11-Year-Old Was Reportedly Trapped on Carnival Ride for Over 20 Minutes After Mom Heard a 'Loud Clanking Sound’
The incident took place on the Octopus Spider at the Pioneer Day Festival in Skiatook, Okla. on Sept. 12, the boy's mother says
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Carnival Rides at nightAn 11-year-old boy was reportedly stuck for 20 minutes on a carnival ride in Skiatook, Okla. on Thursday, Sept. 12
The child’s mother said she heard a “loud clanking sound” when the ride broke down at the city's Pioneer Day Festival
Video footage of the incident shows what appears to be festival employees using a ladder to rescue the children from the ride
An Oklahoma mom is speaking out after her 11-year-old son was allegedly stuck on a carnival ride for more than 20 minutes.
Stacie Rutledge claims her son, Dax Blackstock, was left stranded on the “Octopus Spider” ride at the Pioneer Day Festival — a celebration they attend every year in Skiatook, Okla. — along with several other children on Thursday, Sept. 12, CTV News and Fox23 News report.
Video footage of the incident shows what appears to be festival employees examining the ride as they prop a ladder next to it.
“My son’s been stuck on this ride for 20 minutes now they’re going to attempt to get him down with a ladder at the Skiatook Pioneer Festival. It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen,” Rutledge says in the clip.
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Stock image of a carnival during the dayRutledge later told the outlets that she heard a “loud” noise before the ride malfunctioned.
“Dax got stuck on a ride, it was the Octopus Spider that goes up in the air and spins,” she explained. “It broke down. There was a loud clanking sound that could be heard throughout the carnival.”
She also said that her son, who is “on the autism spectrum,” was troubled by the incident, especially when crew members attempted to rescue the children.
“He doesn’t communicate well so he didn’t understand that the ride broke down. He didn’t understand that it was 30 minutes that we were waiting and everyone else was being rescued,” she said.
The ride is reportedly operated by Missouri-based Fun Time Shows.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Pioneer Day Festival organizers and the owner of Fun Time Shows for comment but did not receive an immediately reply.
Related: 18 People ‘Trapped’ on Amusement Park Ride in Southern California Rescued by Operators and Officials
The carnival ride company owner, Clint Payne, told local outlets he wasn’t aware of the incident in a statement on Sept. 12.
"All our equipment is inspected weekly by State inspectors and if they determine something is not okay, they inform us, and it is taken care of and re-inspected," read the statement. "All equipment is repaired as soon as it can be and sometimes it requires ordering a part, i.e., belts or cables. We do our best to maintain high quality equipment and we value the safety of all our patrons."
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Pioneer Day Festival is Skiatook’s “annual founder’s day” celebration, according to their official website. This year, the event kicked off with the carnival on Thursday, Sept. 12 and ended with a celebratory parade on Saturday, Sept. 14.
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