Carnival worker plunges from Ferris wheel after freeing stuck child
A carnival worker fell from a Ferris wheel Friday night in North Carolina after climbing it to try to free at least one child trapped in a stuck gondola.
Cellphone video from a visitor at the Central Carolina Fair in Greensboro, N.C., shows the Michael’s Amusements worker climbing up the attraction after one of the gondola cars began to tilt out of its normal position Friday night. WHAS11 reports that at least one young boy was inside the stuck gondola car.
When the worker dislodges the car, he loses his balance and falls, banging his body on the ride, amid screams and cries of “Oh my God” from the watching crowd. The video then shows parents comforting frightened children. “I don’t want to get on no more,” says one child heard on the video.
The video, posted Friday night to Facebook by Viridiana Ruis Palacio, had been viewed 83,000 times by midday Sunday.
Central Carolina Fair in Greensboro, NC
Posted by Viridiana Ruiz Palacio on Friday, September 15, 2017
The Central Carolina Fair in Greensboro said in a statement Saturday that the worker was taken to a hospital. He was later released.
The ride was inspected by state officials and approved for continued use.
The Central Carolina Fair at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex closes today at 9 p.m. Eastern.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 17, 2017 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Carnival worker plunges from Ferris wheel after freeing stuck child."