Midway silent, dark at Ohio State Fair a day after Fire Ball accident
Bethany BrunerCOLUMBUS - On Thursday at the Ohio State Fair, 74 rides stood dark and still – even the merry-go-round.
Instead of flashing lights and mobs of people, inspectors milled through the midway, examining and reinspecting the rides in the wake of a death on the Fire Ball on Wednesday evening.
Inspectors stood on a crane Thursday afternoon, examining the thrill ride to determine what caused at least one car to rip off in midair, killing a Columbus teen and injuring seven other people, including bystanders.
Inspectors and investigators are essentially doing an "autopsy" of the machine, Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Paul Pride said.
Elsewhere at the fair, people tried to put the tragedy behind them and enjoy themselves.
"This is a place where we come to smile, we laugh ... we do all the things people love to do at the fair," said Gov. John Kasich, kicking off his annual tour of the State Fair. "This will not define the Ohio State Fair."
Kasich tried to impart that attitude on fair visitors Thursday, eating a hot dog and sauerkraut at a food tent and taking pictures with visitors young and old.
Any sort of amusement park or attraction with rides has inherent risk, Kasich said. To ask him or anyone else to prevent accidents from happening is impossible.
"You'll have to talk to the big guy upstairs," he said. "We do everything we can humanly possible, but I've actually not been given the authority to solve every problem in the world."
Kasich toured the grounds for about 90 minutes, stopping to honor a horse fair judge for nearly four decades of service and petting a baby calf with several toddlers. He danced outside the Gazebo Stage with a woman, twirling her several times before moving on.
During his tour Thursday, Kasich was approached by a woman who is a nurse and helped treat some of the injured Wednesday night. Kasich pulled her aside for a private moment to talk with and thank her. He also said he was trying to reach the families of the 18-year-old who died and the seven who were injured.
The one area missing from his tour was the midway. The central location for rides was shut down Thursday, roped off and bearing signs reading: "Rides temporarily closed."
The midway was expected to remain closed the remainder of Thursday and possibly part of Friday until every ride is reinspected. The fair opened Wednesday and runs through Aug. 6.
The Fire Ball ride had been cleared by inspectors Wednesday morning before the tragic accident.
Some fairgoers were unsure of the rides' safety. Jason Hursey, of Mt. Gilead, said he and his family would not have come had his daughter not been participating in 4-H.
"I don't like them riding the rides that are movable," he said. "At Cedar Point or Kings Island, I feel like I can trust them more."
He said his family was not planning on staying at the fair very long Thursday.
The Ball family, of Etna, had intended to come to the fair Thursday because of a food drive and were not deterred by Wednesday's tragedy.
"There's a lot to do besides the rides," Paula Ball said. "We're out here to see all the fair has to offer."
The Ohio Highway Patrol has set up a hotline for witnesses to Wednesday night's incident and for those who may have video of what happened who have not yet spoken to investigators. Anyone with information is asked to call 614-799-6633.