Sydney Royal Easter Show: Mum reveals horrifying moment stranger was forced to save her son on ride

A shaken mother has revealed how a total stranger was forced to help her son down from a popular children’s ride after he was left unrestrained in his seat. 

Sky Boustani Curtis watched on in horror as the near disaster unfolded on the ‘Free Fall’ ride at Sydney’s Easter Show on Sunday afternoon. 

Shocked onlookers quickly alerted operators that the restraint on the seat of four-year-old Tristan Curtis had not been locked into place as the ride took off. 

His mother has recalled the terrifying moments her son remained suspended several metres in the air before another father helped the little boy down from his seat. 

‘The (operator) girl stopped the ride but didn’t get out of her booth so another father ended up getting him to climb down to him,’ Mrs Curtis told the Daily Telegraph.

‘Myself and my husband were not tall enough to reach him. They simply did not pull his harness down, didn’t check him.’ 

Terrifying images that have circulated online show the four-year-old with his restraint still wide open above his head as other children sit secured on the ride.  

‘The lady put me up with no seatbelt. Someone lift me down,’ Tristan told 7NEWS.  

Mrs Curtis said her son remained suspended in the air for a ‘couple of minutes’ .

She said she did everything possible to keep him calm in those terrifying moments. 

The incident was even more terrifying seeing as Tristan has trouble sitting still.  

‘He started moving around, moving forward and there was a bit of panic then, I just went into calm mode and kind of made light of it, I started talking to him and said ‘It’s ok mate, it’s alright nothing’s wrong, just sit down’, she recalled. 

Mrs Curtis said her son Tristan has ADHD and autism and it was ‘difficult’ to know how he was feeling following the harrowing ordeal. 

Tristan’s mother Sky Boustani Curtis (pictured) was forced to watch on in horror as the near disaster unfolded on the ‘Free Fall’ ride at Sydney’s Easter Show over the weekend

Tristan’s shaken mother Sky (pictured with Tristan on left) said she entered ‘calm mode’ as she watched her son dangle unrestrained several metres in the air on Sunday afternoon. Pictured right is the four-year-old’s sister Kaylie and father Nathan)

Shane McGrath, a senior manager of the Royal Easter Show, described the incident as a ‘training issue’ and said he would ensure it wouldn’t happen again. 

Mrs Curtis told 7NEWS her family had remained at the show until 9:30pm on Sunday and noticed the same two girls were still operating the ride.

Under instruction from Fair Trading Minister Eleni Petinos, SafeWork NSW will investigate whether the ride should remain closed for the rest of the show. 

Ms Petinos said she has a zero tolerance approach towards any ride operator who fails to provide the highest possible safety standards. 

‘I can confirm that I have instructed SafeWork NSW to explore shutting the Free Fall ride for the remainder of the 2022 Sydney Royal Easter Show if patron’s safety cannot be guaranteed,’ the minister said in a statement.  

‘Safety is my number one priority and any operator who fails to provide the highest level of safety standards should face severe consequences and that is why I’ve instructed SafeWork NSW to explore all available avenues.’

A witness to the scary ordeal said the operator had ‘no idea’ the boy wasn’t secured. 

‘The lady put me up with no seatbelt. Someone lift me down,’ Tristan (pictured unrestrained on the ‘Free Fall’ ride on Sunday afternoon) said following the near-miss

Mrs Curtis (pictured with her daughter Kaylie) said her son Tristan has ADHD and autism and it was ‘difficult’ to know how he was feeling following the harrowing ordeal

‘They hit emergency stop but it seems like the operator couldn’t bring the ride down and someone actually had to go up there and have his son jump into his arms,’ Eva Levy recalled. ‘Onlookers had to scream for the ride to be stopped.’

Show organisers have launched an urgent investigation into the incident. 

‘The safety of patrons at the Show is paramount and we have shut down the kids’ Free Fall ride following a reported issue with a harness,’ a show spokeswoman said.

‘The safety systems of the ride functioned well to prevent any injury occurring and the ride will not operate again until a full investigation has been completed and the ride has been approved by specialist engineers.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Sydney Royal Easter Show and SafeWork NSW for comment. 

Operators of rides at the Sydney Royal Easter Show must comply with the SafeWork NSW Guide for Amusement Devices. 

The terrifying incident unfolded in front of many shocked show goers, including young children (pictured crowds at the Sydney Royal Easter Show on the weekend)

A NSW Police spokeswoman said police were unaware of the incident, adding it was safety issue for organisers.

The Free Fall ride is located in the Kids Carnival, where patrons must be at least 110 centimetres tall and can go on the ride with or without an adult.

‘Take the plunge! The Free Fall is ideal for the young thrill seeker, a controlled drop that simulates the fear of falling – with a gentle stop bringing them safely back to earth,’ the ride description on the show’s website states. 

News of the incident has sparked horror online as hundreds called for better training of ride operators.

‘It’s time for ride attendants to get a full dose of training!!!! These rides are huge…..and dangerous….hence the word, THRILL!!! Geez, those safety features are there for a reason!’ one woman wrote on Facebook.

‘No ride should be able to start unless every harness and seat is secure and in place….it should be an automatic process.’

Shocked onlookers managed to alert the ride operators moments before the unrestrained boy (pictured far right) was flung into the air

Another added: ‘What is wrong with the operators these days. For heavens sake it’s not hard to make sure the children are strapped in properly. Can’t believe she didn’t even get out of the box to help, people like this should not be able to operate such risky rides.’

The terrifying incident comes two weeks after a teen plunged 50 metres to his death on a similar ride at a US theme park.

Tyre Sampson, 14, died after slipping out of his seat on the 430-foot Orlando Free Fall ride at the ICON Park in Florida on March 24.

Photos and audio from the 911 call suggest Tyre’s safety harness may not have been properly secured at the time.

 The St. Louis teen was visiting Orlando with his football program and sitting next to two of his best friends on the ride at the time.

The incident comes two weeks after a teen plunged to his death on the 430-foot Orlando Free Fall ride  (pictured) at the ICON Park in Florida on March 24