K-Days ride closed down following Ohio accident
The Fire Ball ride at K-Days will remain closed until further notice following a fatal incident on the same type of ride at the Ohio State Fair on Wednesday night.
A malfunction that caused the Ohio ride to break apart killed an 18-year-old man and injured seven others, leaving three people in critical condition.
Although it is not the operator of the ride in Ohio, North American Midway Entertainment (NAME) has suspended operations of all three of its Fire Ball rides, one at K-Days and the other two in the United States.
“We suspended operations of those rides until we get a report out of Ohio and also recommendations from the manufacturer,” said Scooter Korek, NAME client services vice-president.
Although there is no official timeline, Korek said these inspections often take a considerable amount of time.
“There is some chance that it’s probably not going to run for the balance of K-Days,” he said, which
wraps up Sunday.
Until the inspection is complete, the Fire Ball will be pulled from all upcoming fairs, including the Queen City Ex in Regina, the Saskatoon Ex and the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.
News of the incident in Ohio struck fear in some K-Days visitors out on the midway.
“I was horrified,” said Michelle Pollock, who was waiting in line with her 10-year-old daughter for another ride. “Sort of in the back of your mind when you come to the fair, you’re always like, ‘How safe are these rides?’”
Kristina Owen, in line for a roller-coaster with her son, didn’t hear about what happened because she was avoiding the news — not wanting to hear about anything bad happening at amusement parks in the days leading up to her K-Days visit.
She said she is always worried
when going on rides.
“These are old rides, I think you’re taking a chance,” she said. “But you can’t stop living.”
The decision by the midway to shut down operations of its Fire Ball ride was the proper decision for everyone’s safety, Owen said.
“I’m glad they closed it down, ’cause that’s super scary,” she said.
NAME has extensive safety programs and procedures, Korek said, and he is confident in the team of professionals operating the rides.
Meanwhile, the Niagara Falls log flume water ride was also out of action for several hours Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon. A sign indicated it was temporarily closed for maintenance. The ride, perfect for a hot day because you’re guaranteed to get soaked, was being worked on by a maintenance team.