Carnival ride strands boy at top

ST. CHARLES (WJRT) (WJRT) -- (06/16/07)--A Saginaw County boy was trapped on a carnival ride in St. Charles and his parents are upset with the way he was rescued.

According to his parents, 8-year-old Nathan Frasier was trapped inside a car on "The Tobaggan" for about a half an hour.  The car was stuck at the top and Frasier was alone in the car.

Since he was with his aunt at the time, his parents rushed to the scene.  His mom was concerned that carnival workers weren't qualified to rescue her son and that should have been a job for the fire department or other professionals.

"I thought the fire department should have been called because what they were doing didn't look safe," said Valerie Frasier.

His dad says moments after the mishap, the ride was put right back into service.  "I'm concerned because this ride will likely move to another location," said Keith Frasier.  "What if a kid gets hurt?"

The carnival is operated by McDonough Amusements, but its run by the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce. 

The head of the chamber, Steve Harris, claims the rescue only took about 10 minutes.  He says he inspected the ride and ordered the car in question to be removed.

But Nathan's father asks, what if there was a problem with the tracks?  Harris admits he has no training in amusement ride inspection.

In the end, Nathan wasn't hurt -- just scared.

Get more News »

• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•