A fairground ride malfunction in Ohio has killed one and left another three fighting for their lives.
An 18-year-old man, who is yet to be named, was killed when part of the ride he was sat on, snapped off and slammed into the ground, causing the teenager to die on impact.
Two others were also injured but are said to be in a stable condition according to numerous reports.
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The terrifying incident took place at Ohio’s State Fair, on the ride ‘Fire Ball’, shortly before 7:30pm.
The ride combines a swinging and spinning motion, hurling people back and forth through the air while moving around in circles.
One of the people treated at the scene was a child under the age of 13 reports the Daily Mail.
In a video posted online to Instagram, First Aid workers can be seen attending to those injured in the aftermath of the accident.
The post starts:
Sad Day here at the Ohio State Fair
John Kasich, the Ohio Governor, released a statement on Wednesday evening which read:
I am terribly saddened by this accident, by the loss of life and that people were injured enjoying Ohio’s fair.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to those grieving and injured.
I have ordered a full investigation into this incident and have ordered that all fair rides be shut down until additional safety inspections can be completed.
Wednesday was the opening night of the fair, which is scheduled to run until August 6.
The Ohio State Fair Twitter account confirmed the incident on Wednesday saying:
There has been a report of a ride incident. We are investigating and will report information as available.
They have since paid their respects on the social media site, with the post captioned:
Our hearts are heavy.
The incident comes after ride inspectors from the Ohio Department of Agriculture were forced to work long hours this week to make sure everything was up to standard, due to delays caused by heavy rain in recent days, the Columbus Dispatch reports.
Michael Vartorella, chief inspector of amusement ride safety for the Agriculture Department, said the Fire Ball was inspected three or four times before the fair started:
We take this job very serious, and when we have an accident like this … it hits us really hard.
It is the 164th year the Ohio State Fair has been held.
