COLUMBUS (WDTN/WCMH) – Ohio Governor John Kasich spoke about the Ohio State Fair incident late Wednesday evening.
Governor Kasich ordered the rides to stop after the incident.
“Make no mistake about it. It is a very sad night,” Kaisch said.
Governor Kasich also ordered that the rides remain closed until all of them are properly checked.
Columbus Division of Fire says one person is dead, five critically injured, and two are in stable condition after a ride malfunctioned at the Ohio State Fair. The deceased is an 18-year-old man, according to officials.
Battalion Chief Steve Martin said two people are in stable condition. One of those injured is a 13-year-old child. Martin says one of the rows of seats on the Fire Ball ride “snapped off.”
“I want to know immediately is what are we doing with our rides,” Kasich said.
Amusements of America is the company providing rides at the state fair this year. More information about the Fire Ball can be found on their website. It is described as an “aggressive thrill ride.” Amusements of America states on its website that rides are housed
and inspected at a facility that sits on a 10-acre lot in Florence, SC. The permit for the ride that malfunctioned cites the Florence address, 2907 TV Road, as the site where the ride came from.
Ride inspectors said that they usually check the ride in different stages at least 3 or 4 times before opening them.
Thursday evening, Amusements of America issued a statement.
The rides at the Ohio State Fair are now shut down, per an order from Governor John Kasich.
Governor John Kaisch said he will be at the fair tomorrow and walk around the fair. “We will get to the bottom of this. We will investigate it. There will be transparency,” Kaisch said.
Wednesday was the opening day for the Fair, which runs until August 6.