Riders Stuck 100 Feet In the Air When NC Fair Ride Stops Working
Fairgoers were left dangling 100 feet in the air on a ride at the North Carolina State Fair when the the ride stopped due to a low voltage issue on Thursday, Oct. 16.
The ride, called The Vertigo, spins riders on swings above the fairgrounds. A spokesperson with the NC Department of Agriculture said that the ride stopped automatically due to the low voltage fault that triggered the safety procedure stopping the ride. Sources said that passengers were stuck in the air for approximately 45 minutes before being brought down.
“The ride came to a controlled stop, allowing for the safe and timely manual evacuation of all patrons,” spokesperson Heather Overton told WRAL News. “At no point was anyone at risk.”
This isn’t the first time a ride at the NC State Fair has stopped with passengers on it. In 2013, on Oct. 24, five riders were seriously injured at the fair when a ride called The Vortex started moving while people were getting off. The ride, known to twirl and flip, dropped unsecured passengers 20 feet onto the ride’s metal floor.
WRAL said a criminal investigation found that a safety mechanism designed to keep the ride from moving had been disabled. The ride operators at the time were later arrested.
Passengers who were stuck on The Vertigo on Thursday hace been offered a complimentary ride following the incident, a spokesperson with the company who owns the ride said.
