An investigation has been opened after a carnival worker was struck by an amusement park ride and died. The ride, known as “The Zipper“, is part of a B.C. touring fair; it remains closed and will not be operating until certain safety requirements are met by the carnival.
THE ZIPPER
The incident reportedly occurred in Prince Rupert, B.C. on August 26 on the fair’s opening night. The carnival worker was working on The Zipper, which consists of multiple moving carts on one large spinning structure. The worker was on the deck of the ride to apparently clean something when he was struck.
Fair-goers on the ride called for help after he was struck. Cpl. Madonna Saunderson, a spokesperson for the RCMP in northern B.C., said that “A man was located unconscious near one of the rides. Despite efforts of EHS, the man was later pronounced deceased.” The carnival worker has been identified as Robert James Nickerson.
THE INVESTIGATION
The case is now being investigated by Technical Safety B.C., as well as WorkSafeBC and the B.C. Coroners Service.
Technical Safety B.C. is “responsible for overseeing the safety of roller coaters, ziplines, inflatable devices… bouncy castles, bumper cars, simulators, and waterslides throughout BC.” They say that, until the fair meets an outline of safety requirements, it will not be operating.
The carnival is operated by Shooting Star Amusements. Justin Wagner, Shooting Star Amusement’s owner and CEO, has created a GoFundMe for Nickerson’s loved ones in Nova Scotia.
In the GoFundMe, Wagner writes that, “Robert was so much more than an employee– he was family to all of us at Shooting Star. He loved his work and the people around him, and the joy was felt by every guest and coworker he met.”
“Any contribution, big or small, will make a difference. If you aren’t able to give, even sharing this page helps us more than you know.”
