Delaware Car Accident Lawyers

Family of girl who fell from Ferris wheel considers lawsuit

By LAUREN SUIT

Staff Writer 

WILDWOOD – The family of Abiah Jones, who died after a falling from a Ferris wheel on the Wildwood Boardwalk, has hired an attorney and is considering a lawsuit.

Jones, an 11-year-old student from PleasanTech Academy in Pleasantville, fell from the Giant Wheel on Morey’s Mariner’s Landing Pier at about 12:30 p.m. on June 3. She died from her injuries a short time later at Cape Regional Medical Center in Cape May Court House.

Jones’ family has hired attorneys from D'Amato Law Firm of Egg Harbor Township and the Philadelphia firm of Saltz Mongeluzzi Barrett and Bendesky to find answers for their daughter's death and to advocate for Ferris wheel safety, according to a press release by the firms.

“The family is shocked and overwhelmed with grief. They cannot understand how what was supposed to be a fun, supervised afternoon at Morey’s Pier, could turn deadly,” said Paul D’Amato.

“Abiah was a wonderful daughter, a caring sister to her siblings and an exceptional student with a bright future,” he said. “We owe it to the family and the entire community to determine how this senseless tragedy happened and not be quick to dismiss it as a ‘freak accident.’”

Attorney Robert Mongeluzzi said there are numerous unanswered questions about the Ferris wheel incident.

“We will need to determine if the ride was safe to operate, if the operators that day were all qualified, whether all rules for operation were followed, and, of course, why an 11-year-old was riding alone in an open-air car that has no restraints,” Mongeluzzi said.

The Ferris wheel, built by Vekoma International, opened in 1985. It is 156 feet high, or about as tall as a 10-story building. Jones fell from about 100 feet up, police said.

There are no restraints, such as lap bars or seat belts, but each gondola is partially surrounded by steel bars and the doors open inward and are latched from the outside.

Morey's officials require Giant Wheel riders to be at least 54 inches tall or be accompanied by an adult. Four patrons are allowed per gondola, but Jones was reportedly by herself.

Police have said they have no eyewitness to Jones’ fall.

Police and Morey’s Piers officials said it did not appear that any mechanical or operational error took place.

The state Department of Community Affairs officials inspected the ride on March 17. It passed that yearly inspection.

Child Killed After Being Ejected in Delaware Car Crash | Accident ...

A child was killed following a grisly Delaware car accident that ejected the girl from her vehicle, according to the News Journal.

The accident occurred just after 10 p.m. on May 24. A Mitsubishi being driven by a woman with two child passengers was hit by a Hyundai at the intersection of Fourth and Lincoln streets in Wilmington. Police told the newspaper that authorities found the Mitsubishi up against a building when they arrived at the scene.

The driver of the Hyundai allegedly tried to flee the scene but was apprehended, reported the news source.

A girl approximately 6 or 7 years old was ejected from the vehicle and was found wedged behind its back driver's side tire. Both children and the Mitsubishi driver were transported to area hospitals following the event. The source said one of the children reportedly died at Christiana Hospital at approximately 11 p.m.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 968 children under age 14 were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2008. In one study the agency found that booster seats for children ages 4 to 7 can reduce the risk for injury in a collision by 59 percent compared to seat belts alone.

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