Woman hurt at fair has surgery

Deepa Bharath

A 23-year-old woman who got hurt by a pin that got loose and hit her

in the face when she was on the Booster ride Sunday night underwent

surgery on Friday, her mother said.

Staci Tomack’s mother, Zoe Tomack, declined to comment further,

but said she spent the day in the hospital because her daughter had

had surgery.

“Well, so far so good,” she said briefly and referred all further

questions to her daughter’s attorney, Steven O’Reilly, who could not

be reached for comment on Friday.

State officials said they are still trying to get in touch with

O’Reilly to get details about the extent of the Staciu Tomack’s

injuries.

Dean Fryer, a spokesman for the state Department of Occupational

Safety and Health, said the ride operators had reported the injury as

“a cut.” Fair officials said on Thursday that Tomack, of Northridge,

had declined to take an ambulance and had chosen to ride with a

friend to the hospital.

Officials also said the Booster ride opened on Tuesday after it

was fixed and a state inspector had looked at it on Monday, when the

fair was closed. The inspector had actually come down to look at the

Adrenaline Drop, a ride right next to the Booster, where a

30-year-old La Canada woman had been injured hours before Tomack got

hurt.

Aidyl Sofia-Gonzalez left the hospital on crutches one day after

the Adrenaline Drop’s nets failed to break her freefall from a

trapdoor 110 feet in the air untethered by bungee cords or harnesses.

That ride remains closed and under investigation, officials said.

On Friday, fairgoers were still riding the Booster. Many who rode

seemed unaware of the accident.

Tre Smith, 14, said he “liked the ride.”

His father, Larry Smith, said he wouldn’t have let his son go on

the ride if he had known about the incident.

But Tre said he may have just taken the ride anyway.

Ellie Hanna of Mission Viejo, who just heard about the incident,

stopped her grandchildren from going on the ride.

“I’m not taking a chance with my grandchildren,” she said. “Not on

my watch.”

Her 13-year-old granddaughter, Kendra Hanna, said she was looking

forward to riding the Booster.

“I’m disappointed, but I’d rather not go than get hurt,” she said.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].