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A terrified mother, Ally Metzger, recently experienced a nightmare at the Arkansas State Fair when her two children were left dangling upside down on a malfunctioning ride for a harrowing 15 minutes. The incident unfolded on the X Drive Carnival Ride, where Metzger recorded the heart-stopping moment as her eight- and eleven-year-old children swung helplessly in the air.
In a chilling account, Metzger described the scene, stating that while fair employees rushed to manually push the broken ride, it appeared that her eleven-year-old daughter had “passed out.” “I couldn’t see her. Her eyes were closed. She told me when she came home that she only remembered crying, and then, like, just got dizzy. Her legs were hurting. I guess because the circulation was out,” she told KATV, recounting the distressing ordeal.
Despite the fair staff eventually managing to get her children and other riders down safely, the traumatic experience left a lasting impact on Metzger and her family, effectively “jolting” their plans for the rest of the weekend. In the aftermath, she took to Facebook to voice her outrage about the incident, particularly highlighting a man who told her to “calm down” while her children were suspended in the air.
“My kids were stuck upside down for at least 15 minutes, and seven workers couldn’t even get them down. How do you build rides and not know how to successfully remove people when it shuts down?” Metzger expressed in her post. She did not hold back her frustration, adding, “Oh, and special shout to the dummy Chris who told us to ‘calm down it’s only been 4 1/2 minutes.’ After what was spent to get in this place? RUN ME MY REFUND.”
Following the incident, Metzger filed a formal complaint with the fair, noting that a “nice lady” checked on her children at a medical tent after the ordeal. Fortunately, she also received a full refund for their tickets. “I remember why I don’t come here,” she reflected, indicating her dissatisfaction with the fair’s safety protocols.
Scooter Korek, an employee with North American Midway Entertainment, the company responsible for the rides at the fair, explained to KATV that the X Drive Carnival Ride malfunctioned due to “the right computer receiving a fault.” When asked about the safety of the rides, Korek expressed his confidence in the rides’ safety measures, stating, “I trust that my family members could go on any of our rides any day.”
He assured that the company adheres to stringent safety protocols, including five levels of inspections, with oversight from safety directors and Arkansas State Fair ride inspectors. Korek emphasized that safety is the company’s top priority, stating, “The most important aspect is the employees who run the rides. They travel with us wherever we go.”
The incident at the Arkansas State Fair highlights ongoing concerns about ride safety, especially as similar experiences have been reported. In July, another mother, Salina Higgins, described a terrifying experience at SeaWorld San Diego when her daughter’s safety belt came loose on a high-speed roller coaster. Higgins recounted her daughter’s screams of terror as they hung upside down, emphasizing the need for increased vigilance regarding ride safety.
As families flock to fairs and amusement parks, incidents like these serve as a stark reminder of the importance of rigorous safety measures and prompt responses in emergency situations to prevent traumatic experiences for riders.
