Father saw fairground waltzer car crash off track with children inside

A father has told how he saw a car on a fairground waltzer ride break off the track and crash with his children inside.

Kevin McNulty’s children – aged 13, 12 and seven – were in a car on the ride at the Galactic Carnival fairground in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh, when the incident took place on Saturday evening.

He said the ride was going “full pelt” when their car separated from the carousel and crashed into one he was riding in, before sliding into a speaker.

One of his children was filming at the time and a video captured their screams as the spinning car suddenly dislodges and veers off the fairground ride.

Posting on Facebook, Mr McNulty said their car “came completely off and then went flying into our car and then smashed about the place, crashing into the side off the track”.

He added: “Thankfully there was a heavy large speaker that they collided with or they would have been through the whole thing and then the ending would have been a completely different story”.

The three children were not seriously hurt in the malfunction.

Photos posted by Mr McNulty showed where the car appears to have broken off the waltzer ride.

He said his children were “very very lucky that they managed to get out of this still walking”.

Mr McNulty told the PA news agency that he had not heard from the fairground’s operators following the incident. The fairground was open on Sunday but the waltzer ride was closed.

Dr Scott Arthur, the MP of Edinburgh South West, wrote on X saying: “A few people have been in touch about an incident at the funfair, and I am in the process of raising it with the council.”

The fairground’s organisers have been approached for comment.

Edinburgh City Council said it would be a matter for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

An HSE spokesperson said: “HSE is aware of the incident and making inquiries.”