Watch: Shocking moment mum-of-eight is thrown from funfair ride

Shocking footage shows the moment a mum was thrown from a funfair ride - leaving her with "life-changing" injuries.

Khadra Ali, 51, was not suitably restrained on the Xcelerator ride at the Funderpark in Hillingdon, west London, health and safety authorities said.

She spent weeks in a coma and months recovering in hospital.

The footage has today (Wednesday May 15) been released after three men were handed suspended prison sentences in connection with the April 2018 incident. A company was also fined.

Mum-of-eight Mrs Ali, who was 45 at the time, was on the ride with her daughter and "screamed for help" whilst clinging on for some time before being ejected. She hit the barrier of an adjacent ride and landed on the ground.

Mrs Ali spent the next few weeks in a coma and four months in hospital as a result of her injuries - including multiple fractures, internal bleeding and a significant head injury - and can now no longer do chores or activities with her children. Join our new WhatsApp Community to get the latest news from across London directly to your phone

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the ride’s seat restraint system was designed with electrical and mechanical failings by the manufacturer, Perrin Stevens Limited.

The ride control system was set up in such a way that it would not have detected all failures, the HSE said.

The public body added that Derek Hackett, the ride owner trading as Hackett Fairs, failed to properly maintain the ride.

It said this was in part due to Perrin Stevens’ operator manual lacking in information on inspection and maintenance of the seat restraint system.

The investigation also found on the day of the incident Mr Hackett’s ride operator had no attendant assisting them despite the operations manual requiring a minimum of two people to operate and monitor the ride.

Crucially, the operator did not check each rider’s restraint bar as they should have before starting the ride, and did not notice that Mrs Ali required assistance and stopped the ride.

DMG Technical Ltd was the appointed inspection body and had overall control of the in-service annual inspection of the ride and responsibility for issuing the declaration of the operation compliance.

David Geary, director at DMG Technical Ltd, completed the annual inspection in 2017 and did not identify any failed switches or maintenance concerns, the HSE said.

Hackett, Stevens and Geary all admitted breaching health and safety regulations and were handed suspended prison sentences on May 7.

DMG Technical Ltd, which also admitted an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act, was fined £51,000.

HSE inspector Helen Donnelly said: “Mrs Ali was simply enjoying a day out with her children in what she expected to be a safe environment.

"As a result, she continues to suffer pain and significant impacts to her everyday life. Good health and safety management often requires multiple precautions being put in place, and often by different parties.

"This incident shows that there are serious consequences when we do not fulfil our health and safety duties and become reliant on the actions of others to ensure the safety of workers and the public.

"Good health and safety is a collective effort and we must all take responsibility for the role we have in keeping people safe.

“While this investigation has been long and complex, we hope Mrs Ali and her family will find some comfort with the sentence and see that justice has now been served.”

A statement from Mrs Ali’s representative said: “The family of Khadra Ali is deeply relieved that the criminal prosecution has concluded following the tragic incident at the Funderpark Fun Fair.

"They are grateful to everyone who has supported them throughout this challenging process.

“While no outcome can undo the impact of the life-changing injuries on Khadra’s health and well-being, they hope this marks the beginning of their journey to rebuild their lives and provide her with the support she needs moving forward.

“The family remain committed to providing Khadra with the best quality of life possible.

“They respectfully request privacy as they continue to focus on caring for Khadra and facing the challenges ahead.”