SANTA CRUZ: Boardwalk’s Fireball ride remains closed
UPDATE 8/3/17: The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s Fireball ride is still shutdown as the boardwalk waits for the maker of the ride, KMG, to provide information about how it is configured.
According to a spokesperson with the boardwalk, Cal/OSHA also agreed they should wait to test the ride until they receive the information from KMG.
Once they receive the necessary information, the boardwalk will take the ride apart and test it.
Since the deadly malfunction in Ohio, three of the rides in California have been reopened.
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(KION/ AP) The Dutch manufacturer of the fairground ride that broke apart at the Ohio State Fair, killing one man and injuring seven other people, said it was built in 1998 in the Netherlands.
The company, KMG, said Thursday in an emailed response to AP questions that there are 43 such rides around the world, including 11 in the United States. The Fireball at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is one of the rides made by KMG.
Bas Derkink wrote that the Ohio accident was the first such serious malfunction on one of the rides. KMG technicians are not involved in maintaining the Ohio ride.
Albert Kroon, of KMG, told Dutch National broadcaster NOS that the company was on the phone with rescuers to help them figure out how to free those still in the seats after the accident.
He says he was shocked by the accident and that the company’s first priority was “freeing the injured people who were still in the seats.”
On Wednesday night, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk shut down its Fireball ride as a precaution, after the accident on the same model ride at the Ohio State Fair.
Kris Reyes, Boardwalk Community Affairs Director said, “Out of an abundance of caution we decided to close down the ride for the remainder of the evening. We will be conducting a thorough inspection in the morning.”
Reyes said all rides are inspected every morning as required by the state, but because of what happened in Ohio, they felt this was the right thing to do. He also said the difference between the Ohio ride and theirs is that the boardwalk has a permanent ride and the other is portable.
