Amanda Roberson, of Hamilton, walked around the rides at the Butler County Fair, talking with operators and checking out which rides were “least risky” for her two children, Brooklyn, 11, and Hunter, 8.
She said her children watched the horrific video that showed an 18-year-old man being killed and seven others injured when a ride called the Fire Ball malfunctioned Wednesday at the state fair in Columbus.
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“They have certain standards they have to uphold, but mistakes can happen,” Roberson said of the fatal accident. “That would be the ride my kids would want to ride. They are thrill-riders. Scary to think that happened so close to home.”
The Greene County Fair begins Sunday, but rides won’t be available for attendees until Monday. That’s because the vendor — Cincinnati-based Triple Treat Shows — brings the rides from the Butler County Fair, then needs time for setup and inspections.
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Dan Bullen, a director of the Greene County Agricultural Society, said rides are inspected multiple times a day to ensure safety, and he’s confident in the work ride inspectors do.
“I think the people see we’re doing our due diligence,” he said. “We don’t want to see an accident.”
Bullen said the county fair has used Triple Treat the past 17 years and noted ride inspectors are hired by the state.
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Bullen said on any given year, attendance has been between 50,000 and 55,000 — a number he said he doesn’t expect to be lower because of Wednesday’s tragedy.
“Heaven forbid anything like that happens to anybody,” Bullen said. “I think people see the quality of our rides. Most fairs in the state of Ohio use reputable ride companies.”
Montgomery County, which held its fair July 10 through July 15, said no rides they inspected were found unable to operate.
“Riders can feel confident,” Montgomery County Agricultural Society Executive Director Greg Wallace said. “They go through a rigorous inspection, and we feel confident that the inspector has done their job and the ride company fulfills its obligations.”
Montgomery County also uses Triple Treat for the county fair.
Russell Clements, manager of Triple Treat, said a checklist must be completed on each ride, followed by a test run that is then signed off on by a supervisor.
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“Safety is our No. 1 issue,” Clements said. “If people aren’t safe, then our livelihood don’t exist.”
Clements said the appearance of the rides and the employees should “instill some confidence” in fair-goers.
“They can see that things are very well maintained,” Clements said.” We meticulously clean and meticulously take care of ” the equipment.
“Accidents do happen,” Clements said. “It’s unfortunate that they do, but it’s something that can happen.”
Rides at the Clark County Fair are inspected before the fair begins, then twice daily, said Dean Blair, executive director of the Clark County Fairgrounds. He met with the company that operates most of the rides at the Clark County Fair on Wednesday night to review their safety measures after the state fair accident.
“The inspections are very very thorough,” he said. “I am very very impressed, as a father and grandfather, with the inspection process that takes place.”
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Jack Goss brought 14 children from the Just Like Home Children’s Center in Liberty Twp. to the Butler County Fair on Thursday. He said several parents, after hearing about the incident in Columbus, expressed their concern about the safety of their children.
“We assured them we’d be going on the ones that weren’t that dangerous,” he said. “You go to the fair to have fun. You don’t go to the fair to risk your life or worry about being injured.”
Staff writers Rick McCrabb and Allyson Brown contributed to this report.
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