelve year old girl suffered serious personal injury after falling from a ride.

The schoolgirl was enjoying a day out at the Lostock Hall Carnival, near Preston, when she fell a distance of several metres from the ‘High Roller ride’ as it swung into action.

The girl landed on the platform below, suffering numerous injuries including, a cracked bone in her spine, a fractured pelvis, lacerated bladder and various cuts and bruises.

Leyland Magistrates’ Court was told that in 2010 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued a nationwide safety warning, after a disabled youngster fell from a similar ride in Halifax.

The warning stated that fairground owners should not allow passengers to sit in the ‘end seats’ of such rides until the necessary safety guards had been fitted, the alert was distributed nationwide through the Showmen’s Guild and the owner of the fairground at the Lostock Hall Carnival, was given his own copy after HSE inspectors visited his fairground at Manchester’s Heaton Park.

It was discovered that the girl injured at the Lostock Hall Carnival, had indeed been sitting in the end seat and no additional safety guards had been fitted.

The owner of the fairground fifty two year old Gary Gore, from Bury, was fined £18,000 after admitting a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act, following a successful prosecution by the HSE.

The parents of a toddler, who severed the tip of her finger in a nursery accident, are seeking compensation for her injuries.

Nine month old Sophie Dedek was attending her second ‘taster’ session at the Kids 1st Day Nursery in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, when a member of staff, who has not been named, accidentally closed a door on her little finger.

Nursing staff at the nine hundred pound a month private crèche, did not initially realise the full extent of her injury and wrapped the infants hand in a towel, while another rang her father explaining to him that Sophie had ‘nicked’ her finger in the accident.

When Sophie’s father arrived to pick her up, he was horrified to discover that his daughter’s finger had been severed at the second knuckle and immediately drove the stricken child to A&E, where surgeons battled in vain for two and a half hours to re-attach the finger tip, which had been spotted on the floor by nursery staff as they cleaned up.

The child’s parents are now seeking compensation on her behalf, for the injuries suffered, claiming that their daughter has been maimed for life by the incident.

A spokesperson for the nursery stated that staff had acted swiftly, administrating the correct first aid and following all necessary health and safety procedures, adding that an ambulance had been called but was deemed to be unnecessary by the operator.

A schoolgirl, who broke her arm after falling down a flight of stairs at her home in Askam, is to be compensated for her injuries.

Nine year old Annabelle Cotton-Hill was just seven years old when she fell from top to bottom of the stairs at the family home on Ireleth Road, in Askam and suffered a broken right arm.

Annabelle had to stay off school for three weeks, following her terrifying fall and her arm was in a sling for two months.

The North West Evening Mail is reporting that her father had complained about the lack of a handrail on the steep winding staircase, to his landlord, on several occasions prior to his daughter’s accident but no action had been taken.

After taking legal advice the family launched a claim for compensation against landlord Michael Bimpson, with their legal team arguing that he had failed in his duty as a landlord, by not making sure the house was safe before allowing the family to move in.

Following the accident an officer from the environmental health agency, recommended that a handrail should be fitted to the staircase, in order to make it safe.

An undisclosed amount in damages was secured for Annabelle, which was approved in court.