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Omaha Carnival Ride Accident Leaves Girl In Critical Condition (GRAPHIC)

"We have a long road ahead of us," her mom said on Facebook.

An 11-year-old Omaha, Neb. girl may never see again after her scalp was pulled off on a carnival ride Saturday.

Elizabeth Gilreath was on a ride called King's Crown when she slid off the seat, her family said at a news conference Sunday. The girl, who her family calls "Lulu," had long red hair that became tangled in the spinning instrument of the ride.

"It went on for 5-10 minutes everybody told me, while it ripped and pulled my daughter around," said dad Timothy.

"They don't even know if the muscles will work and my daughter will be able to see again. That is our baby."

Elizabeth had several surgeries over the weekend, according to Omaha.com, and was still in critical condition Monday.

Grace Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Labor, told the site that there was nothing to suggest that the ride wasn't working properly on the day of the accident, or that the operator wasn't paying attention.

The ride has four cylinders that are linked to two horizontal arms. Riders sit inside the cylinders, which rotate while the arms move them around.

"They don't even know if the muscles will work and my daughter will be able to see again. That is our baby."

State inspectors also checked the ride April 19, Johnson told the site. Ride vendors usually inspect the attractions themselves more regularly.

Jolene Cisneros, who is also a mom herself, watched the accident happen and ran up the stairs to try to stop the ride, she told WTVR.

"This child was without hair," she said.

Surveillance footage showed the ride operator running away after the incident, potentially to find help.

Elizabeth's mom, Virginia Cooksey, posted images of her daughter in hospital Sunday, asking for prayers.

WARNING: The photo below is graphic.

"Lulu is such a amazing and out going little girl she has to make it threw (sic) this she want to be a senator when she grows up," she wrote.

She also called for those responsible for the incident to be punished.

"We have a long road ahead of us."

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