One little girl was flung out of a ride at an Indiana county fair. Concerns and investigations followed as people wondered how something so dangerous and life-threatening was allowed to happen at all. One Facebook user, Anna Deorto, was sitting next to the girl when the accident took place.
"It['s] festival season, be careful!!!! My sister, my brother, and another girl [were] with me riding this ride when the girl right next to me flew out. I was holding tight to the bar in [the] middle screaming 'stop the ride she fell out' saying that multiple times before [they] finally [stopped] the ride. We went around at least 3 times before they finally stopped the ride. Please be careful when riding these rides," Deorto wrote.
Deorto also spoke to WFIE about the harrowing situation. "She went headfirst. Like, her body just, like, went, falling through with her head," Deorto recounts. She further claims the rider operator never checked their seatbelts. "She had to walk and exit, no questions asked to her if she was okay," Deorto said. "There were little kids at the gate saying 'Is she okay? Did she actually fall out?' I could just see the parent's faces - like mouth dropped and everything."
Deorto herself even allegedly got checked out at a hospital, reporting injuries to her head and elbows.
A Little Girl Is Thrown From A County Fair Ride, Prompting A Safety Investigation
David Hosick, representing the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, issued a statement to PEOPLE. Hosick said that the head of their inspections unit reached out to the owner of the rides, who "indicated the specific operator of the ride had failed to properly secure a group of girls into one of the carriages."
Hosick confirmed the little girl "received minor injuries." "She was given a bandage and ice pack and left the scene with her family and friends. No ambulance or additional treatment was requested or required at the scene," Hosick assured. The ride was shut down afterward.
Hosick noted that the ride was last inspected on June 11. It was determined during an inspection that two of the rider carriages were "deemed unusable" due to safety violations.
