A 5-year-old boy remained in critical condition Monday after he was injured Friday night in an accident on an indoor amusement park ride.

Denzel Jennings was hurt at Great Xscape, 3919 Lafayette Road, while on a teacup ride, according to an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department report. The report said the child hit his head and fell out of the ride but did not say what caused the accident....

The accident happened about 8:40 p.m. Friday, but the police report wasn't taken until hours later. Great Xscape workers told off-duty sheriff's deputies of the accident, and a homicide detective was sent to the indoor amusement park about four hours after it happened.

By that time, potential witnesses already had left, according to Sgt. Paul Thompson, IMPD spokesman....

http://www.indystar....lling-from-ride

Calling in a homicide detective does not bode well for the boy's condition.

This story does not make sense at all. I am going to *assume* that 911 was called once it was known the boy was injured. So how were the police not notified?

I hope that this story is grossly incorrect on many fronts & I hope that the boy will be ok.

Boy remains critical, ride closed for not having proper permit:

...Denzel has been in a medically-induced coma since Friday. According to his parents, he suffered fractures to the front and back of his head and had a seizure on the way to the hospital.

"From a ride that's called the tea cup that's made for toddlers, he's fighting for his life right now," said Dennis Jennings, his father....

Safety experts say a safety bulletin was released last year suggesting seat belts be installed on the mini teacup ride. The ride at Xscape appeared to have seat belts, but it's unclear if they were being used at the time of Friday's accident.

"With any restraint, if the restraint doesn't fit properly or isn't used properly, the rider has the potential to come out of the ride," said Ken Martin, amusement park safety consultant....

Police and attorneys are investigating whether a young adult or older child pushed the seat faster than it was meant to go.

http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=12229998

As to that last paragraph, how is that even possible? Separately, the ride, as has been mentioned in several articles, is a Zamperla...

Amusement Park Sends "Wishes" To Injured Boy:

http://www.indystar....-to-injured-boy

Lapsed Licenses for Rides Lack Checks:

http://www.indystar....amusement-rides

"Licenses may expire," said John Erickson, a Homeland Security spokesman, "but we don't have any idea if they are still operating."

Erickson said it is not the state's responsibility to ensure those who run amusement park rides have up-to-date licenses and inspections.

State law, he said, requires the operators to contact the state each year for a new license and inspection. Many other states have similar systems.

...

Requiring the state to take the initiative, he said, isn't reasonable.

"That's kind of like asking a police entity if they check all licenses that have expired to make sure people aren't driving without licenses," he said. "You're talking about a monumental task."

Wow...just wow. Now I'm in no way up to date on all of Ohio's laws regarding ride licensing, but it seems to me that Ohio may be stricter, but I may be wrong though. The article also goes on to say that not only did the license lapse, but the park's insurance expired in December as well.

I somehow doubt we'll be hearing from Gamz aka Amanda from Xscape on this situation.

You know what? Considering the area, I wouldn't be surprised if it was low-budgeted, and their go-kart track was SMALLER than KI's!

I think this may be the final blow for Lafayette Square.

Family files lawsuit:

http://www.wibc.com/news/Story.aspx?id=1213884

I still have to wonder how they were able to operate that ride without pulling the necessary permits and having liability insurance. In Ohio, which has one of the more thorough ride inspection programs in the country, operators must file proof of insurance every year, and a ride inspector from the Department of Agriculture`s Rides Safety Division must issue a new license every season a ride operates.

Hopefully this kid makes a full recovery. In any event, it would seem that the family stands a good chance of winning their suit if in fact the entertainment center didn`t have insurance or license the ride.

But, will they be able to collect? Getting a judgment is often the easiest part to collecting against a defendant who may prove to be "judgment proof."

True enough. Again, we may never know the outcome if the two parties settle out of court.