'I'll never get on a fairground ride again after little girl's horror injuries'

Disaster struck last year when Marcia's niece and father were rushed to hospital after a malfunction on a fairground ride - now, she talks about her experience in a gripping Netflix docu-series.

When a family outing turns to horror, every second counts. Critical: Between Life and Death lifts the curtain on London’s Major Trauma System in six powerful episodes.

With unprecedented access to paramedics, A&E teams and trauma surgeons, the cameras capture everything. “A nice lady came into the waiting room and told me about the cameras,” says Marcia. “They were there before we were.”

Marcia’s niece Silvana was 11 years old when she went to the Lambeth Country Show with her grandfather Sebastiano. He’d even taken the day off from the family’s ice cream van.

But joy turned to disaster when a malfunction on a fairground ride sent debris and people flying, leaving four casualties in hospital with serious injuries.

Sebastiano threw himself between Silvana and a speaker. It smashed into his face while Silvana was left with several serious injuries. In the hospital, Marcia acted as an anchor for the rest of her family.

“I’m the rational person,” she says, “But there were moments that made me fearful. My brother said, ‘do you want a coffee?’ But I was so wired. I thought, ‘If my dad dies, I’m going to be the man of the house.’”

For Marcia, the moment she was handed her father’s blood-stained belongings remains etched in her memory. “I was given a bag with my dad’s things, like his ring,” Marcia says, “It was covered in blood.”

Marcia also had to deal with police, doctors and even solicitors. “Everyone was calling me,” she remembers. “I’ve been writing government letters since I was 9 because my parents don’t really speak English.”

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation soon after the incident. Now, Marcia hopes the series sparks serious conversations.

“There are many things that shouldn’t be happening and everyone turns a blind eye. Until it’s them,” she says. “It’s not the first time something like this happened. This story isn’t original.”

Since the incident, the family business is left in limbo. “We worked with the Fun Fair,” Marcia adds, “In a way, we’re out of work but we go to different locations.” And her family have made a huge decision: “My brother said, ‘I’m never taking the kids to a fun fair ride again.”

More than a gripping documentary revealing the NHS’ tireless efforts to keep Brits safe and healthy, Critical: Between Life and Death is a raw and vital reminder of just how fragile life can be. A wake-up call that tragedy can strike anywhere - even on the most ordinary day.

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