Four rides will not be operating because they do not meet the mechanical test, he said. “We started out today with 11 rides that did not open because the inspection work was not done on them,” said Daniels. All of the rides at the fair are checked several times when they are being set up to ensure they are set up the way the manufacturer intended, he said. Ride inspectors did not notice anything out of the ordinary when they conducted their inspections and cleared the Fire Ball for passengers, said Director of Agriculture David Daniels. On its website, Amusements of America said that since its debut in 2002, the Fire Ball, which was manufactured by KMG, had become “one of the most popular thrill rides on the AOA Midway.” The company’s description of the ride said it swings riders 40 feet (12 meters) above the midway, while spinning them at 13 revolutions per minute.Īmusements of America did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. Barry Schaible, an inspector with a company hired by the fair, told KCRA-TV in Sacramento, “We shut down the ride immediately, unloaded it and it’s closed right now.” 6.The accident prompted California State Fair officials to shut down the Fire Ball ride there.
The Ohio State Fair, which is one of the largest state fairs in the U.S., runs through Aug. "We have shut down all rides until the state has inspected each and every ride again and deemed them to be safe." "Our hearts are heavy for the families of those involved in last night's tragic accident," the fair said early Thursday morning in a statement posted on its Twitter page.
Officials said none of the rides would be open until they are all fully inspected. We look at it, we take care of it, and we pretend it's our own." "My children, my grandchildren ride this equipment. it hits us really hard," Vartorella said. "We take this job very serious, and when we have an accident like this. Michael Vartorella, the state's chief inspector of amusement ride safety, said the Fire Ball was inspected three or four times before the fair opened. On its website, Amusements of America said that since its debut in 2002, the Fire Ball, which was manufactured by KMG, had become "one of the most popular thrill rides on the AOA Midway." The company's description of the ride said it swings riders 40 feet above the midway, while spinning them at 13 revolutions per minute.Īmusements of America did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. Barry Schaible, an inspector with a company hired by the fair, told KCRA-TV in Sacramento, "We shut down the ride immediately, unloaded it and it's closed right now." The accident prompted California State Fair officials to shut down the Fire Ball ride there.
I got ran over trying to get out of the way."Ī company providing rides at the Ohio State Fair this year describes the Fire Ball as an "aggressive thrill ride." "It was going for a minute and it was at its highest point and I saw somebody fall on the ride, and then a minute later the whole like row of seats fell off and hit the ground," Bellomy told WCMH-TV. Kaylie Bellomy was in the next group waiting to board the Fire Ball. A Columbus fire official told CBS Cincinnati affiliate WKRC-TV that the man killed was 18 and that the seven people injured ranged in age from 13 to 41.