Parents of 10-year-old killed on carnival ride allege operators, manufacturer knew of ejection risk, suit says
Updated Mar 03, 2021;
Posted Mar 03, 2021
Hailey McMullen, 10, died after being ejected from a Super Sizzler ride called Xtreme at the Deerfield Township Harvest Festival Oct. 12, 2019.Al Amrhein/family photo
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The parents of a 10-year-old girl killed after she was thrown from an amusement ride in Cumberland County have sued the manufacturers and operators of the ride alleging they knew for many years that the ride could be deadly.
Hailey Lynn McMullen died Oct. 12, 2019, about an hour after she was thrown from the “Xtreme Super Sizzler” at the Harvest Festival in Deerfield Township in Cumberland County, authorities said.
Parents of 10-year-old killed on N J carnival ride allege operators knew of ejection risk: lawsuit pennlive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pennlive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
McMullen suffered grievous wounds, including head and brain injuries, and died later that night at a hospital. Witnesses to what happened include two siblings and her grandmother.
The New Jersey State Police and the N.J. Department of Community Affairs are conducting separate investigations. At least some evidence collected in those investigations is expected to be used in the two cases filed last week in Middlesex County Superior Court.
Parents and relatives of McMullen filed related lawsuits on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23.
The principal legal targets are the Colorado-based manufacturer, variously doing business as 741 Inc. and Wisdom Rides of America, and Skelly’s Amusements, the Williamstown-based owner and operator of the machine blamed in McMullen’s death.
Lawsuits: Carnival ride in fatal accident lacked mandated seatbelts courierpostonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from courierpostonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The fifth grader was at the festival with her family. She was on a ride identified in court documents as the Super Sizzler.
Attorneys for the family allege the ride was not stopped immediately after the girl was thrown off it, resulting in further injury. McMullen died later that day at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.
A state police spokesman on Friday said the accident investigation is active.
Parents Amanda and Christopher McMullen have hired two law firms. Their attorneys have stated they are exploring wrongful death, survival action, and emotional distress lawsuits.
Cherry Hill attorney Louis DeVoto filed a request in December 2020 with the Middlesex County Superior Court for access to all state police reports. The state Attorney General s Office said the file is not considered a public record and a court order would be needed to release it, DeVoto told the court.