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A FAIRGROUND worker was thrown to his death after standing up on a ride in Mexico, terrifying footage has shown.
Sergio Antonio, 22, was working for the fairground’s animation team on Friday, March 29, when he was flung from the spinning ride.
The tragedy struck in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico – which borders El Paso, Texas – over the Easter weekend at the fairgrounds set up in Chamizal Park.
The three men stood in separate cars on the “Rockola Rodante,” or “Rolling Jukebox,” spinning ride, two of them twirling their shirts in the air.
Antonio could be seen falling from the ride as it continued to spin in circles, a video of the incident taken by a witness shows.
He reportedly hit his head on the ride’s railing and was convulsing on the ground.
The young worker was quickly taken to Juárez General Hospital where he passed away after suffering severe head trauma, the city’s Civil Protection Department said on March 30, per El Paso Times.
“The municipal government regrets these events and at the same time announces that permanent supervision will continue at these types of facilities,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
“For now, it appears that the incident was caused by the recklessness of the workers of the Atracciones Cabriales company.”
The ride was subsequently closed down and local authorities have confirmed they will investigate the fatal incident.
The tragedy comes just two years after 13-year-old Britany Fernandez was thrown to her death at a carnival in Santa Barbara, Honduras, in 2022.
Footage of the incident showed how moments after the ride started, the rusted lock on the safety bars that held Fernandez in her seat seemingly opened.
The young girl clung to the ride as the wheel spun at a high speed, with her body ultimately crashing into the ride’s metal platform on the ground and her head hitting a metal railing.
Locals were quick to offer help, but Fernandez suffered a catastrophic blow to the head and was pronounced dead shortly after she was brought to the hospital.
It is not our fault, we have operating permits.
Ride Owners
Hundreds of the young girl’s school friends attended her memorial service, offering kind words in her remembrance.
“Britany was always calm, she had a very nice manner. She was always kind. This is so sad that it happened because she had so many dreams in life,” said her friend Estefany Pineda.
Wilmer Reyes, headmaster at Juan Lindo Institute where Fernandez studied, also paid tribute and called for the fairgrounds to up the safety of the rides.
“We ask that these kinds of fairground rides have greater security measures in order to prevent tragedies like this from happening again,” he said.
The ride owners reportedly told local TV that they “have the operating permits” and blamed the girl’s parents, claiming that she went on the ride unaccompanied and fainted.
“It is not our fault, we have operating permits,” they said.
Cops passed the case to the country’s Police Directorate of Investigations to gather evidence.
“From the initial investigations, it was determined that Britany’s death was accidental,” said Jesus Pineda from Santa Barbara Police.
“The minor hit a platform on the ride, which instantly caused her death.”
