Two 13-year-olds allegedly caused a county fair chain-swing ride to become unstable after deliberately interfering with the attraction, injuring three other riders Saturday, police said.
Witness video reportedly showed the teens holding on to each other as they rode the swings at the Columbia County Fall Fair in Grovetown, Georgia. Their actions caused the ride to lose control, according to local station WRDW.
Disturbing footage obtained by the outlet captures the moment the ride malfunctioned, with the suspended swings striking one another as frightened riders screamed.
Kristen Murphy, whose children were riding at the time, recorded the incident. She said she immediately moved to help get her children off the attraction once it became dangerous.
“This ride has to stop,” Murphy recalled thinking as the chaos unfolded. “My kids are on it. Something’s happening. I need to get to them.”
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Murphy said her husband ran to the control panel in an effort to stop the ride, while other parents also stepped in to help bring the attraction to a halt.
“Once we did get it stopped and I was able to get to my kids, that’s when we noticed that there were some pretty severe injuries,” she said.
Authorities said a woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance after her swing collided with another. Two children were also treated for minor injuries.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said the teenagers had been warned not to hold on to each other before the collision occurred.
Local authorities charged the two teens before releasing them to their parents, police said. The specific charges were not immediately clear.
