TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida State Fair patrons reported being stuck on a ride that flipped repeatedly in the wind on Friday, apparently leaving some people bruised and others fearing for their lives.
The attraction in question is the fair’s Enterprise Ride, which looks like a Ferris wheel with covered cars that swing left and right, attached to a hydraulic arm that lifts the wheel from horizontal to nearly vertical.
Video of the ride operating normally shows the wheel continually rotating, with each carriage spending a brief period upside down. There are no seatbelts – the centrifugal force typically keeps guests pinned to their seats, but only if the ride is in motion. Video taken from the fair on Feb. 17 shows the ride, while standing vertically, come to a complete stop and sliding back a bit, leaving some riders hanging completely upside down.
“We started going upside down and I didn’t see that happen with the previous riders. It just felt kind of different. So that’s when I started yelling ‘stop the ride!'” said Janine Ford, who took her 9-year-old son to the fair. Ford said she was left with bruises after the ride malfunctioned.
“I didn’t even really want to go to the fair, my kids begged me,” she added.
“We were hanging on for dear life to the bars as they got us down, without knowing what was to come,” rider Alexis Cresong posted to Facebook. She said it appeared the carriage she was riding in had gaps “big enough to lose grip and fall.”
Another rider said the ride left her with bruises and terrified her children. She posted photos of the aftermath to Facebook, showing large bruises on her arm and leg.
“I’m a little bruised, the kids were traumatized,” rider Janine Chantelle wrote in a Facebook post. “But we have our life (prayer hands emoji), it could have been a different ending.”
WFLA.com reached out to the Florida State Fair to ask about what happened with the ride. You can view the full statement below:
“Late Friday afternoon, the Enterprise was operating, and the safety mechanisms were activated, which caused the ride to shut down as designed. We swiftly began exiting guests from the ride, in the most safe and timely manner. All safety and emergency protocols were followed. A thorough inspection will be conducted into what triggered the safety mechanisms. Out of an abundance of caution, the ride remained closed for the remainder of the Fair.”
Frank Zaitshik, Owner of Wade Shows & Midway Manager of the Florida State Fair
This wasn’t the first time injuries were reported at this year’s fair. A woman told 8 On Your Side she was left with two sprained ankles after the Midway’s “Spin Out” ride malfunctioned.
