Following a tragic accident involving an amusement park ride at the Ohio State Fair, those who run the rides at the Erie County Fair say the attractions will be safe, and undergo an extensive check before they're allowed to operate.
One man died and seven people were injured when a section of ride known as the Fire Ball became detached while in motion at the Ohio State Fair. Strates Shows, which has operated the midway attractions at the Erie County Fair for the past 93 years, owns a similar ride which was in operation in Nassau County on the day of the tragedy.
"We immediately found out about the accident and closed the ride voluntarily," said manager John Strates. "It probably wasn't 15 to 20 minutes later that the New York State Department of Labor came in and shut it down as well."
Strates says they will not bring their Fire Ball to Hamburg next month. He appeared on the fairgrounds Friday, joined by representatives of the Erie County Agricultural Society, to explain the numerous steps taken before any ride is allowed to operate at the event.
Strates Shows holds a pre-season inspection and checks each ride again once installed.
"The process begins in January with all of your rides for the upcoming season," Strates said. "All of the rides have NDTs, non-destructive tests, where you strip the paint and you actually check for cracks. Most of the time you're checking for cracks where there were issues. Anything that ever has had an issue will be checked."
At the Erie County Fair, once Strates personnel have completed their review, state labor officials follow up with their own inspection. Then, a private Florida-based firm, LJM & Associates, conducts its own inspection on behalf of the Fair. Checks are held daily during the Fair's 12-day run.
Strates said New York State has a thorough system. He called the Ohio State incident an "anomaly."
Those who operate the Erie County Fair remind the public that they, too, have a responsibility when it comes to ride safety.
"There are simple things like wearing flip-flops or wearing loose clothing," said Marty Biniasz, spokesman for the Erie County Agricultural Society. "If there's signs that say there's a height requirement or a weight requirement, they are there for a purpose. Sometimes you see families say 'oh, can't you let my two-year-old go on this ride? It would be so cute.' No, there's a reason why there's requirements out there."
The 178th Erie County Fair opens August 9.
