MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The ride at the Delta Fair that was closed due to an accident over the weekend has been given the green light to resume operations.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development sent a letter to Belle City Amusements, the owner of the Moonraker, saying since the company took the necessary steps after the accident, it could re-open.
On September 3, WREG reported the lap bar on the Moonraker ride released early as the ride was slowing down at the end.
According to the Delta Fair, the ride’s computer detected a problem, so it shut down the ride, making the ride slow down and return to the ground. The ride operator panicked and pressed a manual override, which caused the lap bars to release as the ride was lowering.
Fourteen riders were hurt, and eight of them were taken to the hospital Saturday.
Belle City Amusements told WREG they upgraded the ride’s software and got rid 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.
A third party inspector and Shelby County Code Enforcement also examined the ride several times since Saturday.
