A freak carnival ride accident - this is a cringe -and- skwir-I can't believe that happened kind of accident.
Elizabeth "Lulu" Gilreath is an 11-year-old Nebraska girl whose scalp gets yanked off her head, when her long hair gets caught in a ride.
Yikes.
"She was tortured," said Lulu's father Timothy Gilreath.
Gilreath says people told him the ride went on for five to ten minutes while it ripped and pulled his daughter around.
"They don't even know if the muscles will work and my daughter will be able to see again," said Gilreath.
Lulu is in intensive care, but fortunately she's expected to recover.
Meanwhile the accident is under investigation. We know about height and age requirements for rides, but hair!?
This crazy accident got us wondering about amusement park and carnival safety.
Who regulates these rides?
According to the non profit amusement park accident prevention organization Saferparks, in Texas there is no state government oversight for ride safety, but rides must carry insurance but the federal government regulates portable rides like those found in carnivals.
"It's hard to speculate exactly what went wrong with that ride whether it was mechanical or whether it was related to the ride itself," said Joel Cowley, president of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Carnival goers, be careful because you never know what can happen at any time on any ride.
