A malfunction on the “Fire Ball” ride on the opening day of the Ohio State Fair killed one high school student and injured seven other riders, some critically. The student has been named as Tyler Jarrell of Columbus, Ohio. Just last week, 18-year-old Jarrell had enlisted in the Marines. Now investigators are working to find out what happened to the ride which had reportedly been inspected numerous times before the accident.

Section of seats breaks off from the ‘Fire Ball’ ride

It happened on Wednesday at the Ohio State Fair, where a section of seats broke away from the "FireBall" ride, crashing to the ground, killing Jarrell and injuring seven other riders.

As the seats separated, Jarrell was thrown around 50 feet in the air before crashing to the ground, where he was pronounced dead.

A naval science instructor at the 18-year-old’s high school said the teen had enlisted in the Marines on Friday last week and was set to start basic training after he graduated from high school next summer. Tyler was planning on becoming a combat engineer. Capt. Gerard Lennon Jr., who runs the Junior ROTC program at Franklin Heights High School, said it was “devastating.”

Survivors of the ‘Fire Ball’ accident named

Jarrell’s girlfriend, Keziah Lewis, was also on the ride and while she survived, is in a critical condition in hospital.

Speaking to the Columbus Dispatch, her mother, Clarissa Williams, said Keziah has no memory of the accident on the "Fire Ball" and has suffered injuries to her ankle, pelvis, and ribs. Her mother said Keziah kept asking for Jarrell and she was the one who had to tell her he had died.

The others injured in the amusement ride accident have been named as Jennifer Lambert, 18, Abdihakim Hussein, 19, Jacob Andrews, 22, Tamika Dunlap, 36, Russell Franks, 42, and there was a further 14-year-old boy whose family requested he not be named.

Ride had been signed off with numerous inspections

As reported by the New York Daily News, inspectors had signed off on the “Fire Ball” ride mere hours before the accident occurred. According to inspectors, the ride had been repeatedly checked while it was being assembled at the Ohio State Fair. Now investigators are working to discover what happened to cause the accident.

‘Fire Ball’ manufacturer orders operators countrywide to stop operating the ride

In the meantime amusement park and carnival operators countrywide have been told by the Dutch manufacturer to stop operating the “Fire Ball” and other similar rides following the fatal accident and until further notice.

After the accident occurred, Ohio Governor John Kasich initially shut down all the rides at the fair and ordered new inspections for all. Kasich said it is unsure whether inspectors missed something on the “Fire Ball” ride that caused the tragedy.