In what can only be described as a catastrophic event, one person has died and three others critically injured in a Fairground accident in the state of Ohio. The accident took place yesterday, July 26th, at a fair in Columbus which had just opened. According to Reuters, the victims were thrown through the air when their seats "snapped" off the ride. The ride, named "Fire Ball," consists of a circular base of seats attached to an arm which moves backward and forwards while spinning through the air. There was a total of seven people injured when the seats came off the ride, with three of those injured critically.
There was one fatality. However, no identification has been made. The fair has now been shut down, and all rides are to undergo close inspection.
One fatality as 18-year-old flung through air when seat detached from ride
While no identification has been officially made regarding the fatality victim, Reuters reports that it was an 18-year-old male. The news site writes that according to a fire official on the scene, the victim was found approximately fifty feet from the "Fire Ball" ride. Amusements of America have revealed that the ride can reach heights of up to forty feet while spinning people around at about 13 rotations every sixty seconds. Those who were injured during the accident yesterday have been taken to various local hospitals.
John Kasich, Governor of Ohio, made a public statement during a conference yesterday expressing his sympathy to all those involved.
Not the first serious fairground accident
There have been some serious fairground accidents in the U.S. over the past few years. Irish news site Independent.i.e., released an article in 2014 detailing some of the worst amusement park accidents in history.
Perhaps one of the most notable accidents was the death of 17-year-old Asia Leeshawn Ferguson at Six Flags Over Georgia in 2008. The teen was decapitated after entering a restricted zone and being hit by a roller coaster.
Only last month, a 14-year-old girl was saved by a man who managed to catch her after she fell out of a gondola ride at Six Flags in New York.
In 1984, the haunted house attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey was engulfed by a fire which killed eight people. Action Park, also located in New Jersey, closed its doors in 1996 after nearly 20 years in business due to the number of accidents that had taken place there. Independent.ie reported that a total of six visitors died from various accidents, including electrocution and drowning.
