An 18-year-old was fatally injured in an accident on a ride at a fair in Oberhausen. The young man wanted to collect the driving chips of a shop at the Sterkrader Corpus Christi fair on Sunday evening, as the city of Oberhausen announced. He fell and suffered serious injuries from the moving ride. The son of a showman family died on the spot. In addition, 20 eyewitnesses suffered shock.
As the West German General Newspaper (WAZ) reported, the accident happened at the ride “Break Dance”. The employee apparently wanted to use the still slow phase to collect the last chips from the passengers. He probably underestimated the increase in speed, according to the WAZ, and was thrown off the turntable. The rescue workers’ attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful.
On Monday, the official last day of the fair, a decision will be made on how to proceed
According to the city, the scene of the accident was cordoned off, a screen was set up and the fair visitors were diverted. In coordination with the police and the showmen, the city allowed the fair to end early on Sunday evening. This was done “in view of the severity of the accident and out of sympathy for the relatives of the 18-year-old casualty,” it said. Even before the decision was made, music and “disruptive sound reinforcement” had been switched off.
The police began investigating the cause of the accident at the scene. On Monday, the official last day of the fair, a decision should be made on how to proceed. Further details were not initially known. The municipal head of order Michael Jehn said after the accident: “Our thoughts are with the family of the young man, for whom a happy fair day came to such an incredibly tragic end.”
The Sterkrader Corpus Christi fair started on June 7th and should last until Monday. According to the city, it is the largest and most popular folk festival in Oberhausen.