A doctor says one of three girls who fell from a Ferris wheel during a county fair in Tennessee suffered a traumatic brain injury and remains in critical condition.
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Three young girls have plunged 12 metres from a carnival Ferris wheel ride in the U.S. state of Tennessee, after their basket upended and witnesses screamed at operators to shut down the ride. The 10-year-old is in stable condition with a broken arm.
The 16-year-old arrived at the hospital in critical condition but her condition has since been changed to stable, he said. Photos shared to social media show at least one of the ride’s baskets almost upside-down. He had said earlier all three were alert and responsive, but said Tuesday morning he had received new information. The company is in the fourth year of a five-year contract with the fair, Davis said. State authorities said the ride appeared to have been functioning normally but investigators are looking at what restraints were used on the ride.
Bobby Holt, acting president of Greene County Fair Board, said all rides operated by Family Attractions Amusement company were closed afterward and won’t reopen until a third-party inspection is complete and approved by state and fair officials.
Family Attractions Amusement did not immediately return a message left on the voicemail of the phone number listed on its last inspection report.
The Greene County Fair posted a statement on Facebook, reading, “We would like to extend our thoughts and prayers for those injured tonight at the fair”.
The incident took place about 6:15 p.m. Monday at the Greene County Fair in Greeneville, Tenn. “Please keep these families in your prayers”. Until authorities figure out what went wrong, all mechanical rides at the fair will be shut down, police said. When asked to comment on the incident, the representative said “not at this time”.
The Tennessee Burea of Investigation is assisting the Greeneville Police Department in its investigation. Witnesses told WJHL that the girls bounced off the metal bridging of the ride before hitting the ground.
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Witnesses screamed at operators to stop the ride, as they watched the girls fall like “water pouring from a glass” out of the basket. Operators finally stopped the ride after people on the ground screamed at them, Lynthacum said.
