Girl, 6, Suffered Brain Injury in Fall from Tennessee Ferris Wheel

A mechanical failure caused the basket on a Ferris wheel at a Tennessee county fair to flip upside-down, dumping out three girls, police said.

However, the youngest of the 3 victims is said to be in serious condition with a head injury, according to police. The company is in the fourth year of a five-year contract with the fair, Davis said.

Three children were taken to a Johnson City hospital for treatment Monday night after falling 40 to 50 feet from a Ferris wheel, according to Greene County dispatchers.

Davis said the three fell when the vehicle flipped over.

Asked about reports that the vehicle was rocking before it flipped, Davis said police have not been able to confirm that but they still are interviewing people.

All rides were shut down until an inspector cleared them to reopen, WJHL reported.

A federal inspector from an unnamed agency also is expected to be at the scene Wednesday, Davis said.

“We would like to extend our thoughts and prayers for those injured tonight at the fair”.

Tennessee authorities chose to stop doing inspections altogether after a 2014 audit found shortcomings in the state’s regulatory program for rides at fairs and amusement parks.

The president of the Greene County Fair board will release a statement Tuesday morning on the accident, which remains under investigation.

Mr Lynthacum said the ride only stopped after people screamed at the ride operators.

Burns said, at the request of the family, he was not able to give any details regarding her specific injuries.

Family Attractions LLC operates the ride, according to the state.

He said it’s too early to consider criminal charges in the incident. “They bounced off the metal bridging of the ride and eventually hit the ground”. The incident is being investigated by Kansas state police.

A third child suffered a head injury and is hospitalized in the intensive care unit.

Because of Monday’s accident, the operators will have to have a new third-party inspection conducted before the ride can qualify for a new annual permit in Tennessee, Farrar said.