Long Island carnival worker killed

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BRENTWOOD, N.Y., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A carnival worker was killed when a ride struck him in the head during a festival on Long Island in New York, officials said.

The victim, Michael Austin, 22, was fatally struck about 7:30 p.m. Saturday when he stood up after reaching under moving machinery of the Scat ride to get something for the ride's operator, the New York Daily News reported.

The ride, which was carrying about 16 riders in two baskets on a rotating arm, hit him in the head, knocking him to the ground, the newspaper said. Austin, who had been on the job just three weeks, died a few hours later at a hospital.

The ride, owned by Zorlenzan's Amusements of Elmont, was being used at the Feast of Mother Cabrini festival in Brentwood.

Company owner Pete Zorlenzan could not be reached for comment, the Daily News said.