Mother tells how she feared for her son's life after he was thrown from ride at funfair and broke both legs

Theo Shaw, 12, pictured with his mother Aileen O'Brien, was flung from the “Extreme” ride at Benson’s Funfair in Brockwell Park
Harry Taylor29 August 2019

A mother today told how she feared for her son’s life after he was thrown from a fairground ride at a south London park.

Theo Shaw, 12, was flung from the “Extreme” ride at Benson’s Funfair in Brockwell Park during a day out with a friend during the summer holidays.

Medics rushed to the scene and Theo was taken to nearby King's College Hospital where he was continuing his recovery today after the accident on Tuesday evening.

He suffered two broken legs, a broken thumb and facial injuries, and has been told by doctors it will be weeks before he is able to walk again.

Theo’s mother, Aileen O’Brien, told the Standard she and her husband ran to the park from the family’s home after receiving a phone call telling her there had been a “terrible accident”.

Theo is pictured in hospital. He broke both legs

She said: “We live quite near the park so my husband Adam and I ran there. It was very upsetting.

“It looked terrible when I arrived. He could have died. He was awake when we got there, in an awful lot of pain.

“He had clearly broken his leg and it was badly broken, he had a massive cut to his head.

“It’s not nice seeing your child in so much pain, as I have in the last day.”

Mrs O’Brien, 49, a psychiatrist at the St George’s Trust Hospital in Tooting, is demanding answers about how the accident happened.

The aftermath of the incident in Brockwell Park

The mother-of-three added: “He had just gone to the park for the afternoon and he’d only gone on one ride.” Her son now faces undergoing an operation to fix and strengthen his leg and will be delayed returning to classes at The Charter School in Dulwich.

“He is going to be scarred for life,” Mrs O’Brien said. “He is in a lot of pain. A plastic surgeon is going to look at his head as well, and we don’t know how long he’ll be in hospital.”

The fair has been at the park since August 23 and is set to leave on September 1. On its website it describes “Extreme” as a “high-adrenaline, high-thrill” ride. It was closed after the incident. Benson’s declined to comment.

The Metropolitan Police said its officers attended the scene shortly before 6pm after being called by the London Ambulance Service.

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said it would be investigating the incident.

A Lambeth council spokesman said: “We are aware of this incident and wish the teenager a speedy recovery. We are working with the HSE and the police to investigate the cause of this incident, and to determine what action needs to be taken.”

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