A 13-year-old boy is still recovering from injuries he sustained after being flung from this ride during a carnival on Sunday in the parking lot of the Butte Civic Center.
MTN has learned that the victim has been airlifted from Butte to a hospital in Kalispell where he is being treated for extensive injuries.
Meagan Thompson reports - watch the video here:
Butte Civic Center Director Bill Melvin said the teenager was flung from his chair on the Yoyo ride while it was going full speed.
This ride is run by Midway West Amusements out of Arizona. Melvin said the civic center has used them in the past and they’ve never had an incident like this.
According to a 2021 study by the National Safety Council on amusement park rides there were an estimated 130 serious injuries reported across the nation caused by rides.
Montana is one of a few states that has no statewide oversight of carnival rides. However, the Montana legislature did adopt a law last year that revised safety standards for amusement parks, requiring certification that rides have been examined by qualified inspectors.
The last major carnival ride incident in Montana occurred in August of 2018 at the Western Montana Fair in Missoula when an 11-year-old girl was injured after falling off the Typhoon ride.
(1st REPORT) A 13-year-old boy was seriously injured after falling from a ride at this carnival being held in the parking lot of the Butte Civic Center on Sunday, June 7, 2026.
Butte police responded to the Midwest Amusements Carnival just after 3 p.m. in the north parking lot of the Butte Civic Center.
John Emeigh reports - watch the video:
The boy sustained what are said to be "serious injuries" in the fall, but police did not have a condition on the victim as of Sunday evening.
The ride - which several witnesses said was called the "Yoyo" - was cordoned off and shut down by police pending further investigation.
Carnival staff were in the process of breaking down operations at the Civic Center by 7 p.m. Sunday.
We will update you if we get more information.
