Man Suffers ‘Gruesome’ Death by Moving Carnival Ride in Possible Suicide

On Thursday afternoon, a man at a Naperville, Illinois, annual Ribfest was killed by a moving carnival ride. According to initial reports from eyewitnesses, the seemed to have dove under the ride himself in a possible suicide.

Two carnival attendees told reporters that they were near the ride, a widely used boat-shaped ride named Phaorah’s Fury, when the incident occurred. They said as the ride was swinging back and forth, the man looked to have dove under it just as the boat was coming back down.

Dozens of people in the area were able to see the man’s mangled body. Some passersby told reporters the scene was “gruesome.”

Bob Pschirrer, the chairman of the annual Ribfest in Naperville, told reporters that the apparent suicide happened just under three hours after the gates were opened at noon at Knoch Park. Although the park did not officially close, many rides in the area but one have been shut down until further notice.

After receiving a dispatch from the carnival, emergency responders and officials from the DuPage County coroner’s office were on the scene. Police investigators do not believe foul play was involved.

By Alex Lemieux

Source:

5 NBC Chicago: Man Dies at Naperville Ribfest

Photo Courtesy of Fly’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License