Members of the Greeneville Fire Department help people off the ferris wheel at the Greene County Fair in Greeneville, Tenn., Monday, Aug. 8, 2016.
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The girl’s sister, aged 10, suffered injuries to her forearms and was in a cast.
In a follow-up to the audit a year ago, the agency said Tennessee law does not require the state to hire its own inspectors. The oldest was a 16-year-old girl.
“The inspectors – there’s four different inspectors so we’ve got all kinds of results coming in – but the inspectors have found that there is a mechanical issue with this ride behind me, and that they believe led to the incident at hand”, Capt. Tim Davis said during a news conference Tuesday night.
According to an incident report, three females fell approximately 25 feet from the Ferris wheel Monday evening.
On Monday night, three girls fell out of a auto on the ride at the Greene County Fair, and there was no seat belt. State authorities said the ride appeared to have been functioning normally but investigators are looking at what restraints were used on the ride. All three have been taken to the Johnson City Medical Center.
Family Attractions must call a third-party inspector to the scene within 24 hours and they also must “cease and desist operation of the entire fair”, Farrar told 10News.
Bobby Holt, acting president of the Greene County Fair, said all rides will remain closed until third-party inspections are completed and the state of Tennessee decides the rides are safe to resume.
All other activities will continue as planned. We are not releasing names out of respect for the families involved. “Please keep these families in your prayers”, the Facebook page said.
The Ferris wheel at the Greene County Fair was operated by Valdosta, Georgia-based Family Attractions Amusement.
Witnesses screamed at operators to stop the ride, as they watched the girls fall like “water pouring from a glass” out of the basket. “They bounced off the metal bridging of the ride and eventually hit the ground”.
Greeneville police are investigating and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is assisting, according to TBI spokeswoman Leslie Earhart.
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The Tennessee incident happened a day after a 10-year-old boy was killed while riding a Kansas waterslide billed as the world’s tallest. A few people who fell 30 to 45 feet from a Ferris wheel in Tenne.
