Megan Carberry, who caught her fingers on a fan at the Hippodrome

by Ed Targett

etargett@thekmgroup.co.uk

A six-year-old’s fingers were slashed open by a fan at indoor adventure playground the Hippodrome in a shock accident that left a trail of blood across the floor.

Fun-loving Megan Carberry was at a friend’s party when her fingers were caught in the fan that blows up an inflatable tunnel.

She was left with damaged tendons and nerves that needed specialist surgery in East Grinstead after the incident.

This week her furious parents said they were disgusted by how the accident was handled.

Eyewitness and Megan’s godmother Karen Collins said: “The party was going well and everyone was enjoying themselves, until just before the end of the party when my goddaughter ran up screaming with her hand covered in blood.

“Her mum picked her up ran to the kitchen area and started to apply tissue in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"A member of staff was asked to call an ambulance.

"One of the parents went into the area where the child came out of and followed a trail of blood to a fan which had no cover on and no cover nearby to keep children's hands safe.

“After a few minutes we realised no ambulance had arrived and the member of staff had simply not rung for one so the mum rushed the child out the door and another friend rushed them to Margate Hospital.”

Megan’s father, nurse Tony Carberry, from Broomfield, said: “There was tendon and nerve damage.

"Her fingers were lacerated. My wife called three times for them to get an ambulance until finally another member of the party took them to Margate A&E.

“The Hippodrome just carried on till the next party!”

Hippodrome owner Martin Fossey said: “Of course I am desperately sorry for the little girl.

"I’ve been in the leisure business for 40 years and run the Hippodrome for 18 and that’s the first time that has happened.

“I dealt with the incident at the time and as a first aid instructor, I was taught that with walking wounded you don’t want to take an ambulance away from a life-threatening incident.

“To get her fingers in the fan she would have had to have been lying down and then put her fingers through a grill. It’s just one of those freak accidents and of course the last thing you want is for a child to get hurt.

“We are having a full investigation and getting health and safety in.”