Bystanders at County Fair Rush to Hold Up Collapsed Roller Coaster With Six Children Aboard

Six children and an adult were rescued from a roller coaster at the Bartow County Fair in Cartersville, Georgia, on Thursday after a section of the ride collapsed, leaving riders stranded. According to local reports, the Orient Express kiddie coaster derailed after one of the legs on the ride broke.

Whitney Castro, who witnessed the collapse, told WSB-TV that she was afraid to walk over to the coaster. “I thought I was going to see someone cut in half,” she said. “When I saw the ride tip, my stomach dropped. I was scared I was going to see dead people,” she said.

Bystanders rushed to the coaster when they saw it collapsing and leaned on it until wood and cement blocks could be brought in to stabilize it enough to rescue the passengers. Thanks to the quick response of the bystanders, there were no injuries.

Castro captured the scene on video and posted it on her Facebook page. She wrote:

This is why you don’t ride the fair rides! This roller coaster almost fell over with kids on it!!!!!! If it wasn’t for some quick adults, this would have ended a lot worse. I am still shaking. My child was not on it thankfully. Nobody was hurt, a lot of scared little kids. This ride was being balanced and held up by boards.

Glenn Allen, spokesman for Georgia State’s Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, told reporters, “Apparently, there was a malfunction with the truck that caused some form of a collapse on the ride.” He added, “Exactly what caused that is now under investigation.”

WSB-TV is reporting that the state fire marshall found “improper welding” on the track near the coaster, which had not been inspected since April 15. It was operated by the Florida-based company Carol Stream Amusements. After an inspection of other fair rides, three more were shut down on Friday due to additional problems. The fair will now be subject to surprise inspections.

Watch the video on the next page: