After Girl’s Death, Deerfield Harvest Fest Canceled This Year

After a young girl's death last year, the official announcement was made Saturday, The Deerfield Township Harvest Festival will not be held in 2020.

During last year's festival, Hailey McMullen, 10,  a fifth grade student at Deerfield Township Elementary School, died at the Festival  after being thrown from a carnival ride called the Extreme Super Sizzler.

Shortly after her Oct 12th death, a civil lawsuit was filed to protect any evidence that may be helpful in an investigation of faulty ride equipment and a possible wrongful death lawsuit by the family.

According to court documents filed by the family in Middlesex County Superior Court as reported by NJ.com, Hailey was seated on the ride behind a fastened safety bar. The family says the ride operator did not see her when she was ejected, which the court documents say caused "second impact injuries."

No mention of Hailey Mullen's death was made in the decision to cancel the long-running Deerfield Township Harvest Festival.

After 41 years of planning and running the festival, the Festival’s volunteers agreed that it was time to take a break from the event for at least a year.