On Thursday evening, five people were injured (with three still hospitalized) on "The Vortex" ride at the state fair of North Carolina. Witnesses have reported that the ride had come to a stop, then suddenly started back up again while the people were still getting off of the ride. One man stated that he heard a loud clatter behind him after he had stepped off the vehicle and turned around to witness two people laying unconscious on the ground while the ride operator wept on his knees. Upon further investigation, it seemed that the ride's mechanisms had been meddled with, thus creating all kinds of safety hazards. The ride operator - Timothy Tutterrow - has been charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and was arrested Saturday. He had been hired by an independent ride contractor called Family Attractions and had worked with the company for 4 years. Police are still unsure of all the details and have said that they might possibly find others to arrest. Though the ride was closed for the rest of the fair, attendance significantly plummeted by more than 10,000 fewer people; and rightly so. I don't blame them - you certainly wouldn't find me anywhere near that fair after that!
To a degree, I don't really bat an eye when I hear of accidents like this that concern small fairs and underdevelloped rides & attractions. Because they are simply old, lack good quality, and are operated under less supervised/managed conditions, things like this are bound to happen once in a while. However, it's unfortunate that those people had to get injured, and they will hopefully be on the road to recovery in no time.
On another matter, thinking back, I did find the basis for the arrest rather strange and unsettling (though I don't exactly know all the details). Does anyone else think it was a bit hasty to automatically assume that the ride operator was the culprit, or does anyone know more details about the situation? I would be glad to hear.
-Hannah Selby, 4th
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/10/27/ride-operator-arrested-after-5-hurt-at-north-carolina-state-fair/
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