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Carnival ride collapses in California; 24 injured
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by Amy Judd | May 17, 2008 at 05:59 am
997 views | 14 Recommendations | 5 comments
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The carnival ride, called the Yo-Yo, collapsed shortly after 6 p.m. Friday at the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, about 80 miles southeast of Sacramento.
The ride has metal arms, each with a seat at the end attached by a chain, that swing outward as the ride picks up speed. The arms rise and fall as they spin around a center pole, putting the seats horizontal to the ground.
The pole apparently collapsed, causing the arms to crash back toward the center, said Dennis Townsend, a chief in the Calaveras County unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention.
The riders — mostly children — were hurt when their seats struck the ground or other parts of the machine, he said.
Three riders were airlifted to hospitals in Modesto and Sacramento, but the extent of the injuries was not immediately known, said Sgt. Dave Seawell, a spokesman for the Calaveras County Sheriff's Department.
Representatives from several area hospitals said they had treated teenagers for minor injuries including knee pain. Modesto Memorial North Hospital, where a victim was airlifted, said it was treating a patient who was in stable condition.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (5)
at 07:21 on May 17th, 2008
amyjudd, I hope everyone will be able to walk, this does not sound good :-(
You have to wonder where the (U.S. Consumer product Safety Commission) was on this one. Here is a site called Saferparks.org that explains what and who of Federal Regulations on Amusement Rides.
Database / CPSC Amusement Ride Injury Data via Saferparks.org
at 10:34 on May 17th, 2008
Thanks for this important news story, Amy! The public would be surprised at how many serious (even deadly) accidents happen at amusement parks which may be under-reported in mainstream news - perhaps due in part to the fact that corporate ownership is sometimes common to the parks and major news affiliates. Lawsuit settlements in such disasters usually include confidentiality agreements. I hope the best for these children and their families.
Mary
at 15:20 on May 19th, 2008
Oddly enough, my wife was looking at a series of web videos that showed nothing but park injuries as they happened. Makes me have second thoughts about hitting Great America this year.
at 22:31 on May 17th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 10:02 on May 18th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff!
It's quite scary hearing about accidents like this; millions and millions of carnival goers each year continue to visit fairs and theme parks, and though we hear about accidents/faulty equipment, we seldom think that it could actually happen to us.