Two Women Hospitalised as City Star Flyer Plummets to Ground
Two men were arrested in Birmingham city centre on Thursday night after a fairground ride malfunctioned and collapsed, leaving two women hospitalised. The City Star Flyer, a 55-metre-high ride located in Centenary Square, fell suddenly while in operation.
Around a dozen other individuals were assessed at the scene by medics; nine women and three men received advice for minor injuries and were discharged immediately. West Midlands Ambulance Service reported that the two injured women were taken to Midland Metropolitan University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The two men, aged 55 and 21, were arrested on the same evening on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and obstructing law enforcement. They remain in police custody as investigations continue.
A police cordon stayed in place around the ride on Friday morning as emergency services and investigators worked at the scene. West Midlands Fire Service confirmed that the ride had “dropped to ground level whilst in operation,” adding to concerns about the incident’s severity.
One injured woman, BBC Birmingham’s Louise Brown, described her shock as the ride plummeted. “We were having fun and then it just crashed to the ground. It went backwards first, which I’ve never seen before,” she said. She sustained injuries to her face, legs and arms and expressed deep concern about the possibility of her children being on the ride at the time.
The Health and Safety Executive has acknowledged the incident, stating that specialists are attending the site to investigate the cause. A spokesperson added, “We appreciate the concern surrounding this event, and there will be a full investigation into what happened.”
