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One dead, seven injured after Fire Ball ride malfunctions at Ohio State Fair

Renae

Renae

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One dead, seven injured after Fire Ball ride malfunctions at Ohio State Fair | NBC4i.com

[FONT=&quot]COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The Columbus Division of Fire says one person is dead and five critically injured after a ride malfunctioned at the Ohio State Fair.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]The deceased is an 18-year-old man. None of the victims have been identified.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Battalion Chief Steve Martin said two people are in stable condition. One of those injured is a 13-year-old child. The others are adults. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center confirmed on Twitter that they had received 3 patients.[/FONT]
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Live leak has the whole accident... OMGosh that was horrific.

My prayers to the families... that is terrible bad juju
 
MaggieD said:
Horrible accident. Judging by the video in your link, it is a miracle more people weren't killed or injured. I am very surprised the fair didn't shut down. I criticize those in charge for not doing so.
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What do you mean? They were closed for a short time, and many rides are still shut down.
 
Sad news. Ive never gone on fair rides except that one time with my GF, I dont think they are safe. If youre at the fair enjoy the other attractions like the food but stay the heck away from those rides.
 
MaggieD said:
Horrible accident. Judging by the video in your link, it is a miracle more people weren't killed or injured. I am very surprised the fair didn't shut down. I criticize those in charge for not doing so.
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They did shut down all the rides. But, the fair itself goes on.
 
MaggieD said:
Horrible accident. Judging by the video in your link, it is a miracle more people weren't killed or injured. I am very surprised the fair didn't shut down. I criticize those in charge for not doing so.
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The liveleak video shows the actual incident, the lower car hits' the deck it looks like and separates, bodies falling everywhere.
 
PoS said:
Sad news. Ive never gone on fair rides except that one time with my GF, I dont think they are safe. If youre at the fair enjoy the other attractions like the food but stay the heck away form those rides.
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lol...over the years, I've known a few carnies who were in charge of maintenance on fair rides. Not the sharpest tools in the shed that bunch. Drunks and druggies mostly--guys with some mechanical aptitude but who would never pass a drug test. So, they never managed to get a real job. :lol:
 
MaggieD said:
Yeah, I guess the show must go on...
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So that the people who work there can keep putting food on the table, yeah. Shutting down the fair is a lot like closing the gate once all your cows are already gone. It serves no purpose but avoiding the ire of people who question your responsibility, even though you comply with all the screenings and safety tests that are supposed to prevent this from happening.

There's no reason to end the show.
 
Jesse Booth said:
So that the people who work there can keep putting food on the table, yeah. Shutting down the fair is a lot like closing the gate once all your cows are already gone. It serves no purpose but avoiding the ire of people who question your responsibility, even though you comply with all the screenings and safety tests that are supposed to prevent this from happening.

There's no reason to end the show.
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Agreed. Shutting down everything is a serious overreaction. It's just to placate those who scream, "You have to DO SOMETHING!!!! :2mad:"
 
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americanwoman said:
Yes, the video is very horrific.

I haven't ridden any fair rides in a long time and won't any time soon.
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At my age I am no longer interested in fair rides. Though it has always seemed to me that they'd be inherently unsafe simply because of the wear and tear of constant tear-down, transportation, and set-up. Not to mention the quality of people doing it (quality in terms of alertness/tired, overworked, etc.)
 
radcen said:
At my age I am no longer interested in fair rides. Though it has always seemed to me that they'd be inherently unsafe simply because of the wear and tear of constant tear-down, transportation, and set-up. Not to mention the quality of people doing it (quality in terms of alertness/tired, overworked, etc.)
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I think it's my age too plus my stomach can't take those rides anymore. When I was younger I got stuck on top of the Zipper rider for a couple hours and when we finally got off the guy said we could ride it the rest of the night for free and my first reaction was "sweet!" and my friend and I rode the thing nonstop for a couple more hours. :doh
 
Tragic, yet mechanical failure is rare. Safety, as defined as the absence of risk, is very hard (if not impossible) to attain. It is precisely the rarity of this event that makes it news. Many more are killed and injured doing all manner of "normal" things (like driving or construction work) yet few of these "accidents" make the news. I am willing to bet that this ammusment ride was inspected (and passed) fairly recently so who (or what) is to blame other than those voluntarily seeking a thrill on this contraption at the fair?
 
ttwtt78640 said:
Tragic, yet mechanical failure is rare. Safety, as defined as the absence of risk, is very hard (if not impossible) to attain. It is precisely the rarity of this event that makes it news. Many more are killed and injured doing all manner of "normal" things (like driving or construction work) yet few of these "accidents" make the news. I am willing to bet that this ammusment ride was inspected (and passed) fairly recently so who (or what) is to blame other than those voluntarily seeking a thrill on this contraption at the fair?
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It is rare, I agree. You actually don't hear about stuff like this very often.

According to the local tv news last night the ride was inspected twice in the previous 1 or 2 weeks.
 
ttwtt78640 said:
Tragic, yet mechanical failure is rare. Safety, as defined as the absence of risk, is very hard (if not impossible) to attain. It is precisely the rarity of this event that makes it news. Many more are killed and injured doing all manner of "normal" things (like driving or construction work) yet few of these "accidents" make the news. I am willing to bet that this ammusment ride was inspected (and passed) fairly recently so who (or what) is to blame other than those voluntarily seeking a thrill on this contraption at the fair?
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Injuries from amusement park rides are not at all rare.

MW-CM684_amusem_20140709101013_MG.jpg


More amusement park rides end at hospital - MarketWatch


Catastrophic failures of a ride may be less common. But, as you can see, a trip to the ER probably happens every day in every amusement park across America.
 
calamity said:
Injuries from amusement park rides are not at all rare.

MW-CM684_amusem_20140709101013_MG.jpg


More amusement park rides end at hospital - MarketWatch


Catastrophic failures of a ride may be less common. But, as you can see, a trip to the ER probably happens every day in every amusement park across America.
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I agree that serious accidents on these rides are a "cause for concern" but they must be considered in relation to percentage of such rides that result in no injury at all.

The incidents may be just a small fraction of the nearly 300 million people who take about 1.7 billion safe rides at 400 U.S. amusement parks annually, according to estimates by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, but the increases in injuries and inconsistencies in safety guidelines have become a concern.
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24K serious injuries out of 1.7 billion rides is about one such injury for every 71K rides which is not that alarming compared to other common "thrill" activities. I am willing to bet that the serious injury rate is far higher (than 1 in 71K) for bicycle rides yet few want more government meddling in that area.

https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/bicycle/index.html
 
ttwtt78640 said:
I agree that serious accidents on these rides are a "cause for concern" but they must be considered in relation to percentage of such rides that result in no injury at all.



24K serious injuries out of 1.7 billion rides is about one such injury for every 71K rides which is not that alarming compared to other common "thrill" activities. I am willing to bet that the serious injury rate is far higher (than 1 in 71K) for bicycle rides yet few want more government meddling in that area.

https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/bicycle/index.html
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Hard to compare. For instance if said bicycle ride was only 3 minutes long as is common for an amusement ride, you'd probably see injuries in the 1 in a million range.
 
calamity said:
Hard to compare. For instance if said bicycle ride was only 3 minutes long as is common for an amusement ride, you'd probably see injuries in the 1 in a million range.
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That is a good point yet most bicycle rides are not thought of as dangerous and few safety (supervision or inspection) regulations are enacted much less enforced. Annual bicycle injuries (and deaths) are still higher than 60X that of amusement park injuries so even if bicycle rides were 3 hours (instead of 3 minutes) long then they would be statistically more dangerous.
 
ttwtt78640 said:
That is a good point yet most bicycle rides are not thought of as dangerous and few safety (supervision or inspection) regulations are enacted much less enforced. Annual bicycle injuries (and deaths) are still higher than 60X that of amusement park injuries so even if bicycle rides were 3 hours (instead of 3 minutes) long then they would be statistically more dangerous.
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Well, as an avid cyclist, I can attest to the fact that bicycling is very dangerous. In fact, I know of no one who rides a lot who has not had a significant accident, especially if they ride in traffic.
 
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