Woman tells of the terrifying moment a 55-metre fairground ride in Birmingham crashed to the ground while she was in the air

A woman who was injured when a Christmas fairground ride crashed to the ground from more than 210 feet has spoken of the terrifying moment it lurched backwards before falling.

Louise Brown was sitting on the City Starflyer rocking chair in central Birmingham when it crashed.

Mrs Brown, a mother who works at the BBC in the city, said: ‘This can never happen again. We are in shock and all I can think of is what if my children were along for the ride.’

Ms Brown suffered injuries to her face, legs and arms, adding that her colleague was also injured. Photos show her with cuts and bruises on her face.

“We were playing with it and then it fell on the floor,” she said.

‘It felt like we were descending, not at the highest point but still quite high. We just fell.

“He backed down first though, which I’ve never seen him do before.”

Louise Brown (pictured) was sitting on the City Starflyer rocking chair in central Birmingham when it crashed

About 13 people were injured during the accident (photo is the aftermath of the incident)

The Christmas fairground is closed after an attraction collapsed in Birmingham on Thursday evening (photo is part of the damaged attraction)

Police at the cordoned off Star Flyer attraction in Centenary Square, Birmingham, on Friday morning

The photo shows the scene of the incident on Friday morning, with the drive taped off by police

Police and emergency services rushed to the scene and closed off an area around the Centenary Square attraction on Thursday evening.

Video footage shared on social media showed chaotic scenes as rescue teams closed off the area around the popular ride. Photos also appear to show several gondolas that became tangled in the wires during the ride.

Shocked witnesses describe seeing people ‘screaming in fear’ as the ride crashed into the ground.

John Spence, 45, from Warwick, was at the fairground with his wife Julie, 42, and their ten-year-old son Harris.

He said: “We were close to the ride when we heard screaming. It wasn’t your normal excited scream, this was a scream of fear.

“There was a loud whooshing and popping sound and then pandemonium. There were many people in hi-vis jackets running over to help people get out.

‘Within a few minutes you heard sirens. The emergency services were incredible and all so calm.

“We stayed away because we didn’t want to make the situation worse, but wanted to stand around it.”

Emergency services are at the scene of the disaster in Birmingham

Police have closed the ride as the investigation into the collapse continues today

Two people have been taken to hospital after a 55m fairground ride ‘failed and crashed’ in Birmingham city center (pictured at the fairground on Friday morning)

Another witness said: ‘We saw some people being helped off the ride and some had bloody faces and were crying.

“It was really shocking.”

Clips of the terrifying aftermath showed eyewitnesses describing the ride suddenly collapsing. They said in disbelief, “It was way up there and it fell, the thing fell.”

A bystander was heard saying there was “blood on someone’s face,” police said The sun.

The West Midlands Fire Service confirmed it had ‘fallen to the ground’ while in operation.

A witness told the BBC he saw “girls who appeared to be injured” walking away from the area, with “one girl who appeared to have her face cut.”

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: ‘On arrival crews found 13 patients.

‘Two women were treated by paramedics for injuries believed to be minor and taken to Midland Metropolitan University Hospital.

‘Nine women and three men were examined by doctors before being given self-care advice and discharged on the spot.’

The photo shows an ambulance that appears to arrive on the scene after the accident

Centenary Square, Birmingham, after the accident, with emergency services on the scene

Paramedics appeared to have a stretcher ready when they arrived on the scene

A photo of one of the broken seats that were lying around during the ride

An image of a Star Flyer ride in Digbeth in August 2024

The City Starflyer ride is provided by fairground supplier Danter Attractions and is described as ‘one of the tallest attractions available’.

The company declined to comment.

Brian Hughes, chairman of Westside BID, the business improvement district for the area including Centenary Square, said in a statement: ‘Our first thoughts are with those who have been injured.

‘While we are relieved to hear that no one suffered life-threatening injuries, this must have been a terrible incident to experience.

‘We have already spoken to the owners of Ice Skate Birmingham, which operates the attraction, and we know they will now work closely with the authorities to find out exactly what went wrong.’