Worker killed by ride at B.C. carnival was likely attempting to retrieve item: technical safety report

The Zipper ride that caused the worker's death is seen in this photo from the report. (Technical Safety B.C.)

The carnival worker struck and killed by a “Zipper” ride in Prince Rupert last summer likely stepped into the ride’s path while attempting to use a “magnetic broom” to retrieve a dropped item, according to a report from Technical Safety B.C.

The report goes into great detail about the operation of the ride and the circumstances leading up to the fatal Aug. 26, 2025, incident.

According to the document, the worker was struck around 10:30 p.m., shortly after the ride’s foreman took over from the two operators who had been running it earlier in the night.

The carnival was “winding down,” but there were still patrons lined up for the ride, and the foreman was soon joined by the victim—described in the report as “a fellow employee and close friend”—who offered to help with loading and unloading.

The victim had “extensive experience” around the Zipper ride, though he was not generally involved in its “daily operations,” according to the report.

The ride was normally operated by two people, one maneuvering the ride and the other helping to load and unload passengers.

“The foreman, who was operating the ride, started a ride cycle just as three members of the public approached from behind,” the report’s narrative of the incident reads.

At the time, the attendant was in the “yellow” safety zone: inside the fence surrounding the ride but out of the path of the ride itself.

“The operator was physically touched or ‘tapped’ on the back, (and) turned to see what was happening,” the report continues. “The three people standing behind the operator with only the waist high fence between them began asking questions about the ride and were pleading for special allowances for a third rider to be allowed in the two-person (passenger carrying unit).”

The operator “repeatedly told them ‘no,’” according to the document.

While this interaction only lasted for a few seconds, the report notes, it was during this time that one of the two magnetic brooms that attendants used to retrieve metal items from under the ride’s path was moved from its usual spot at the fence in front of the operator’s control podium.

“This magnetic retrieval broom device is used to retrieve small metal items like coins or small parts and was only accessible to the attendant inside the fence line during operation of the ride,” the report reads.

The ride paused for several seconds in a “T” position, with the rotating boom perpendicular to the mast that holds it up and parallel to the ground. The incident report indicates that this position usually preceded a change in direction from the operator.

“The operator activated the ride from the ‘T’d’ off position and continued its ride-cycle but now in a (counter-clockwise) direction, which was from above and behind the attendant, who was now standing directly in the path of the ride,” the report reads.

“After the incident, the magnetic broom was found on the ground under the furthest side away from the podium in the red zone directly under the pathway of the ride.”

The report does not definitively conclude that the attendant was attempting to use the magnetic broom when he was struck, but the report notes that workers would occasionally use the devices while the ride was in operation.

“The incident was caused by the attendant moving into the direct pathway of an active Zipper ride that moves at a speed of approximately three metres per second in full activation,” the report concludes, before noting several contributing factors.

These factors included a lack of “defined communication requirements or practices” for attendants and operators to confirm the ride was safe to approach; the lack of a protective barrier between ride operators and the general public, leaving operators exposed to “distraction and physical interference”; and a lack of regulatory requirements for ride owners to keep “an employee-specific envelope or required distances from an active ride.”

The fact that the ride struck the victim from behind was also a contributing factor, according to the report.

The incident occurred on the opening night of a three-day summer carnival on the grounds of Prince Rupert’s civic centre.

Operator Shooting Star Amusements closed the carnival for the remaining two days and offered refunds to those who had already purchased tickets.

Both it and the city offered condolences to the family of the deceased worker, who Shooting Star described as “a dear close friend” and a “great man.”

The B.C. Coroners Service led the investigation into the death, and WorkSafeBC also responded to the incident. Police said the death was not suspicious.