A man was decapitated in a freak fairground accident this weekend in Hamburg, Germany.
The man, identified as Richard Barton from Milton Keynes, England, was riding the Kopfspinner, an attraction at the Hamburger Dom, a famed itinerant fun fair, when his headed collided at high speed with a piece of machinery, severing it at the neck and sending it flying into the onlooking crowd like a football.
Owners of the ride have defended their safety record, pointing out Mr Barton's freakishly tall body and failure to read the safety signs as the cause of the accident. Footage of Mr. Barton taken just before boarding the ride clearly show him pointing out the sign to friends, laughing and shrugging his shoulders in indifference.
Acquaintances of Mr. Barton, 38, say he used his "snobbery and disdain for low-brow, proletariat entertainment" as a cover-up for his cowardice when it came to going on any ride designed for anyone over the age of eight. When asked to guess why he therefore decided to board this ride despite the clear risks to people of his height, one acquaintance said, "he was probably trying to impress a girl."