An extremely tragic possible case of wrongful death occurred last week near Philadelphia. An 11 year old girl fell to her death while riding the Ferris Wheel at Morey’s Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey.
The victim has been identified as 11 year old Abiah Jones of Pleasantville, New Jersey. She was a student at the PleasnTech Academy Charter School and was attending a school class trip to the pier for their annual educational extravaganza during the day of the accident. Jones attended the trip with several other students, teachers, and chaperones.
Police say Abiah Jones fell from the upper half of the ride from about 100 feet in the air at about 12:30 p.m. She was apparently alone in one of the ride’s passenger gondolas before falling. The ride is secured by a double latch door which opens inward, designed to make it hard to climb out during the ride.
Emergency responders and Morey’s staff tried to administer first and called a Medivac helicopter immediately to take the victim to the nearest trauma center. The helicopter ended up being recalled due to the severity of Abiah’s injuries. She was instead rushed by ambulance to Cape Regional Medical Center in Cape May Court House where she was pronounced dead at 1:15 p.m. according to reports.
Although preliminary investigations found that the accident did not seem to be caused by a mechanical problem with the ride, there was obviously something wrong that tragically killed Abiah Jones. An investigation is ongoing to determine what exactly caused the Child’s injuries. Police are still trying to get more witnesses to learn more about this extremely tragic incident and the ride that is likely to have caused the wrongful death of such a young child.
Community Affairs Head Hollie Gilroy said the ride opened in 1985 and was last inspected on March 17 and passed. Similar rides are only inspected once per year. Police are still trying to get more witnesses to learn more about this extremely tragic incident and the ride that is likely to have caused the wrongful death of such a young child.
Out of respect for the victim’s family the president of Morey’s Piers reduced the pier’s hours throughout the weekend.
If you ever need an attorney who is experience in wrongful death law suits, we encourage you to contact Edith Pearce for a free consultation.