All mechanical rides at the fair remain closed pending a third-party safety inspection. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, the two older girls were awake, alert and answering questions, Davis said.
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At the request of the oldest girl’s family, he did not provide details about her specific injuries, Burns said.
“She has been under the continual care of the pediatric surgery service, the pediatric intensive care unit team as well as the neurosurgery team”, said Dr Bracken Burns, director of trauma services for Johnson City Medical Center.
Three young girls have plunged 12 metres from a carnival Ferris wheel ride in the USA state of Tennessee, after their basket upended and witnesses screamed at operators to shut down the ride.
The accident happened Monday evening around 6:15 at the Greene County Fair in eastern Tennessee. The three victims are hospitalized at the Niswonger Children’s Hospital in Johnson City.
Asked about reports that the seat was rocking before it flipped, Davis said police have not been able to confirm that but they are still interviewing people.
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.
Two of the girls were not seriously injured.
News 2 is now learning the same company that was at the East Tennessee fair, Family Attractions Amusement Company, is scheduled to stop in Dickson County.
“There can be two or three companies with the same name”, he said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the three individuals and their families”, he said.
A witness, Gregory Lynthacum, said the vehicle the girls were riding in appeared to “get caught” as the wheel lifted upward, CNN affiliate WJHL-TV reported.
A representative of Family Attractions Amusement said her company provided the rides for the fair.
“It was like watching water pouring from a glass”, Lynthacum told the station.
The ride only stopped, he said, after people on the ground screamed at operators to shut it down.
The Tennessee Burea of Investigation is assisting the Greeneville Police Department in its investigation.
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Head and neck injuries were the most common at 28%, with 1.5% of the injuries requiring hospitalization, the study said. A few people who fell 30 to 45 feet from a Ferris wheel in Tenne.
