Scottdale family sues over girl's electrical shock at fair
The family of a Scottdale girl who was injured near a carnival ride two summers ago during the Scottdale Firemen's Fair has sued the operator of the amusement ride, claiming it was unsafe.
Brittany Mongell, who was 11 at the time, suffered an electrical shock for 10 seconds when she put her hand on a rail bordering the ride, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court.
Tropical Amusement Inc. of Riverview, Fla., the ride operator, was named as the only defendant in the lawsuit filed by Latrobe attorney Ned Nakles Jr.
Nicole Bucher, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, which oversees inspections and safety of carnival rides, said most incidents involving amusements can be attributed to rider error.
About 70 percent of all incidents reported last year were caused by riders, she said.
"They (carnival rides) should be as safe as anything out there. But people want to pay attention to whether the ride looks like it's in good repair," Bucher said.
Each carnival operator is responsible for providing safety inspections of its own rides, but the agriculture department sends out quality assurance inspectors at each new amusement location. Operators are required to notify the state every time rides are set up at a new location, according to Bucher.
The state has certified more than 1,000 inspectors, who work for the private amusement ride operators to conduct safety checks, she said.
"It's really in the best interest of an amusement company to inspect the rides. They are required to report to us if there are problems on the rides," Bucher said.
According to statistics provided by the state, it received reports about 270 incidents last year with carnival rides, including 240 that were classified as serious.
During the annual Scottdale fair in 2009, Mongell was shocked while standing in water and touching the "umbrella ride fence," according to an incident report filed with the state.
The incident was classified as a minor injury.
In the lawsuit, the girl's parents, Ronald Mongell and Misty Hull, further described the incident.
"Brittany Mongell screamed for help and an employee of Tropical Amusement Inc. walked over and pried her hand from the rail as she could not release it herself (and) ... the attendant placed Brittany on the ride rather than seeking medical attention for her," the suit claims. "At that time and in that locality, Tropical Amusements Inc. permitted a collection of electrical wires which were damaged and worn to lay unprotected in puddled water directly next to the metal rail which bordered the ride... ."
The family contends ride operators failed to properly care for, inspect and operate the ride. They are seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damages for emotional distress and injuries Brittany suffered.
Archie Liddy, owner of Tropical Amusements, said Friday that he was unaware of the Mongell lawsuit.
"I don't know anything about that," Liddy said.
His company set up again last week to operate rides at the Scottdale Firemen's Fair, he said.
But state officials said they had no official notice that Tropical Amusements was running amusement rides in Scottdale.
"We can only assume they have not set up anything because they have not filed an inventory with us and we have not done an inspection," said Jean Kummer, a spokeswoman for the agriculture department.
Since 2009, Tropical Amusements reported five incidents to the state, including the report from Scottdale.
According to the reports, one incident in 2009 at a site not identified involved a child who fell and sustained scraped knees after a merry-go-round was started before the child was properly seated.
Also in 2009, in Cambria County a girl was injured on the company's Tubs of Fun ride when she stood up and hit her head on the arm of the ride, according to an incident report.
The other two incidents involved one person who cut a finger on a ride and another person who fell off a landing and suffered a cut knee and elbow.
Tropical Amusements will provide carnival rides in August at the Westmoreland Fair.
Fair secretary Michelle Long said organizers adhere to state regulations regarding ride inspections.
"We follow the state guidelines," Long said.
Additional Information:
Carnival injuries
Last year, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture received reports about 270 incidents involving carnival rides, with 240 of those classified as serious.
The department found:
⢠117 were attributed solely to rider error.
⢠88 were caused by either rider or operator errors.
⢠30 were blamed entirely on ride operators.
⢠5 were attributed to mechanical errors.
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
