A Warren County High School freshman was left clinging from a Ferris wheel Friday afternoon when her cart reportedly overturned near the top of the ride.
WCHS freshman Morgan West was tossed out of her cart and only managed to avoid plummeting to the ground by grabbing the safety bar, according to her boyfriend.
“It was like she was holding onto monkey bars,” said boyfriend Dustin Chaney, who was in the same cart. “I was able to get my arm around the back and stay in, but she was all the way out. If she didn’t hold on, she would have fallen.”
Chaney said the nightmarish experience unfolded as they were on their way up. The cart is expected to swivel as the Ferris wheel turns to keep the occupants upright, but something went awry.
“We were going up and it turned upside down,” said Chaney, a WCHS sophomore. “I don’t know if something broke or what. They told me what happened, but I was so shaken up I didn’t even hear a word they were saying. It happened an hour ago and I’m still in shock.”
Chaney estimates his girlfriend was dangling from the ride for around 30 seconds. He said she let go when she got close to the ground. He managed to stay in the cart.
Kissel Entertainment owner Russ Kissel did not answer questions about the incident. He released a statement to the Standard that said, “Upon our inspection, Kissel Entertainment has found that a previous rider had tampered with a secondary safety pin that holds the hair guard. With this being such a rarity to ever have happened, Kissel Entertainment is immediately revising our inspection process. Ride safety is top priority at Kissel Entertainment.”
Kissel said he contacted a third-party ride inspector to perform a complete review of the Ferris wheel before it reopens. It’s the Ferris wheel that’s located near the main midway entrance by the food booths. It did not reopen Friday night.
While the incident was traumatic, serious injury was avoided.