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Girl thrown off Indiana fair ride ‘headfirst’ prompts investigation

The ride the girl was thrown from while it was in operation at the Dubois County Fair, taken July 15, 2024.

The ride the girl was thrown from while it was in motion at the Dubois County Fair. (Courtesy, Anna Deorto)

The Department of Homeland Security is investigating an amusement ride after a girl was thrown from it Monday at the Dubois County 4-H Fair in Huntingburg.

Anna Deorto was on the ride with the 14-year-old girl. She said the two’s shared seatbelt was not secured properly, and ride workers skipped over their belt before starting the ride.

Deorto was on the ride with her brother and sister and invited the girl on as a single rider.

She said it was about 15 seconds after the ride began before the girl flew headfirst out of the ride car.

“(Before the ride began) the girl even said, ‘Are we good? Are we gonna die?’ Like, because she was so scared to do this, right? And they said, ‘No, you're good.’ And clearly she wasn't good,” Deorto said.

A photo taken by Deorto’s mother before the ride began. Deorto is seated with her family and the fourteen year old who was injured.
A photo taken by Deorto’s mother before the ride began. Anna can be seen, seated with her family and the fourteen year old who was injured. (Courtesy, Christina Balbach)

Deorto said the ride workers continued to operate the ride after the girl was thrown from it, even as she and her mother yelled for operators to stop. 

“They didn't ask the girl if she was OK,” she said. “Nothing at all, they just — they didn't really care that she flew off.”

Deorto’s family got in touch with the girl after the incident, and said she suffered a concussion, a swollen shoulder and elbow, and repeated headaches.

The 4-H Council that runs the fair was made aware of the situation Monday night and closed down the rides.

The ride in question, "Rock and Roll", holds up to four people in a caged carriage while the ride spins in a circle. Each carriage is able to rotate upside down with controls in the carriage.

David Hosick with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security said the ride was last inspected on June 11. This is when two of the ride carriages were deemed unsafe and sealed off from passengers. Hosick said these carriages were not in use at the fair, which is why the ride was still able to operate.

When state fire marshals inspected the ride the day after the incident, they found repairs had not been made.

Three new violations were found in Tuesday’s investigation by DHS:

  1. General maintenance violations: Missing drive tires, missing belt fasteners (previous violations) and body damage to rider carriages, including small holes that can be pinch points
  2. Assembly/welding: Diamond plate flooring severely warped in multiple places, broken rivets, and screws
  3. Electrical safety: Multiple light sockets with no working bulbs/or blanks

DHS said the owners of the ride are Steel Horse Midway Attractions in Gentryville. The company was previously accused of taking $21,000 from nine events in 2019. It is unclear if it has had previous safety violations.

WTIU reached out to the owner of Steel Horse Midway Attractions, who declined to comment.

The fair’s 4-H Council announced Wednesday that Jumping Jacks would step in and provide inflatables to replace the midway rides for the rest of the week. They will also be free Friday evening.

The fair continues through Saturday.

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