Child, 8, Hospitalized After Fall From State Fair Of Virginia Ride

DOSWELL, VA — A Virginia father wants accountability after his 8-year-old son was injured last week when he was thrown from a ride at the State Fair of Virginia in Caroline County, according to officials and reports.

According to an incident report from Caroline County Building Official Kevin Wightman obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the incident happened Friday around 3 p.m. Wightman said the child was injured while riding the "Storm."

Wightman said an on-site medical team provided first aid to the boy, who was later taken to VCU Medical Center Trauma Center.

The report identified the ride's owner as Deggeller Attractions, according to the Times-Dispatch. A post-incident ride inspection found "no mechanical and/or operator errors that did not comply with the manufacturer's specifications or the governing code."

In an interview with WRIC, the child's father said the boy was thrown from and struck by the ride. He told the station the boy was then thrown into a fence.

The boy was hospitalized for more than 12 hours, Matthew Nungent told WRIC.

The family's attorney told WRIC the boy "slid out of the seat and down."

"The force of the ride is what caused his body to go down and if the leg brace had been fully secured… he couldn't have moved," attorneys said.

The Nungents said their son is recovering, but the family also called for accountability and more safety protocols.

"All rides at the state fair need to be calibrated for height and weight. Certain children, if they're petite or small in size, that leg brace needs to come down to match the legs where they are to make sure they're secure," attorneys told WRIC. "Ride personnel need to make sure that all children are safely secured.