No criminal charges will be filed in last month’s fatal ride accident at the Ohio State Fair, authorities announced Thursday — saying there isn’t enough evidence to hold anyone responsible for the mishap.
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien decided not to pursue charges in the deadly July 26 accident on the pendulum-like ride, the Fire Ball, after a full review of the investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Investigators interviewed more than 80 witnesses, including people on the ride at the time of the wild mishap, which sent one of its passenger gondolas flying into the air, killing 18-year-old Tyler Jarrell and injuring seven others.
“With the criminal portion of the investigation completed, the Fireball ride will remain securely stored at the Ohio State Fair and Exposition Center until it is released to Amusements of America,” the Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a news release.
The agency did not cite what led to the crash, although an investigation by the ride’s Dutch manufacturer, KMG International BV, found that it was caused by “excessive corrosion” inside the ride’s gondola support beam that had “dangerously reduced” the swinging arm piece to rust.
“This finally led to the catastrophic failure of the ride during operation,” KMG International BV project manager Albert Kroon said in a statement earlier this month. The company ordered fair and carnival operators nationwide to stop using the ride and other similar attractions following the deadly accident.
The precise cause of the malfunction may be determined during civil litigation connected to the incident, Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Robert Sellers told Cleveland.com.
Four of the seven people injured on the ride had initially picked another gondola instead of the one that broke off during the fair’s opening day, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. But the ride’s operator switched them into their seats because “one of the riders was a little overweight and was slouching, and the safety harness wouldn’t secure,” state police said.
Relatives of Jarrell, who had enlisted in the Marines just five days before the fatal accident, retained attorneys to file a wrongful death lawsuit, the Enquirer reported last month.