Fun Turns To Terror As Carnival Ride Partially Collapses
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Terrifying moments for dozens of families in Baltimore County as a carnival ride at a church fundraiser fell apart with riders on board.
The scare -- which was caught on camera -- comes just at the start of carnival season in Maryland, and it's raising red flags about safety.
Fun summer memories came crashing down in Dundalk on Friday as several panels on a carousel fell off and shattered -- shocking about 40 riders at the Our Lady of Hope fundraising carnival.
David Nagel -- whose wife shot the video -- was on the ride with his two-year-old grandson.
"If I would have been one horse over, then I might have gotten hit," he said. "I can't be positive, but it's that close. It was that close."
The ride is owned by Shaw and Sons Amusements in Severn. The company is now packing up to head to another carnival.
Shaw's website states the rides are inspected by state inspectors up to 40 times a season.
In compliance with state law, the carousel was back up and running later that night.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Labor said the ride was inspected May 3, and unless there are serious injuries, "It is up to the discretion of the ride owner whether to keep the ride in service or to suspend service."
Nagel said he has contacted his state senator to make mandatory inspections after an accident.
"Yeah, it's just a carousel and panels fell and glass flew, but if it was going to happen on a different ride, and somebody would have got injured, there's got to be something done to those rulings," he said.
WJZ has reached out to Shaw and Sons Amusements for comment but hasn't heard back.
Under Maryland law, all carnival rides are required to have a state inspection certificate, registration and undergo daily inspections.
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