A children’s carnival ride at the Bangor State Fair malfunctioned on Saturday, instantly stopping the ride with nearly a dozen passengers on board.
The Rock’n Tug had 11 children and adults riders when it automatically shut itself down at around 4:30 p.m. Saturday because it had a flat tire, according to the company that runs the fair’s thrill rides.
“There were no injuries whatsoever,” said E.J. Dean, president of Fiesta Shows of Seabrook, New Hampshire, which brings the rides to Bangor.
The part that failed is known as a guide wheel, which guides the passenger vessel along a u-shaped track. The ride is run by a computer, which shut down the attraction when the tire went flat, Dean said.
“When that wears out it comes to a sudden stop,” Dean said Monday. “It’s designed essentially to shut down.”
The malfunction came during increased scrutiny on the safety of such rides. A mechanical attraction at the Ohio State Fair malfunctioned last week, throwing one man to his death and seriously injuring seven others.
[MORE: Bangor fair ride passes safety check, draws crowd]
“After last week’s incident it reinforces the need to be vigilant,” Dean said.
The Rock’n Tug is a children’s ride that mimics the sensation of being in a real boat. The ride seats up to 24 people and has been operated by Fiesta Shows for 12 years, Dean said.
All 26 of the mechanical rides at the Bangor State Fair were inspected by the fire marshal’s office and local inspectors before the gates opened on Friday. Dean said the tire appeared fine, but apparently had a small leak that was not noticed.
Rich McCarthy, assistant state fire marshal and director of the prevention division, said an inspector was in the area on Monday and was sent to examine the tugboat ride.
“My inspector is on his way over to take a look and see what happened and see what it looks like before it’s fixed, then we’ll look at it again once it gets fixed,” he said.
The guide wheel on the kiddie ride gets a lot of wear and tear has been replaced three times over the last dozen years, Dean said.
If everything goes as planned, the ride should be running by Tuesday or Wednesday, Dean said.