Same Zipper ride was later involved in a workplace fatality
A nine-year-old child was assisting with operations on a travelling amusement ride when a patron fell several feet to the ground and was seriously injured earlier this year, according to a newly released investigation report from Technical Safety BC.
The incident occurred on May 31, 2025, during a carnival event in Port Hardy. While the Zipper ride was being unloaded, one of the compartments was prematurely activated by an adult operator while the door was open and one intoxicated rider was still inside. The rider, unrestrained, fell approximately six to eight feet and suffered broken bones.
(Hoisted PCU at height of passenger fall. Source: Technical Safety BC)
According to the report, the person responsible for opening the compartment door at the time was the nine-year-old child of the ride’s foreman. The child had been “helping” with loading and unloading, a task colloquially referred to among ride workers as “cracking buckets.” Though the child had previous informal experience assisting at other fairs, investigators noted that they “did not have the experience and assertiveness required to mitigate or respond to a situation that deviated from the usual routine.”
The Zipper ride was operated by Shooting Star Amusements, a B.C.-based travelling amusement company. The company employs roughly three dozen seasonal and returning workers. At the time of the Port Hardy incident, the ride’s foreman had left the area temporarily, and his child was helping load and unload riders in his absence.
Less than three months later, on August 26, 2025, in a second and more serious incident occurred involving the same company and ride. A carnival worker was killed after being struck by the Zipper while working at the fairgrounds in Prince Rupert, B.C.
The Technical Safety BC investigation into the earlier Port Hardy incident uncovered several serious safety lapses:
- No interlock system to prevent ride activation when compartment doors were open;
- No formal communication protocols between attendants and operators;
- A lack of training and supervision, especially of seasonal workers;
- And a repeated failure to enforce ride rules barring intoxicated patrons.
One attendant told investigators that “both the injured party and the person riding were ‘hammered,’” and a bottle of alcohol was found in the ride compartment after the fall. Despite clear signage, staff admitted it was common practice not to deny intoxicated patrons access to avoid confrontation with guests.
(Posted warning sign on ride identifying not to ride if under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Source: Technical Safety BC)
The ride itself, built in 1973, lacks modern safety features such as door-restraint interlocks. Operators activate the ride with a single-button control, and no redundancy or confirmation system exists to prevent premature movement. The operator involved in the incident said they were focused on another compartment and accidentally pressed the activation switch for “two to three seconds,” unaware a rider was still inside and unsecured.
Technical Safety BC concluded the May incident was “preventable,” and urged stronger operational controls, communication standards, and training for all staff — especially in travelling amusement operations where older rides and informal staffing practices remain common.
WorkSafeBC’s investigation into the August fatality remains ongoing.
