- An 11-year-old boy was reportedly stuck for 20 minutes on a carnival ride in Skiatook, Okla., on Thursday, Sept. 12
- The child’s mother said she heard a “loud clatter” when the ride broke down at the city’s Pioneer Day Festival
- Video footage of the incident shows what appears to be festival employees using a ladder to rescue children from the ride
An Oklahoma mom has spoken out after her 11-year-old son was reportedly stuck on a carnival ride for more than 20 minutes.
Stacie Rutledge claims her son, Dax Blackstock, was left stranded on the “Octopus Spider” ride at the Pioneer Day Festival – a celebration they attend every year in Skiatook, Okla. – along with several other children on Thursday, September 12, CTV News and Fox23 News report.
Video footage of the incident shows what appears to be festival employees inspecting the ride while holding a ladder next to them.
“My son was stuck on this ride for 20 minutes, and now he’s going to try to take it down the ladder at the Skiatook Pioneer Festival. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” Rutledge says in the clip.
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A picture of the carnival during the day.
Getty
Rutledge later told the media that she heard a “loud” noise before the ride broke down.
“Dax gets stuck while driving, the octopus spider goes up in the air and spins,” she explained. “It broke. There was a loud clatter that could be heard throughout the carnival.”
She also said her son, who is “on the autism spectrum,” was upset by the incident, especially when crew members tried to save the children.
“He doesn’t communicate well, so he didn’t realize that the ride had broken down. He didn’t understand that we waited 30 minutes and everyone else was saved,” she said.
The ride is reportedly operated by Missouri-based Fun Time Shows.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the Skiatook Chamber Office said, “Police officers were at the park throughout the carnival, as they are every year. They, along with firefighters, are investigating why the 911 call could not be found in their call logs.”
PEOPLE reached out to the Skiatook Police Department and the owner of Fun Time Shows for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
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The owner of the carnival rides company, Clint Payne, told local media that he was not aware of the incident in a statement dated September 12.
“All our equipment is checked by state inspectors every week and if they find that something is wrong, they notify us, and it is taken care of and re-inspected,” the statement reads. “All equipment is repaired in the shortest possible time, and sometimes it is necessary to order a part, ie a belt or a cable. We do our best to maintain high quality equipment and value the safety of all our customers.”
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The Pioneer Day Festival is Skiatook’s “annual Founder’s Day celebration,” according to their official website. This year, the event started with a carnival on Thursday, September 12, and ended with a celebratory parade on Saturday, September 14.
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Source: HIS Education