Operators not to blame in deadly ride accident at fair

Investigators believe two people tossed from a thrill ride when it broke apart in a deadly accident at the Ohio State Fair this summer were latched in even though some witnesses said it appeared one of the safety harnesses wasn’t securely locked.

The State Highway Patrol’s investigation, released Thursday, found the ride operators were not to blame when one of the ride’s carriages broke off and ejected the two passengers. Franklin County prosecutor Ron O’Brien said his review of the findings led him to decide there isn’t enough evidence to bring criminal charges.

An 18 year-old high school student, Tyler Jarrell, died on the midway while his girlfriend, 19-year-old Keziah Lewis, was critically injured on the opening day of the fair on July 26. Six other people also were injured.

A four-passenger carriage on the swinging and spinning Fire Ball ride broke apart while 20 other horrified riders watched from their seats. Video taken by a bystander of the ride in action captured a crashing sound. Jarrell and Lewis plunged to the ground while two other riders in the carriage were strapped in their seats.

The ride’s Dutch manufacturer, KMG, said excessive corrosion within a support beam wore away the steel wall’s thickness over the years, causing the catastrophic failure. The accident resulted in the shutdown of similar rides worldwide.

Investigators in the report released Thursday didn’t draw any conclusions about why or when the ride began rusting away or how it went unnoticed.

A state ride inspector said he saw “blistering paint and rust, but nothing out of the normal” during an inspection, but other ride inspectors and a third-party contractor who looked over the ride said they saw no evidence of cracks or any other problems.