The directors of Popeye’s Village were not criminally responsible for the serious injuries sustained by a boy who fell off a Ferris wheel at the fun park three years ago, a court has ruled.
Even though the court ruled that the Ferris wheel had all safety features in place, directors Stephen and Marco Bonnici told Times of Malta they will be selling it for scrap metal.
The directors had done all they could to ensure the Ferris wheel was safe
“We cannot deny that the accident took place, even though all the safety measures were in place. For this reason we decided not to sell it to another operator, to ensure this does not happen to anyone else. We are selling it for scrap,” Marco Bonnici said.
The Ferris wheel in question has not been used since the accident took place on May 15, 2011. Following the accident, the directors were charged with, through their negligence, causing the injuries to the child who suffered permanent scarring to his face when he fell off the ride.
The child, who is now 10 years old, had to have several stitches to his forehead and the scar is still visible. Sources said the accident happened when the child became scared upon reaching the top of the wheel and stood up.
The cabin carrying him tilted and he hit his head against a horizontal bar.
The boy fell out of the cabin, about the distance of a storey, and landed on his feet
Once on the ground, the boy fell forward, hitting his forehead on the pavement, which resulted in a deep gash.
The Ferris wheel has been unused since that day but the directors kept it until the case was over.
During the course of the case, Magistrate Carol Peralta carried out an on-site inquiry. The magistrate found that the defence had proven the directors had done all they could to ensure the ride was safe. Engineer Konrad Maistre testified that the ride was operated regularly at the time and there was no chance of it malfunctioning since it had perfect safety features.
In light of this, the magistrate cleared the directors of responsibility in causing the accident.
Police inspector Jessica Grima prosecuted while lawyer Arthur Azzopardi represented the Popeye’s Village directors.