COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — People on a carnival ride when it broke apart at the Ohio State Fair in July have told investigators that operators had trouble latching the safety harness on one of the riders who was ejected.
Witnesses gave conflicting statements on whether they thought a 19-year-old woman tossed from the Fire Ball ride had been secured properly.
Ohio’s State Highway Patrol says in an investigation released Thursday ride operators were not to blame when one of the ride’s carriages broke off.
The report says the ride had been properly inspected before the accident, which killed an 18-year-old man (pictured, above) and critically injured his girlfriend.
Investigators say they believe the two people who were ejected were latched in when the accident occurred because firefighters found their harnesses were still locked down afterward.