Teenager dies in tragic accident on ride at Ohio funfair

A visitor at the funfair was filming the ride when the accident occurred

‘The fair is about the best things in life, and tonight with this accident it becomes a terrible, terrible tragedy," said Republican Governor John Kasich following the deadly accident.

The incident took place on the opening day of Ohio’s State Fair. According to Steve Martin, the Columbus fire chief, the body of the deceased, who was just 18 years old, was found 15 metres from the ride. Out of the seven people who were injured, two were in hospital in critical condition on Thursday.

The video, caught by a bystander, shows the ride spinning and rocking on its normal trajectory, when it suddenly collides with something at the bottom, ripping off an entire row and launching several other riders into the air.

‘I’m terribly saddened by this accident, by the loss of life and that people were injured enjoying Ohio's fair,’ said Governor Kasich, who ordered a full investigation and that all the rides be shut down until another safety inspection was been carried out. The fair has so far declined to comment on the incident.

On Twitter, heart-wrenching comments have poured in, under the hashtag #OhioStateFair.

Left the fair less than 20 minutes before someone tragically lost their life on one of the fair rides. #OhioStateFair

— ~Leah_Marie~ (@Leah_Marie0810) 27 de julio de 2017

A witness who was close to the ride told The Columbus Dispatch that after hearing a loud bang of cracking metal, he saw two men flying through the air, one of whom was thrown from the top section.

The fair reopened on Thursday and is planning to keep to its original timetable and remain open until 6 August. It did reiterate, however, that the rides would only begin again after a full inspection.

This father says his son was on the ride before the incident happened. Describes the tragedy. #OhioStateFair pic.twitter.com/Mb7HBWg1Dq

— Michele Newell (@MicheleWsyx6) 27 de julio de 2017

David Daniels, director of agriculture, insisted that all rides are checked repeatedly during their assembly to ensure that they adhere to the strict instructions of the manufacturers. Inspectors have assured that Fire Ball was checked on two different occasions and was approved for operation on the Wednesday of the accident.