Tagada

{{Short description|Amusement ride}}

File:Tagada, Wiener Prater 1.jpg]]

A tagada is an amusement ride made by various manufacturers. Riders sit in a round bowl with bars, but no seatbelts or restraints (except for harnesses in the Incredible Pizza Company's tagadas.) The ride starts to spin, music starts playing and pneumatic arms bounce the riders up and down.

The Tagada is operated by a human operator who will synchronize the bounces with the music beat. Most operators give time for riders to get to their seats again before making the ride bounce (this occurs if turbulence is too strong). Sometimes riders will be told the ride is over and the gates will not open and the operator will restart the ride making everyone fall over and then open the gates.

Tagada rides are often associated with injuries, including at the 2005 Yarm Fair when Bradley Pennicott of the Kingsmead estate, Eaglescliffe, snapped his left arm whilst on the ride. It is suspected that Bradley was malnourished which contributed to the injury. Also common are ejections from the ride, such as 20 June 2011 in Newcastle, England,{{cite web|last=Lawson|first=Ruth|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/evening-chronicle-news/2011/06/20/westerhope-teen-thrown-from-hoppings-ride-72703-28907732/|title=Westerhope teen thrown from Hoppings ride|date=20 June 2011|work=Evening Chronicle|access-date=2012-04-14}} or during the 2008 British Grand Prix{{cite web|url=http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2010/coi-se-3009.htm|title=Double prosecution after two thrown from fairground ride at British Grand Prix|publisher=Health and Safety Executive|access-date=2012-04-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406140201/http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2010/coi-se-3009.htm|archive-date=6 April 2012|df=dmy-all}} or October 2009,{{cite web|url=http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2012/02/03/girl-12-could-have-been-killed-in-birmingham-fairground-accident-97319-30257080/|title=Girl, 12, 'could have been killed' in Birmingham fairground accident|work=Birmingham Mail|date=2012-02-03|access-date=2012-04-14}} or most recently in 2016 in Ayr, Scotland where three riders were launched from the ride. Most injuries are broken bones of riders who fall into the middle of the ride. Many street fairs ban tagada rides due to their generally poor safety records and cleanliness. The rides are banned in the United States and Australia due to these issues.{{cite web|last=Ashcroft|first=Cath|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/outrage-boy-16-rushed-hospital-14775147|title=Horror as boy, 16, rushed to hospital after flying off 'banned' fairground ride|work=Daily Mirror|date=2019-04-27|access-date=2020-04-19}}

At least two deaths are documented, both in Italy where the ride is very common in traveling carnivals. The first happened in Alezio, Apulia in 2016, when a 15-year-old boy struck his head while riding;{{cite web|url=https://www.leccesette.it/archivio/38053/tragedia-durante-la-festa-di-paese-batte-contro-barriera-sul-tagada-15enne-muore.html|title=Tragedia durante la festa di paese, batte contro barriera sul tagadà, 15enne muore}} the second in Galliate, Piedmont in 2022, claiming the life of a 15-year-old girl who hit her head on a tree too close to the ride and fell over.{{cite web|url=https://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2022/03/14/girl-dies-thrown-off-fairground-ride-on-15th-birthday_9386ac19-965b-43b5-8707-f98ae9c54d1b.html|title=Girl dies thrown off fairground ride on 15th birthday|date=14 March 2022}}