NC State Fair ride stops due to low voltage, leaving riders dangling 100 feet in the air

RALEIGH North Carolina WRAL Selected fairgoers were left dangling feet in the air when a ride at the North Carolina State Fair stopped due to a low-voltage issue The ride which is known as The Vertigo spins riders on swings high above the fairgrounds Video shared with WRAL News shows the ride stopped on Thursday afternoon All I could think is we re going to drop ' disclosed Hannah Norris Norris noted she has been coming to the fair for as long as she could remember and the rides have invariably been her favorite part After riding the Vertigo on opening day she s changed her tune I just started praying Me and Liam that s my son we just start saying a prayer she continued North Carolina Department of Agriculture spokesperson Heather Overton noted the ride stopped automatically due to a low voltage fault that triggered the safety procedure stopping the ride It is a safety system she explained that performed exactly as intended The ride came to a controlled stop allowing for the safe and timely manual evacuation of all patrons At no point was anyone at danger Executives noted the riders were lowered to the ground within minutes The ride was reset and approved to start again at once Overton noted While not at liability Norris described WRAL News it was a scary experience and is something she ll never forget A spokesperson with the company that owns the ride explained anyone who was stuck can contact them for a complimentary ride Inspectors with the North Carolina Department of Labor checked nearly rides at the fair before it opened on Thursday North Carolina state law requires portable rides like those used at the fair to undergo inspection at each new location Five people were seriously injured Oct at the North Carolina State Fair when The Vortex a ride known for its wild twirls and flips started moving while people were getting off and dropped particular unsecured passengers feet onto the ride s metal floor A criminal probe ascertained that a safety mechanism designed to keep the ride from moving had been disabled The ride s operator Timothy Dwayne Tutterrow and owner Joshua Macaroni were later arrested in the occurrence