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Shock problem shuts down carnival ride

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BY ART HOVEY / Lincoln Journal Star

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008 - 09:18:57 am CDT

The management of the Mighty Bluegrass Shows has shut down its Ring of Fire carnival ride for the rest of the Nebraska State Fair after complaints about electric shocks from people climbing down at the end of the ride Saturday and again Monday.

“There was a problem. There was a short in the lights,” J.J. Murphy, president of the Florida-based midway operation, said Tuesday.

As far as he knows, the shocks were nothing more than a source of discomfort.

Story Photo
The Ring of Fire ride has been shut down for the rest of the Nebraska State Fair. (Robert Becker)

“We’ve never had an injury here,” Murphy said. “We’ve never hurt anybody here. Nothing. We’ve played this fair for 40 years.”

Despite those assurances, Lincoln resident Warren “Bud” Dils wants those in charge of the midway operation punished. Dils said his son, 10-year-old Christian, was the victim of an electrical current so powerful that he was unable to let go of a metal railing for several seconds. “It jolted him and he couldn’t move,” Dils said.

Later, Dils said, “He came over to me. He was just in tears, holding his chest and arms.”

The elder Dils said his wife also saw “a teenaged girl who grabbed the rail and collapsed.”

Dils said he is especially upset that the ride continued to operate Sunday and Monday even though it was a source of what he regarded as serious safety problems.

As far as he’s concerned, somebody from Mighty Bluegrass “should be explaining in front of a judge and a Nebraska state court why they were operating a ride after they knew it was hurting people.”

Spokeswoman Deb Collins of the Nebraska State Patrol said troopers stationed at the fairgrounds during the fair investigated the situation and will file a report with Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey that will document any possible violations of law.

However, “at this point, it doesn’t appear there were any,” Collins said.

She referred further questions to Barney Cosner, the fair’s executive director.

Cosner said the shock problem with midway equipment was hard to confirm and pin down because it was sporadic. Many riders climbed down without incident, he said. Others weren’t so lucky.

“We finally found what the source of it was,” he said, “and it was the lighting ring structure, the ring on the outside of it.”

Even though Cosner is satisfied the mystery is solved, “one of the things that the Nebraska State Fair is very conscious of is safety for all our guests. And when that comes into play, that becomes our priority.”

Cosner said he had talked with Dils several times and did not question his persistence. “I think he was concerned about the safety of other riders, as we are, and that’s why we took it very seriously.”

At the same time, Cosner said, Mighty Bluegrass “has a very good safety record and they’re very conscientious about their equipment.”

Murphy also believes the problem with the electrical short has been resolved and “we had every inspector from the entire state look at that ride yesterday.”

The same equipment had not caused any problems at previous shows this fair season. Nonetheless, he wants to get on with the rest of the show. “This story has taken on a life of its own,” he said.

With that in mind, “we’re still leaving that ride shut down. We are not going to start that ride up anymore.”

Reach Art Hovey at 473-7223 or at ahovey@journalstar.com.


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Steve U wrote on August 27, 2008 6:31 am:
" I have enjoyed the Mighty Bluegrass Shows midway for many years, never seen a problem. (At least not ride-related, some of the attendees of the fair could use a lesson in manners.) If there was a problem and they shut the ride down then they did their part. "

 Nice wrote on August 27, 2008 7:28 am:
" This really makes me want to go ride the rides on the midway! "

 Happy wrote on August 27, 2008 8:15 am:
" I am glad that they shut the ride down, however, i see now why my parents never allowed us on the rides at the state fair. They are unstable and could harm someone in an instant "

 mitchy_v wrote on August 27, 2008 8:41 am:
" Lets see, this ride would be about 5 tickets. $1.25 per ticket that would be $6.25 per ride. If I am paying over $6 per ride it better work. "

 CS wrote on August 27, 2008 8:43 am:
" They shut it down, found the issue, and fixed it. What more do you people want? Some of you are the same types that won't let your kid outside because of the pedo-molesters*might* get them, aren't you? "

 talk to a judge wrote on August 27, 2008 8:44 am:
" If Mr. Dils thinks it is so important that someone from Mighty Bluegrass "should be explaining in front of a judge and a Nebraska state court" Maybe he should have taken that child that was "just in tears, holding his chest and arms" to the HOSPITAL. At the time, Dils did not think it was bad, now it is just terrible - sounds like he is trying to muster up some good info for a lawsuit. "

 ENJOY GI wrote on August 27, 2008 8:45 am:
" Hope Grand Island appreciates what Lincoln's giving you...watch out for the Carnies!!! "

 Nebraskagirl wrote on August 27, 2008 8:53 am:
" I think they forgot to highlight in the article that these rides are inspected before they are put up. I bet that everytime after the ride had problems they inspected the ride and it past. The inspectors would not have reopened the rides if they found a problem or thought it would do it again. Safety is key. "

 its a traveling carnival ride wrote on August 27, 2008 10:54 am:
" what do you expect. the rides are put up and torn down moved to the next state every 2 weeks. we are lucky that this was the only safety related problem that has occurred so far. what truely can you expect? "

 Accidents Happen wrote on August 27, 2008 11:02 am:
" Im sure they did not intend for this to happen. But (as a electrician) I do think they need to be fined. If it was hooked up properly the power should have cut out on the short. Keep in mind your body operates off of internal electrical waves, you introduce a outside source and it can really do some damage (ie heart problems down the road). You fine them to tell them - tighten up your installs or else. "

 are u kidding me wrote on August 27, 2008 11:21 am:
" you've got to be kidding! "couldn't let go for several seconds"? come on! every kid needs to experience a shock from an electric fencer on a farm. I deal with fencers quite often and been nailed by them several times. what i'm trying to say is thats what puts a little reality into what a true burst of electric current going through your body feels like. sounds like a big story. walk it off. "

 are u kidding me wrote on August 27, 2008 11:29 am:
" you've got to be kidding! "couldn't let go for several seconds"? come on! everybody needs to experience a shock from an electric fencer on a farm. I deal with fencers quite often and been nailed by them several times. what i'm trying to say is thats what puts a little reality into what a true burst of electric current going through your body feels like. sounds like a big story. walk it off. "

 back in the day wrote on August 27, 2008 11:44 am:
" kind of get a kick out of this story. i remember back in the day when my little buddies and i figured out that if you held on to the refrigerator door and grabbed the sink it would shock you. looking back there must have been a short in the refrigerator, but at the time we had no idea. we would see who could hang on to the two for the longest. You know what, we could always let go whenever we felt like it. Sounds like somebody hungry for a lawsuit. "

 Me wrote on August 27, 2008 11:44 am:
" Why wasn't the ride shut down when the first person was shocked? Do they need to have an injury before a problem is address? Let Grand Island have the fair and all of the problems that go along with it. Lincoln still has, and will always have NU football, "

 KC wrote on August 27, 2008 11:48 am:
" CS - My son got electricuted and wet himself then physically went limp Saturday night after his father pulled him off the current of electricity. The ride wasn't shut down until Monday - other children were shocked. Blue Grass Shows should have shut the ride down when the paramedics were called for my son Friday night so no other people were hurt. That is what I would have wanted. "

 Duh wrote on August 27, 2008 12:15 pm:
" I have a personal rule. I don't get on any "thrill" ride that can be put up or taken down within a day. It is kinda funny that the dude wants them to be punished when the potential risk for injury from riding the ride is probably greater than the injury one receives from the shock.

In other words, "My kid's life and safety can be in jeopardy as long as I put them in jeopardy. If you do it, I'm gonna sue."

Weird times we live in folks. "

 Jen wrote on August 27, 2008 12:55 pm:
" Wow, good thing my friend & I decided to skip that one on Monday..... "

 theres the story wrote on August 27, 2008 2:13 pm:
" Read KC's comment, posted at 11:48 AM. That's the information that needs to come out. Paramedics were called on Saturday for a rider, but the ride kept operating until Monday. I realize the problem was sporadic, but what was the magic number of kids injured before the ride was shut down ... 10, 20.... "

 Seriously wrote on August 27, 2008 2:15 pm:
" are you kidding me and backintheday - Electric fence is high voltage and very low current. The current is the killer. A tenth of 1 amp will kill a adult. Rides can pull several hundred amps and a fridge will pull on average 10A. (This is the electrician again) Worked on a case where a little girl had been swimming in a hotel pool (small town NE). She went up to her room and swiped her card to open the door. The opener was wired wrong and it shocked her - sadly she was killed instantly and that was by a door contact that pulls less than 1 amp of power at 110V. "

 PLG wrote on August 27, 2008 2:22 pm:
" TO CS : I was there when the boy was shocked Saturday night and the ride was never shut down! And obviously it was never fixed because people were still getting shocked Monday. They had the ride going even before the paramedics were done. There was no inspection, no shut down, nothing! These "shocks" were much more than just a discomfort. KC's son was actually locked onto the railings unable to let go! It takes quite a bit of electricity for that to happen. This isnt a matter of money, its amatter of doing the right thing when an accident occurrs to prvent it from reoccurring. And Blue Grass did not do this. In fact, not one Blue Grass employee ever asked if the boy was okay. Not one! And for the Mr. Murphy of Blue Grass to say there was no injury here is completely false. An official accident report was filed that night. Makes one wonder if they truly take accidents with their equipment seriously at all, to do nothing at all at the time of the accident and to put so little importance on the reports that he knows nothing about it. "

 Bill wrote on August 27, 2008 2:42 pm:
" IF you ride in a car everyday, that's the scariest ride you can have, especially in this town with the fair and husker game this weekend! Good luck & Buckle up! "

 Rhonda wrote on August 27, 2008 3:23 pm:
" I agree more could have and should have been done right away. I am sure I would be upset if it was my son, but come on lets not blow this out of proportion. The ride is shut down, sounds like someone is after a big payday and maybe they deserve something, but get real ! I want to know how many people were actually shocked that severe, I walked by that ride on Saturday and Sunday and the line was always huge. It's not like kids were piling up being shocked, sounds like it was a few isolated circumstances. My family went to KC Worlds of Fun this summer and several kids were burned really bad on the same ride on the same afternoon, and the ride was never shut down. This stuff happens on rides, some are isolated and some are neglegent. Sounds like this was isolated to me.

For those of you telling GI to have fun with the fair and it's problems tell me exactly what problem this has caused for the city of Lincoln.The problem of revenue, full hotels, full restruants. You do realize this is a state event being held in Lincoln, not a Lincoln event, such as the Lancaster Co. Fair. This is attitude is why we are looked upon badly across the state. "

 Sue Happy wrote on August 27, 2008 4:02 pm:
" Let me guess, a lawsuit will be filed? "

 ME TOO wrote on August 27, 2008 6:24 pm:
" Lawsuits? Funny how the only people talking lawsuit are those were not even involved. That says something about you not the parents who's children were shocked. "

 wow wrote on August 27, 2008 8:37 pm:
" It sounds to me like there was at least one genuine injury, and I'm saddened to know that the ride was not shut down at that point. I'm glad nothing more serious happened.

Just so you know, before you step on your next ride in the state of Nebraska - the rides are NOT inspected before coming into the state of Nebraska. In fact, according to statutes and regulations, a ride can be approved and certified by another state, and with proper documentation showing the ride has been approved in another state, we "rubber stamp" the ride for our approval. This process does NOT take into account that a ride may have been disassembled, hauled, and reassembled numerous times prior to reaching Nebraska. Oh, and by the way, even if Nebraska actually inspects and approves a ride once in Nebraska, good luck if you are the second stop on their Nebraska circuit. God be with you if you are the 10th stop on the county fair circuit in Nebraska - at best, that ride was inspected when it was first set up in Nebraska, and hasn't been looked at since, regardless of the number of times it's been taken apart, moved and reassembled. More likely Nebraska officials haven't even inspected it.

Thanks again Governor Heineman for your leadership and for always remembering that the bottom line is more important than the well-being of our citizens. For those Heineman supporter: yes, he knows about the issue - the DOJ has been trying to get his support for years to improve our statutes, and get the proper funding to hire an adequate number of inspectors. The bottom line is always more important to Tiny Heiny, and thank God it is. He has really, really lowered our tax obligations. "

 I wrote on August 28, 2008 12:27 am:
" A bit off topic but when I was a kid (early 60's) my neighbor's parents were killed on the ferris wheel at the Nebraska State Fair when it collapsed on the midway. They left behind 11 children. The elders took in the younger.
Carnival rides are erected and and dismantled so often that there really is no way to assure their safety. This differs from amusement parks where rides are stationary and regularly maintained. For that reason alone, I refuse to ride the midway. "

 Becky wrote on August 28, 2008 10:16 am:
" KC - I'm sorry to hear what happened to your son. For all those suggesting you just want a lawsuit or those saying "walk it off" - I bet they'd be singing a different tune if it happened to their child. You are taking a risk on midway rides, no matter how many times they've been inspected. "

 KC wrote on August 28, 2008 2:10 pm:
" Thank you Becky, I am personally not seeking a lawsuit. I am just thankful my son is OK and that nobody else got seriously injured. "

 Chris wrote on August 28, 2008 2:30 pm:
" An electric fence pulses the current, it goes on and off and it is off most of the time. It just gives you a quick "zap" which means a chance to let go or move away from the fence. Not even close to the steady dose of current those poor kids got at the fair. "

 OMG wrote on September 1, 2008 5:44 pm:
" I can understand fully where the parent of the child involved is coming from. The ride should have been closed immediately after the accident, even though it was not a big injury. That is what they should have done right away, and not opened it again until the problem had been solved. People need to keep in mind that all of these rides were inspected by the state before they were allowed to open, nobody is perfect and thats why accidents happen. The problem was most likely in a hard box, and the inspectors don't check these, only the main leads. I worked for Blue Grass years ago here in Lincoln, so I know how it goes. I just hope that if they ever encounter a problem again no matter where they are set up, that they shut it down right away before they really have an accident. "

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