Teen suffers ‘life-changing’ injuries after horror incident on fairground ride

An 18-year-old woman has suffered potentially life-changing head injuries after an incident on a fairground ride

The accident took place at a fairground (Image: Express)

A teenager has sustained potentially life-altering head injuries while on a fairground attraction. The 18-year-old woman was hurt during a ride at a steam fair near Southampton on Saturday evening. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary confirmed the teenager was rushed to hospital following the incident at Netley Marsh Steam and Craft Show at approximately 10.53pm.

It’s understood police are working alongside the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). A woman who assisted in providing first aid to the injured 18-year-old described “shock and panic” at the scene.

She told the BBC: “One of the girl’s friends came down and said how serious it was and some of us offered assistance.

“It’s very shocking it could happen on a fairground ride that young children go on. This must never happen again.”

A woman told the Daily Echo how the injured girl’s hair got caught between rollers on the ride’s floor.

She described the horrifying moment when the force of the rollers allegedly tore off a part of the girl’s scalp.

She added: “First responders were already on the scene, so I cradled the girl’s head and kept talking to her.”

The ride has reportedly been shut down for the rest of the festival, reports the Express. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here

A spokesperson for Hampshire Police stated: “We were called at 10.53pm on July 26 with reports that an 18-year-old woman had sustained potentially life-changing injuries to her head while on a ride at Netley Marsh Steam and Craft Show.

“She was taken to hospital for treatment.

“Police attended and have liaised with the Health and Safety Executive.”

The festival Facebook page states the event ran from Friday July 25 until Sunday July 27.

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It is described as “The south’s premier steam and craft show.”

The show has been held annually in the small Hampshire village of Netley Marsh since 1971.

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The use of medical marijuana dates to ancient civilizations, though historians are undecided about whether the first medical use of cannabis was in China, where the plant is indigenous. [1]

Archaeologists unearthed traces of cannabis with high levels of THC (the main psychoactive component of cannabis) in wooden bowls dating to 500 bce in the Jirzankal Cemetery in China, marking the earliest instance of marijuana use found to date. This particular use of marijuana was more likely for a religious rite than medicinal purposes, though religion and medicine were not necessarily kept separate. Such use was described by Greek historian Herodotus: “The Scythians then take the seed of this hemp and, crawling in under the mats, throw it on the red-hot stones, where it smolders and sends forth such fumes that no Greek vapor-bath could surpass it. The Scythians howl in their joy at the vapor-bath.” [2][3][4]

What do you think? Should Recreational Marijuana Be Legal? Explore the ProCon debate

The mythological Chinese Emperor Shennong’s pharmacopoeia, Treatise on Medicine (which itself has disputed dates–2737 bce or 1ce and unknown authorship), included marijuana as a treatment for “malaria, constipation, rheumatic pains, ‘absentmindedness’ and ‘female disorders.’” [5][6]

Ebers papyrus One of many ancient Egyptian medical writings, this papyrus recommended marijuana for various ailments and even included a prescription for inducing an abortion; it was written in hieratic text, c. 1550 bce . (more)

From China, marijuana was introduced to Iran and Anatolia by the Scythians and then spread to India, Greece, Egypt, and throughout Africa. Evidence suggests Arab physicians used marijuana for pain, inflammation, and epileptic seizures, while in India marijuana was used for fevers, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), headaches, sleep, dysentery, digestion, and appetite inducement. In Rome, Emperor Nero’s private physician, Dioscorides, used the plant to treat pain in ears. Marijuana was similarly used in Africa, as evidenced by the Egyptian Ebers papyrus (circa 1550 bce), for fever, pain, infected toenails, and uterine cramps. Other Egyptian papyruses include cannabis as treatment for eye infections (perhaps glaucoma), cholera, menstrual ailments, headaches, schistosomiasis, fever, and colorectal cancer. [1][4][7][8][9][10]

The Moors brought marijuana to Spain during the 8th-century occupation. The Spanish, in turn, took marijuana to the Americas where it was mainly used as a cash crop for producing hemp fiber. Medical use followed quickly, with Mexicans using the drug for gonorrhea, menstrual ailments, pain, and toothaches. [10][11][12][13]

The Anatomy of Melancholy Frontispiece for The Anatomy of Melancholy, by Robert Burton, published c. 1638 (more)

Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621) heralded the arrival of marijuana in medieval Europe by suggesting that cannabis be used to treat depression. Thereafter marijuana was recommended for inflammation (New English Dispensatory, 1764) and coughs, STIs, and incontinence (Edinburgh New Dispensary, 1794). [1]

Medical use of marijuana did not gain much popularity in the United Kingdom until W.B. O’Shaughnessy, an Irish professor at the Medical College of Calcutta, India, tested the indigenous Cannabis indica on animals and children after seeing how Indians used marijuana in medicine. O’Shaughnessy reported in 1839 that cannabis was safe and used marijuana to treat rabies, cholera, delirium from alcohol withdrawal, pain, rheumatism, epilepsy, tetanus, and as a muscle relaxer. He deemed marijuana “an anticonvulsant remedy of the greatest value” and brought the drug with him when he returned to England in 1842. [1][7]

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with five of their nine children. Family of Queen Victoria – oil on canvas by Franz Xavier Winterhalter, 1846; in the Royal Collection. Left to right: Prince Alfred, Edward the Prince of Wales, the Queen, Prince Albert, and Princesses Alice, Helena, and Victoria (more)

The Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal (now the British Medical Journal) put medical cannabis on the front page in 1843, prompting popularity and regular use of the drug as a painkiller, with even Queen Victoria reportedly being prescribed marijuana postpartum and for premenstrual syndrome (PMS) by her private physician J.R. Reynolds. A tincture of marijuana, frequently added to tea, was used commonly in Victorian England. The 1894 Indian Hemp Drugs Commission stated marijuana was not harmful if used in moderation and could be particularly helpful in treating malaria. [7][14]

In 1860, American doctor R.R. M’Meens, crediting W.B. O’Shaughnessy, extolled the virtues of marijuana to treat “tetanus, neuralgia, dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), convulsions, the pain of rheumatism and childbirth, asthma, postpartum psychosis, gonorrhea, and chronic bronchitis” as well as the drug’s use for sleep-inducement and appetite stimulation. Other American doctors prescribed marijuana for restlessness, anxiety, “senile insomnia,” neuralgia, migraines, depression, gastric ulcers, morphine addiction, and asthma, and as a topical anesthetic. [1]

Reefer Madness Poster for Reefer Madness (1936), directed by Louis J. Gasnier. (more)

However, the arrival of marijuana wasn’t lauded by everyone. Mark Stewart, a member of the UK Parliament, complained in 1891 that “the lunatic asylums of India are filled with ganja smokers.” Along with negative associations with mental illness, marijuana was also attacked with racist political commentary. In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) Commissioner Harry Anslinger claimed there were “100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.” Additionally, the agency was concerned that “marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing.” His efforts were aided by a 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film, Reefer Madness, as well as by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, who famously printed articles designed to foster fear of the drug. [1][7][13][15] [16]

By the 1890s, marijuana was falling out of favor among doctors, and U.S. states were working to ban marijuana because of the drug’s association with Mexican immigrants. Massachusetts led the charge, passing a ban on the drug in 1911. [7][10]

President Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley Elvis Presley meets Pres. Nixon, Oval Office, White House, Dec. 21, 1970. The popular Presley met Nixon within hours of hand writting a long letter to him indicating a desire to become a federal agent in the war on drugs. (more)

The FBN, which would merge with other departments to form what is now the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), worked to pass the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. While the law only taxed marijuana, it effectively banned the drug as well as industrial hemp. The Marihuana Tax Act survived until 1969 when it was declared unconstitutional. However, President Richard Nixon would reinstate the marijuana ban in 1970 with the Controlled Substances Act, which classified cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug (“drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse”), beginning Nixon’s “War on Drugs” and effectively ending medical research on the drug. [7][10][16][37]

In the United Kingdom, the Misuse of Drugs Act was passed in 1971, declaring marijuana to have “no known or limited medical use.” The law now classifies marijuana as a Class B drug, which are considered less dangerous than Class A drugs including cocaine, ecstasy, and crystal meth. Class B drugs include amphetamines, barbiturates, and ketamine, along with marijuana. The possession of any Class B drug carries a penalty of up to 5 years in prison. [7][17] [18]

Marijuana smoking A woman smoking marijuana. (more)

While the American federal war on drugs would continue, U.S. states began legalizing medical marijuana in the 1990s. California was the first to legalize cannabis for medical use in 1996, quickly followed by Alaska, Oregon, and Washington state in 1998, and Maine in 1999. By July 2025, 39 states and D.C. had legalized medical marijuana, leaving only 11 states where medical marijuana is illegal: Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. [19]

While states were legalizing medical marijuana, some of the earliest adopting states also began legalizing recreational, or adult-use, marijuana. Colorado and Washington legalized this in 2012—22 other states and D.C. had done so by July 2025. Only states with legal medical marijuana have thus far legalized adult-use marijuana. [20]

This year’s legislative session saw many changes that will affect New Hampshire’s schools and young people — including what students will learn in the classroom, how education is paid for, and the level of state support for higher education.

Here’s an overview.

Cell phones will be off limits in schools most of the day.

Under a new law championed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte, students will be able to use their cell phone before and after school — but not during the school day, including during lunch. This will be a big change for most students unless their school already bans phones, like at Stevens High School in Claremont and Salem High School.

Policies must make exceptions for students who need a phone or other communication device for specialized education programs or to manage medical conditions, such as glucose sensors.

But it’s unclear when the new bans must start.

The law requires school boards to work with parents and teachers on a cell phone policy, but it sets no deadline for implementing that policy. Nor does it require schools to ask students — who are directly impacted — for input on a new policy.

This is likely to be popular with teachers. When the National Education Association surveyed members, 83% said they favored a full-day ban.

There will be new classes — and new limits on what can be taught.

Starting next school year, students may see certain books and materials that depict nudity and sexual conduct removed from classes and school libraries, unless the school can show the material has scientific or literary value.

That’s under a bill headed to Ayotte that would allow parents of students in the school to request materials deemed offensive to be removed. If the school agrees, the removed items will be unavailable to all students. Ayotte has not said whether she will sign the legislation.

Students also could see an end to initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion but the wording of that new law is so vague, it’s hard to know what that could include. In terms of classroom changes, one specific measure forbids discussion of critical race theory, which includes exploring how race and racism have shaped policies and history.

Under another new law, sex education classes will have to include lessons on a fetus’ development if the governor signs that legislation.

And students will learn about the history and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance and Star Spangled Banner to mark Constitution Day.

The state’s colleges and universities saw budget cuts.

The University System of New Hampshire ended up losing about $18 million over the next two years in the state budget.

The cut — as well as a loss of federal funding and declining enrollment — is already having impacts. For instance, the University of New Hampshire is calling for a 3% spending cut across the board.

Meanwhile, tuition is going up at the state’s public colleges and universities by as much as 3%. For UNH, that will put in-state tuition — without room and board — at about $16,000 a year.

The state’s Education Freedom Account program no longer has an income cap.

Under an expansion passed by lawmakers this year, any student who lives in New Hampshire can now get a so-called state-funded school voucher to attend private school or to cover homeschool costs. And there’s no telling yet how many students will seek one.

The 10,000 cap on students who can get vouchers is a misnomer because the students currently in the program don’t count toward that cap. In the early weeks of the new program, thousands of families have expressed interest in applying.

Public schools are bracing for the impact. They’ll lose roughly $5,000 in state funding for every student who leaves their local public school and uses an EFA to help pay for private school or home school.

Lawmakers continued investments in child care.

The state’s child care crisis prompted the state to invest millions in expanding the options during the pandemic. They continued some of those commitments in the next budget.

There is money for child care providers to help with recruiting and keeping staff. The child care scholarship fund — which provides families significant money to help with child care costs — remains in the budget, as does the expanded eligibility. A family of three can earn up to about $89,000 a year and be eligible.

But many families who are eligible for the scholarship aren’t actually using it because they are unaware it exists or don’t complete the application. So the state is making changes to how the program is managed to reduce barriers for families and child care providers.

An aerial view of Valley Health Hampshire Memorial Hospital on June 17, 2025 in Romney, W.V. Ricky Carioti | The Washington Post | Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” would make sweeping changes to U.S. health care, leaving millions of vulnerable Americans without health insurance and threatening the hospitals and centers that provide care to them. The Senate on Tuesday voted 51-50 to pass the spending measure after a marathon overnight voting session on amendments. But the bill will face another major test in the House, where Republicans have a razor-thin majority and some members have already raised objections to the legislation. Recent changes to the bill would cut roughly $1.1 trillion in health-care spending over the next decade, according to new estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. More than $1 trillion of those cuts would come from Medicaid, a joint federal and state health insurance program for disabled and low-income Americans, according to the CBO. The funding cuts go beyond insurance coverage: The loss of that funding could gut many rural hospitals that disproportionately rely on federal spending. The CBO estimates that the current version of the bill would result in 11.8 million people losing health insurance by 2034, with the majority of those people losing Medicaid coverage. But the implications could be even bigger. Trump’s bill combined with separate policy changes could result in an estimated 17 million people losing health insurance, said Robin Rudowitz, director of the program on Medicaid and the uninsured at health policy research organization KFF. She said those other changes include new regulations that would dramatically limit access to Affordable Care Act Marketplace coverage and expiring enhanced ACA tax credits. “If all of this comes to pass, it would represent the biggest roll back of health insurance coverage ever due to federal policy changes,” Cynthia Cox, KFF’s director of the program on the ACA, said in an analysis published Tuesday. Approximately 72 million Americans are currently enrolled in Medicaid, about one-fifth of the total U.S. population, according to government data. Medicaid is the primary payer for the majority of nursing home residents, and pays for around 40% of all births. The Trump administration and its allies insist the cuts in the bill aim to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. Democrats have said they break the president’s repeated promises not to touch the Medicaid program. Medicaid has been one of the most divisive issues throughout negotiations in both chambers, and some House Republicans have expressed reservations about how deep the cuts are. “I get that they want to cut fraud, but taking a swipe across the top is not going to solve the issue,” said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nurses Association. She said the cuts could shutter hospitals and health centers in rural areas and lead to job losses for health-care staff such as nurses.

Millions of Americans will lose coverage

The cuts in the bill come from several different provisions, but the lion’s share of Medicaid savings will come from two changes. One would establish a new, strict national work requirement for certain Medicaid beneficiaries ages 19 to 64. It would require childless adults without disabilities and parents of children older than 14 to work, volunteer or attend school for at least 80 hours a month to keep their insurance coverage, unless they qualify for an exception. Current law prohibits basing Medicaid eligibility on work requirements or work reporting rules, according to KFF. The new work requirement in the bill won’t kick in until 2026. It is projected to save about $325 billion over a decade, the CBO said. An analysis published June 23 by the UC Berkeley Labor Center said that the work requirement would cause the most people to lose insurance and “poses an especially draconian barrier to older adults.” The center said there is a steady drop-off in employment after age 50 due to factors “outside [people’s] control,” including deteriorating health, age discrimination and increasing responsibility to provide care for aging family members. “These same factors make older adults particularly vulnerable to coverage loss under Medicaid work requirements,” the analysis said. People living in rural communities, such as seasonal farmers, may also struggle to find employment for parts of the year, Mensik Kennedy said. AARP, an advocacy group focusing on issues affecting those 50 and older in the U.S., sent a letter over the weekend to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., opposing another provision that would disqualify people who fail to meet Medicaid work requirements from receiving premium tax credits to purchase coverage through the ACA Marketplaces. “This creates a steep coverage cliff for those in their 50s and early 60s — particularly for those nearing retirement or working part-time — who may be left with no affordable coverage option at all,” the group said.

Hospitals, health centers, patients in rural areas at risk

A surgeon walks past in the surgical unit at Valley Health Hampshire Memorial Hospital on June 17, 2025 in Romney, W.V. Ricky Carioti | The Washington Post | Getty Images

Another driving source of Medicaid savings will come from a provision that will cap and gradually reduce the tax that states can impose on hospitals, health plans and other medical providers. Those provider taxes are designed to help fund state Medicaid programs, with the federal government matching a portion of the state’s spending. Some members of the Trump administration and conservative lawmakers argue that it is a loophole for states to receive disproportionately more federal funds than they contribute. The bill’s restrictions on provider taxes and another strategy called state-directed payments would cut spending by a combined $375 billion, according to the CBO report. But some GOP senators and experts raised concerns that capping provider taxes would threaten a critical funding stream for rural hospitals, which could force them and other health centers to close. Mensik Kennedy said health-care providers in rural areas, particularly critical access hospitals, rely more on Medicaid funding to support them compared with those in urban areas. “You’re going to see closures of rural hospitals that are the backbone of their community and were already struggling financially. You’re going to see half a million job losses,” Mensik Kennedy said. She said pregnant women in rural areas could be forced to drive 30, 40 or more miles to deliver a baby, while emergency medical services could have to drive an hour to reach a patient having a heart attack. Patients in rural communities already have higher rates of chronic illnesses and mortality because they have limited access to care, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Senate Republicans have added a $25 billion fund to the bill to help rural hospitals stay open in the face of Medicaid cuts. But Mensik Kennedy said that fund is “putting a bucket of water on the house fire,” adding that it is not enough to offset the cuts from the cap on provider taxes and other provisions. Cuts in overall Medicaid funding for rural hospitals would exceed 20% in more than half of states, according to a report from the National Rural Health Association.

A win for pharma