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Mum’s grief laid bare after coroner’s findings into carnival death

Police tape seals off the Cha Cha ride after six-year-old Eugene Mahauariki was flung to his death.

Police tape seals off the Cha Cha ride after six-year-old Eugene Mahauariki was flung to his death. Photo: AAP

A mother who fought for an inquest into her six-year-old son’s death on a carnival ride has called for sweeping changes to the amusement industry “so this doesn’t happen to another family”.

Eugene Mahauariki died in hospital four days after falling from his seat on the Cha Cha, at Rye Easter Carnival on April 17, 2017.

It was his favourite ride and he lined up about 5.20pm, when the last ride was called. He was seated next to a younger and smaller child.

Eugene was placed on the outside seat, which was meant for adults and bigger children, and slid into his friend as the ride began.

He then fell and struck his head before landing on the ground.

eugene mahauariki cha cha

Eugene Mahauariki’s mum Tammy White fought for the inquest into his death. Photo: AAP

His parents, who worked for the ride’s operator Wittingslow Amusements, rushed to help and Eugene was taken to hospital.

But he could not be saved and died when his life support was turned off on April 21.

On Friday, a coroner found his death was preventable and recommended sweeping changes to amusement park regulations.

This includes better standards for training of riding attendants and operators, more stringent checks on carnival rides and an improvement to national ride auditing tools.

Outside court, Eugene’s mother Tammy White cried as she remembered her “cheeky and outgoing” youngest son.

“He was the baby of our family, he was so loved,” she said.

“I fought for an inquest because I knew that Eugene’s death was preventable, and today the coroner agreed with me.

“The coroner has recommended change for the entire amusement industry … I hope they all take it on, so this doesn’t happen to another family.”

Wittingslow Amusements was initially charged by WorkSafe with health and safety breaches. The charges were withdrawn in 2020.

An 11-day inquest was held last year, where ride owner Michael Wittingslow refused to give evidence.

Coroner Sarah Gebert found the restraints that were supposed to hold Eugene in his seat – a U-shaped rod and bar – did not comply with Australian standards.

“Without doubt, members of the public would hold an expectation or reasonable assumption that there is a system in place to ensure the safety of amusement rides in Victoria,” she said.

“Yet this investigation revealed that the Cha Cha was able to operate without restraints which were compliant with Australian standards over many years.”

Further, she found the German man who was operating the ride that day was not sufficiently trained or supervised, and Michael Wittingslow did not know if he was trained.

Gebert recommended a review to improve training standards and accreditation of ride operators and attendants, including looking at whether there should be minimum standards for training.

As the Cha Cha was built in 1961, she said the ride was not checked as stringently as newer rides.

“The investigation revealed that the older an amusement ride was, the less stringent the regulatory regime,” she said.

Gebert said she hoped her recommendations and findings might be a small part of his legacy and may mean that another young life will not be cut short in future.

Since Eugene’s death in 2017, WorkSafe has developed an information sheet that includes control measures to mitigate risks on rides like the Cha Cha.

– AAP

Topics: victoria
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