Amusement park, theme parks and carnival operators around the world have been asked to shut down a specific theme park ride following a death in the U.S.
Known as the "Fire-Ball", it is a pendulum-type ride which swings riders 40 feet in the air and spins them at 13 revolutions per minute.
Last week, according to
The New York Times, an 18-year-old in Ohio was killed when the part of the ride he was on detached from the main body, and threw him over fifteen meters through the air. Several other people in the same ride were severely injured.
Following the incident, the manufacturers of the ride sent out a worldwide shutdown notice, via the
Courier Mail:
“We are currently gathering information on the accident and investigating the cause and circumstances of the accident. Until further details are known, operators of Fireball/Afterburner (FRB24) and Move-it (MVT24/MVT32) type amusement rides are instructed to cease operation of the ride until further notice.”
Six of these types of rides were shut down in the UK today, including Pleasurewood Hills theme park in Suffolk, Coney Beach Fair in South Wales, Brean Theme Park in Somerset, Lightwater Valley in North Yorkshire, and two used in funfairs by Ryan Crow Amusements in the North East, and a ride owned by a Joseph Manning in Hertfordshire.
Similarly, the rides used in the states of California, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana and New Jersey in the US have reportedly halted the use of all pendulum-type rides.
If you're attending theme parks, amusement parks or fairgrounds/fun-fairs in the near future, you are advised to check with staff that this type of ride has been shutdown.
