OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine — EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above aired July 19, 2022.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal has released the findings of its investigation into a July incident at Palace Playland that left a 10-year-old boy injured.
The incident happened on July 16 at the amusement park's Super Star ride. The boy suffered injuries not considered life-threatening and was conscious and alert when emergency officials arrived at the scene, but he was brought to a nearby hospital to be treated.
Investigator Andrew Whitney said he spoke with the boy after the incident, and the boy told him the ride operator did not check his safety bar before the ride began. For that reason, the boy said he tried to get off the ride as it was starting because he felt the ride was unsafe. According to Whitney, two witnesses saw the boy jump from his car.
"This leads me to believe that the ride operator did not ensure that all passengers on the ride were properly secured onto the ride prior to the start of the ride," investigator Mark Veilleux said in the report released by the state fire marshal's office.
Veilleux went on to say that the ride operator quickly stopped the ride and made contact with the boy, who was hit multiple times by other cars on the ride. In total, Veilleux said 23 seconds elapsed between when the ride began and when the operator made contact with the injured boy.
The state fire marshal's office evaluated the ride and determined that it passed inspection, according to a release from the Maine Department of Public Safety.