Tennessee leaves ride-safety approval to private inspectors

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Investigators have not determined how a Ferris wheel seat flipped over at a Tennessee county fair, sending three children plummeting 30 to 45 feet to the ground. But the accident that left a 6-year-old girl with a traumatic brain injury sharpened the focus Tuesday on how carnival-ride operators are regulated.

After a 2014 audit found shortcomings in Tennessee's regulatory program for rides at fairs and amusement parks, state officials decided to get out of the inspection business altogether.

Now, the state relies on private inspectors hired by operators and other states' regulators to determine whether roller coasters, zip lines and Ferris wheels are safe.

Authorities said the three youngsters fell from the ride at the Greene County Fair in eastern Tennessee on Monday night.

In a follow-up to the audit last year, the agency said Tennessee law does not require the state to hire its own inspectors. Funding for the Amusement Device Unit was requested for the budget year ending in June but was denied.

Lawmakers this year approved nearly $490,000 to bolster the state's Amusement Device Unit with five new employees.

They are not inspectors but will be assigned to work on permitting and verification of compliance with inspection and insurance requirements. Within two years, those jobs are supposed to be paid for through program fees.

The Ferris wheel at the Greene County Fair was operated by Valdosta, Georgia-based Family Attractions Amusement. It had received its permit to operate in Tennessee based on an inspection made in Indiana in June.

Dr. Bracken Burns, director of trauma services for Johnson City Medical Center, said the critically injured 6-year-old was in a seat with her 10-year-old sister and a 16-year-old girl, who were in stable condition.

Burns said the 10-year-old suffered injuries to her forearms. He said he couldn't give out information on injuries the 16-year-old suffered.

Family Attractions Amusement did not return a message left on the voicemail of the phone number listed on its last inspection report.

According to the Greene-ville News, the company was fined in 2013 for violating safety laws in North Carolina after a Vortex ride suddenly lurched into motion as riders were disembarking, injuring four riders and a ride operator.

The Greene County incident was the eighth injury incident reported to Tennessee authorities on amusement rides this summer.