Investigation underway after incident in parking lot amusement park

Terrifying night at Winnipeg carnival Beth Macdonell on two boys who are thankful to be alive, after an amusement ride was started too soon.

The Office of the Fire Commissioner is investigating an incident where a 13-year-old boy was holding onto an amusement park ride, about 20 ft in the air.

The door on the amusement park ride was open and the boy was holding on to the sides of the ride with all his might.

Another 13-year-old boy also sustained a serious head injury.

The boys were about to ride the Zipper at the Wonder Shows carnival on Panet Road in the Rona parking lot Saturday night, when someone operating the ride hit the button too soon.

One boy was sent up before he was securely on the ride. The other boy was hit in the head by an oncoming cage.

“I was holding onto the cage and if I would have slipped of I would have shook I could have fallen down 20 feet to the ground,” said Jevyn Philipchuk. He doesn’t know how long he was up in the air, but believes it was about 10 seconds.

Seconds later the cage behind the one Philipchuk was in, hit his friend, Quayshone Jordan-Arthur, in the back of the head. He fell to the ground.

"Everyone around me, it started going black. I stopped breathing until Jevyn has pulled me up," Jordan-Arthur said.

According to the boys, Wonder Shows staff did not call 911. One of the owners drove the boys to Concordia Hospital.

The boys’ parents are upset about the way the incident was handled, and worry their kids could have been more seriously hurt.

"I was concerned about his life to begin with and the after effects of the disaster of the accident. ‘Is he going to be paralyzed?’," said Quayshone’s father, Renato Arthur.

"I just think they should have better restrictions and protocols if something like that does happen," said Jevyn’s father, Jason Philipchuk.

The Office of The Fire Commissioner inspects amusement park rides is investigating.

Winnipeg police are also aware of the incident.

CTV News called and emailed Wonder Shows about the incident, but has not received a reply.