MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Landon Holland is all about having a good time.
“It’s pretty fun.”
“So what’s so fun about being here today?” asked WREG’s Michael Quander.
“It’s about feeling this good air and the rides and everything.”
But one ride, the Moonraker, was shut down after 14 riders were hurt.
Eight of them were taken to the hospital Saturday.
“A person with a broken collarbone. We had a fractured leg, a fractured– one person had a fractured wrist. Another person had a fractured ankle,” said the head of the Delta Fair Mark Lovell.
There were all bad injuries, but none of them were considered life threatening.
Lovell told WREG a third party inspector and Shelby County Code Enforcement examined the ride several times since Saturday.
Belle City Amusements, a company out of Florida who owns the Moonraker, told WREG they’ve upgraded the ride’s software and got ride of the feature that allowed the operator to open restraints during a ride cycle.
The company has submitted the required forms to the Department of Labor and Workforce showing improvements have been made.
“She’s got the paperwork. She’s reviewing it. She’s supposed to give us the green light today to turn the ride back on,” said Lovell.
Some riders we talked to said they’d still get on despite the mishap.
“Things are bound to happen. It’s not all going to be safe 100%. You know? People make mistakes. Machines make mistakes,” said Caleb Johnson.
We do not have a timeline on how long it will take to get the final approval to re-open the ride.