A woman who suffered a broken jaw when she was thrown off a fun fair ride has received a five-figure sum in damages.
Jade Harrison, 24, spent four days in the hospital and had metal plates inserted in her face after she was flung from the Airmaxx 360 at Hull Fair in 2019.
She has needed thousands of pounds worth of dental treatment and psychological support since the tragedy.
The nursery nurse says she feels like she can finally put it behind her as her legal case has come to an end.
She told Hull Live : “I’m a different person now to that one that got on that ride back in 2019.
“Back then I had no fears and I was up for anything really, but now I am averse to anything that has an element of risk. That’s ok, I’ve adapted to that as I need to feel safe, but it limits what you can do with family and friends.
“Simple fun things like jumping off the rocks into the sea on holiday.
"I just wouldn’t do that anymore as I wouldn’t be able to get past the fear of hitting a rock or being badly injured.
"That is how my mindset has changed."
She added: “We recently visited Skegness and I just couldn’t go on any rides. Some of my family went on them, but I didn’t want them to. I couldn’t even watch. I can’t imagine I’ll ever change.”
Jade says she took legal action after she was told in hospital that if a child has been in the same accident it is likely they would have died.
She said: "There are too many cases of accidents at fairs and theme parks and when something like this happens there has to be full investigations and punishments.
“That will hopefully lead to better safety standards and less incidents like what happened to me.”
Insurers acting on behalf of Taylor’s Fun Fairs, which owns the ride that Jade was thrown from, admitted liability for the accident and injuries caused early on in a legal claim, led by Hull-based personal injury specialists Hudgell Solicitors.
Witnesses at the time said they saw Jade get thrown about 10 to 15 feet from the ride.
Jade also suffered cuts to her face, damage to her teeth and soft tissue damage to her thigh.
A teenage boy also suffered minor injuries when he was hit by Jade as she was flung off.
The admission of liability prior to the settlement being agreed meant Jade could get specialist dental treatment and eight sessions of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help her recover from the psychological impact of what happened.
Jade said: "I feel I’ve recovered well in the main and it certainly is not something which comes into my mind day to day anymore.
“I feel well health-wise and I’m happy. I’m quite a resilient person and so I don’t suffer with anxiety anymore.
“In the weeks after my accident I was struggling and really anxious. I’d have nightmares many nights and wake up in a state of panic, but over time that went away. When Hull Fair was on last year I just avoided it.
"I had to drive by it a couple of times so I just made sure I didn’t look.”
The ride operator did not dispute Jade's claims that they had "failed to adequately inspect the ride", and that "a failure to enforce an adequate system of inspection had left riders at risk" when admitting liability for the accident.
Rebecca Cone, of Hudgell Solicitors’ personal injury claims team, handled the settlement negotiations and says was pleased to reach an agreement and a five-figure compensation offer, without a need to take the case to court.
She said: "This was a horrific accident which has obviously had a significant impact on Jade, so we were grateful for the early admission of liability by the defendants as this ensured we were able to push ahead and secure Jade's psychological treatment quickly. This will certainly have helped Jade make the solid recovery she has.
“It also ensured that we could start dental treatment as soon as possible, with the majority of that now completed too.
“It was of course a shocking incident and one from which lessons must be learned. Accidents like this simply should not happen. We wish Jade well for the future.”
