ANGELS CAMP, Calif. (AP)—A carnival ride spinning with people collapsed at a county fair Friday night, injuring all 24 people aboard.
The carnival ride, called the Yo-Yo, collapsed shortly after 6 p.m. Friday at the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, about 80 miles southeast of Sacramento.
The ride has metal arms, each with a seat at the end attached by a chain, that swing outward as the ride picks up speed. The arms rise and fall as they spin around a center pole, putting the seats horizontal to the ground.
The pole apparently collapsed, causing the arms to crash back toward the center, said Dennis Townsend, a chief in the Calaveras County unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention.
I realize that the rides at places like Magic Mountain in California and of course Disney or Six Flags are meticulously maintained and inspected. BUT - carnivals have a bit less oversight.
I just don’t like the idea of putting myself in a metal device that goes very fast or very high and is taken down and moved, then put back together many times a year by a bunch of people who call themselves “carnies”.
No thanks.