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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Chard Carnival worker seriously injured | Chard Carnival worker seriously injured |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A woman was seriously injured when she fell under a carnival cart at a parade in Somerset. | |
| The road crew member became trapped under the vehicle at the end of the parade at about 22:00 BST on Saturday during the Chard Carnival. | The road crew member became trapped under the vehicle at the end of the parade at about 22:00 BST on Saturday during the Chard Carnival. |
| Police said the woman, believed to be in her 40s, suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to Bristol's Southmead hospital. | |
| The Health and Safety Executive has started an investigation. | The Health and Safety Executive has started an investigation. |
| At the scene | |
| BBC Somerset reporter Andy Bennett | |
| I was involved in the carnival, and there were various whispers towards the end of the procession that there had been an incident involving a club. | |
| Whilst walking back to my car, I saw the air ambulance circling overhead, and when I arrived back to where my car was parked, the road leading towards the dispersal area was closed, with fire crews and ambulances in attendance. | |
| The other entries in the carnival were sent via a different route to keep the area clear. | |
| In the 20 years that I've been involved with Chard Carnival I've never seen anything like this happen. | |
| The attention to detail when it comes to the health and safety of crowds and carnival performers is second to none. | |
| Avon and Somerset Police Ch Insp John Holt said: "We believe this to have been an unusual and exceptional incident which happened at the end of the carnival parade. | Avon and Somerset Police Ch Insp John Holt said: "We believe this to have been an unusual and exceptional incident which happened at the end of the carnival parade. |
| "We will be looking into the circumstances, but do not anticipate it will have any impact on other carnivals planned over the next few weeks." | "We will be looking into the circumstances, but do not anticipate it will have any impact on other carnivals planned over the next few weeks." |
| In a statement, Chard Carnival committee described it as "a freak accident" and said its thoughts were with the injured woman and her family. | |
| "The carnival community is shocked by the incident in what was otherwise a well organised and well run event," it added. | |
| The woman, who is a member of Eclipse Carnival Club based in Chard, remains in a critical condition in hospital. |