OHIO — One person is dead and seven injured as a high flying ride malfunctions at the Ohio State Fair, ejecting several riders from their seats.
Cell phone video showed the moment a ride malfunctions at the Ohio State Fair seemingly crashing into something on the ground, and throwing part of the ride and the people in it through the air.
“I heard a girl scream help and look over and seen someone fly out and then I seen it slap to the ground.”
It happened aboard a ride called the “Fire Ball” on opening day of the fair.
Inspectors from the Ohio Department of Agriculture insist the ride was thoroughly looked over three or four times before it was opened, even once by a third party.
They’re still trying to figure out what may have been missed.
“There’s no guarantee, obviously mechanical or structural damage could be done where you can’t see it metal fatigue sometimes, there’s different things that are not visual to the human eye,” said Inspector Michael Vartorella.
Governor John Kasich said he’s ordered a full investigation and called for all rides at the fair to close until a new round of inspections can be completed.
The Ohio State Fair also released a statement late Wednesday evening saying “Our hearts are heavy for the families of those involved in last night’s tragic accident. We have shut down all rides until the state has inspected each and every ride again and deemed them to be safe.”
The fair is still scheduled to open at 9 a.m. for other scheduled activities.
Three of the seven people injured are in critical condition. One of those is a 13-year-old child.
The name of the person killed has not been released, but we do know he was 18-years-old.
The Ohio State Fair runs through August 6.