Ride safety a concern at Medina County Fair
Event occurring just after State Fair fatality
Workers finish assembling a Ferris wheel on the Medina County Fairgrounds July 27. Photo by ALLISON WOOD
MEDINA – The day after a malfunctioning ride killed a teenage boy and injured seven others at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, workers were busy assembling rides at the Medina County Fairgrounds, where the county fair was set to begin four days later on July 31.
Mike Gall, president of the Medina County Fair Board, said the fair contracts with Bates Amusement for its rides and has done so for years. Many other area fairs also use the same company, including the Summit County Fair, which wraps up July 30.
On the morning of opening day, Gall said all rides are inspected by an Ohio Department of Agriculture representative, who is responsible for all carnival rides statewide, and are not permitted to open until they pass the inspection. Most years, inspections are done by late morning and the main reason fair admission is free until noon on Monday; however, rides were not open as of 11:30 a.m. this year.
“Bates is a very responsible ride company. We haven’t had any issues at all,” Gall said.
At the fairgrounds, a Bates employee said the company provides a total of 28 rides for the fair and that the Fire Ball, the swinging pendulum ride involved in the state fair accident, is not at the Medina County Fair.
In a company statement issued July 28, it said along with working with state inspectors, it has a year-round maintenance program in addition to an in-house daily inspection program while rides are in service.
“Bates Amusement Inc. will continue to work in coordination with all fair boards and department official to manage all aspects of public safety at each event,” the statement said.
This is the last season Bates Amusement will be in operation after 50 years in business, so the Medina County Fair will have a different vendor next year.
The morning of July 31, Jon Kaufman, ride inspector with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, was busy inspecting a kangaroo ride, checking out the restraints and that ride segments were secure. He was conducting what was known as a static inspection as the ride was not in operation, according to an agency spokesperson; inspectors are also supposed to be present when the ride is being assembled and when the ride is running.
According to the agency, the state employs eight full-time inspectors; several county fairs and festivals also started July 31.
At the State Fair, a witness recorded the incident on a phone, which showed a portion of the ride hitting a platform and detaching, with the teen who died ejected and seen falling to the ground.
Gov. John Kasich ordered all rides on the state fairgrounds to close indefinitely after the incident. Similar rides, including one in California, also closed.
Ohio Department of Agriculture Director David Daniels said in a July 27 press conference the Fire Ball was inspected several times before it was opened to the public. Daniels said the State Fair’s ride provider, Amusements of America, is cooperating fully with the Ohio Highway Patrol in its investigation of the incident. He added all the other rides on the fairgrounds would be re-inspected.
“The safety of the patrons of our rides at fairs is one of our top priorities,” said Daniels. “Our inspectors are very well trained and work very hard ... Amusement rides are mechanized pieces of equipment, they can fail from time to time and we work hard to make sure those rides are put together and operating according to manufacturer’s specifications.”
The day after the state fair incident, the Department of Agriculture posted inspection checklists on the ride online completed by agency inspectors before it was opened. An initial inspection checklist showed the Fire Ball passed inspection; the categories include checking the ride was properly installed, structural standards are met, which includes the ride working properly and that latches and parts are not worn; and that electrical connections are properly grounded and in working order.
Ride company Amusements of America also conducted daily inspections of its own, with those checklists also posted on the department’s site about the accident at https://ohiostatefair.com/media-fireball/.
Mike Gall, president of the Medina County Fair Board, said the fair contracts with Bates Amusement for its rides and has done so for years. Many other area fairs also use the same company, including the Summit County Fair, which wraps up July 30.
On the morning of opening day, Gall said all rides are inspected by an Ohio Department of Agriculture representative, who is responsible for all carnival rides statewide, and are not permitted to open until they pass the inspection. Most years, inspections are done by late morning and the main reason fair admission is free until noon on Monday; however, rides were not open as of 11:30 a.m. this year.
“Bates is a very responsible ride company. We haven’t had any issues at all,” Gall said.
At the fairgrounds, a Bates employee said the company provides a total of 28 rides for the fair and that the Fire Ball, the swinging pendulum ride involved in the state fair accident, is not at the Medina County Fair.
In a company statement issued July 28, it said along with working with state inspectors, it has a year-round maintenance program in addition to an in-house daily inspection program while rides are in service.
“Bates Amusement Inc. will continue to work in coordination with all fair boards and department official to manage all aspects of public safety at each event,” the statement said.
This is the last season Bates Amusement will be in operation after 50 years in business, so the Medina County Fair will have a different vendor next year.
The morning of July 31, Jon Kaufman, ride inspector with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, was busy inspecting a kangaroo ride, checking out the restraints and that ride segments were secure. He was conducting what was known as a static inspection as the ride was not in operation, according to an agency spokesperson; inspectors are also supposed to be present when the ride is being assembled and when the ride is running.
According to the agency, the state employs eight full-time inspectors; several county fairs and festivals also started July 31.
At the State Fair, a witness recorded the incident on a phone, which showed a portion of the ride hitting a platform and detaching, with the teen who died ejected and seen falling to the ground.
Gov. John Kasich ordered all rides on the state fairgrounds to close indefinitely after the incident. Similar rides, including one in California, also closed.
Ohio Department of Agriculture Director David Daniels said in a July 27 press conference the Fire Ball was inspected several times before it was opened to the public. Daniels said the State Fair’s ride provider, Amusements of America, is cooperating fully with the Ohio Highway Patrol in its investigation of the incident. He added all the other rides on the fairgrounds would be re-inspected.
“The safety of the patrons of our rides at fairs is one of our top priorities,” said Daniels. “Our inspectors are very well trained and work very hard ... Amusement rides are mechanized pieces of equipment, they can fail from time to time and we work hard to make sure those rides are put together and operating according to manufacturer’s specifications.”
The day after the state fair incident, the Department of Agriculture posted inspection checklists on the ride online completed by agency inspectors before it was opened. An initial inspection checklist showed the Fire Ball passed inspection; the categories include checking the ride was properly installed, structural standards are met, which includes the ride working properly and that latches and parts are not worn; and that electrical connections are properly grounded and in working order.
Ride company Amusements of America also conducted daily inspections of its own, with those checklists also posted on the department’s site about the accident at https://ohiostatefair.com/media-fireball/.