The mother of a teenager left in a coma after a Sonisphere fairground ride accident has launched a civil case against its operators.
Kizzy Bean will look for damages after her son Reece Nee was thrown from the Orbiter Extreme ride and through a steel fence at the Knebworth music festival in 2009.
Reece was 14 at the time of the accident and suffered serious injuries – including a torn aorta, broken ribs and a shattered ankle – which still plague him.
His mother said: “I had to go through two weeks of hell not knowing if my son was going to come out of the operating room alive and then watching him as he lay in a coma after as his breathing deteriorated. After all this not a single apology has been offered.”
The news comes after the Health and Safety Executive successfully prosecuted manufacturer Perrin Stevens and examiners Dr Martyn Lacey and Frederick Meakin.
All of them admitted breaching health and safety regulations and were hit with nearly £50,000 in fines and costs at Cambridge Crown Court.
Mrs Bean added: “I am glad that there is finally some justice after waiting four years, but I am still very bitter and angry that due to their negligence I very nearly lost my child. I understand that the judge can only fine the guilty party based on their means but I am shocked that they can carry on trading in the business after showing such incompetence.”
Hertfordshire solicitors Pictons is looking to sue the firm, with Melanie Neale handling the case.
She said: “Reece was lucky not to have been killed, but he is still suffering from the effects of this terrible accident and I am determined, along with his mother, Kizzy, to get him the justice he deserves while warning other fairground operators – and the general public who find these rides so popular – that they can’t take risks with peoples lives.”
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