Great America’s ‘Delirium’ thrill ride can reopen, state says

The Ohio State Fair said normal operations resumed Sunday following the inspections, which were ordered when Tyler Jarrell was killed and seven others were injured – three critically – on the Fire Ball last Wednesday.

And it is not fear-mongering to ask why, if a critical safety malfunction occurred on the “Fire Ball”, the public should have confidence in follow-up inspections on that ride or any other.

Similar rides across the country were shut down in the wake of the accident.

The state’s Department of Industrial Relations said ride owners “successfully completed testing of the rides” requested by the manufacturer, Chance Rides Inc., and the attractions are safe to operate. Before fairgoers get in line at Spin City, each ride is set up, tested and inspected – and that process was well underway Monday, July 31st. But on Wednesday at the Ohio State Fair, the screams were a reaction to real terror. Spokesperson Steve Robinson says that the agency has “very stringent standards” for its rides including annual licensing for mechanics and daily inspections for all rides.

The Outdoor Amusement Business Association, a 50-plus-year-old advocacy organization for the portable attraction industry, cites the chance of serious injury on a ride as one in nine million. The ones who go to the Fair each day like it’s their job – but it’s not a job, it’s a passion.

“She kept asking for her boyfriend”, Clarissa Williams said.

“Starting with the manufacturers, the ride itself, the Dutch-based company KMG, any of the component part manufacturers”.

Ann Davis, who attended the fair Tuesday, feels Morgan County should not run the ride. But are they really any more risky than the rides you’d find in a year-round amusement park?

But investigators say they will do everything to pinpoint whether that was the fatal flaw. “His family wants to find out how this could happen and prevent it from happening to others”, Attorney Mark Lewis said.

“Wisconsin State Fair Park Chairman of the Board, John Yingling, along with Kathleen O’Leary, Wisconsin State Fair Park CEO, have made the decision to not have the Freak Out at the 2017 Wisconsin State Fair”, read a statement from the Wisconsin State Fair.