Corrosion caused deadly accident at Ohio State Fair

A ferris wheel.
(Image credit: iStockphoto)

The malfunction last month of an amusement park ride at the Ohio State Fair was caused by major corrosion, the manufacturer said Sunday.

On July 26, a row of seats broke off from the Fire Ball ride, with video showing it flying through the air and landing hard. One person, 18-year-old Tyler Jarrell of Columbus, was killed, and seven were injured. The ride was 18 years old, KMG product manager Albert Kroon said, and "excessive corrosion on the interior of the gondola support beam dangerously reduced the beam's wall thickness over the years. This finally led to the catastrophic failure of the ride during operation."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.