Instagram/madartistairbrushIn the aftermath of a fairground ride malfunction at Ohio State Fair on Wednesday evening, the teen who lost his life has been identified as Tyler Jarrell.
The Columbus, Ohio student was thrown into the air when part of the amusement ride, dubbed The Fireball, he was sitting on snapped and came down with such force that he was killed upon impact.
The tragic accident happened just five days after Jarrell had enlisted into the United States Marines.
Give him one! Tyler Jarrell is the first senior from Franklin Heights high school to enlist into the United States Marine Corps this year. I'm proud to call him my brother. #FranklinHeights #Marines
Posted by Marine Corps Recruiting South Columbus Ohio on Saturday, 22 July 2017
The fairground ride malfunction also injured seven further passengers, six of whom have been identified as Tamika Dunlap, 36, of Reynoldsburg; Russell Franks, 42, of Columbus; Keziah Lewis, 19, of Columbus; Jacob Andrews, 22, of Pataskala; Jennifer Lambert, 18, of Columbus; and Abdihakim Hussein, 19, of Columbus.
According to the State Highway Patrol, the seventh is just 14, and thus cannot be identified.
19-year-old Keziah Lewis was riding The Fireball with Jarrell, her boyfriend of one year, when the ride began shaking.
Ziah Lewis/FacebookThe University of Cincinnati journalism student was taken to hospital after the accident, and her family told The Colombus Dispatch she is critically injured and remains in Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.
Keziah was reportedly told of Tyler’s death after already undergoing two operations after badly damaging her pelvis, ankles and ribs.
Documents released on Thursday show the Ohio Department of Agriculture gave The Fireball passing marks during an inspection that happened just a few hours before the fatal crash.
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Nothing more is being released until a full investigation has been complete. Meanwhile, the rides at Ohio State Fair remain closed but the other attractions have reopened to the public.
Our thoughts are with Tyler’s family and all affected at this difficult time.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.