All four defendants in the trial over the death of a 19-year-old man at a funfair in Halkidiki have been found guilty, following a lengthy legal process before the Mixed Jury Court of Giannitsa.
The fatal accident took place in August 2024, when the 19-year-old lost his life while using the “Crazy Dance” amusement ride at the funfair. The defendants included the owner of the business, his wife who was involved in managing the operation, the 21-year-old ride operator, and the mechanical engineer who had issued safety certificates for the equipment.
According to information from Greek public broadcaster ERT, the court found the funfair owner guilty of homicide with possible intent, as well as attempted homicide with possible intent. His wife was found guilty of aiding the offenses attributed to him.
The young ride operator was found guilty of causing death through exposure to danger and of endangering others, while the mechanical engineer was found guilty of aiding in the homicide and attempted homicide charges.
During the trial, the prosecutor argued that the “Crazy Dance” ride had suffered extensive corrosion due to years of wear and was unsafe for operation. She described it as a homemade construction that lacked proper safety standards and claimed that the failure of the equipment was inevitable without replacement.
The prosecutor also said that maintenance work had not been carried out, the machine had not been properly secured and the operator lacked sufficient experience and training.
“If he cared, he would have had the safety knowledge to protect the people on board and would have cared about inspections,” the prosecutor said, referring to the 60-year-old owner, who remains in temporary custody. The other defendants have been released under restrictive conditions.
