New Documents Shed Light on Ride Accident at NC County Fair

Hundreds of document pages were recently released pertaining to the disastrous ride accident last October at the North Carolina State Fair.

ABC11 Raleigh reported some of the information gleaned from the documents, which show the reasoning that led investigators to arrest both the owner and the operator of the Vortex ride that malfunctioned on Oct. 24, 2013.

The incident occurred when the ride stopped and then suddenly started again as passengers were climbing off. Some of the riders dropped 20 feet onto the metal platform. Among the critically injured were the Gorham family of North Carolina, including Kisha (39), Anthony (29) and an unidentified 14-year-old, reported Fox News in October.

The documents reviewed by ABC11 included images of the blood-stained Vortex ride platform following the accident as well as maintenance records that indicate red flags for the ride’s operation as early as Oct. 21. In the report, a problem was noted with a sticking solenoid cylinder that caused a fault signal in the ride’s lap bar operation.

Additionally according to ABC11, the documents show that children under the age of 16 are not supposed to ride the Vortex, and that the ride requires a minimum of four operators at all times. The youngest injured in the accident was 14 and the ride had only a single operator — Timothy Tutterrow (46), who was arrested along with ride owner Joshua Macaroni (32).

Inspectors believe that despite three daily inspection checks signed by Tutterrow, the operator and owner bypassed safety systems to allow the ride to continue working when the safety harnesses weren’t locked. Photos released with the documents show the wiring and electrical box that could have allowed them to override safety protocols, reports ABC11.

One victim is still hospitalized months after the accident. Both Macaroni and Tutterrow face three counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious bodily injury.

If you or someone you love is injured in an accident, our Raleigh personal injury attorneys may be able to help you. Contact Kelly & West today to discuss the details of your case with us.

*Note: Kelly & West are not representing the people mentioned in this news article.