Staff Reports
A Wimauma mother is suing two carnival ride operators for injuries her 10-year-old son sustained in February at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
In a suit filed in Hillsborough County April 17, Kristen Roman says her minor son “M.O.” was at an unidentified Hillsborough County event February 9, when he went on the Starship 4000 ride and suffered “severe injuries” caused by “unsafe conditions.”
Starship 4000, which requires riders to be at least 48 inches tall, was one of the rides at the Florida State Fair, held from February 8-19. The Fair is not a defendant in the suit.
W.G. Wade Shows — whose motto is “one smile at a time” — is a traveling carnival that bills itself as “America’s largest family-owned provider of carnival and amusement rides.” Founded in 1912 by Lee Wade, it owns more than 100 amusement rides and attractions, including the “thrill ride” called Starship 4000.
Based in Michigan, Wade’s Facebook page also shows a Florida location in Spring Hill. According to the Florida Department of Corporations, Wade Shows’ president and vice-president are listed as Frank Zaitshik and Melissa Zaitshik, respectively.
Also named as a defendant is Biggest Wheel, a Spring Hill company that shares at least two officers or directors with W.G. Wade Shows: Frank and Melissa Zaitshik.
Roman is seeking damages for negligence.
