Teens charged after holding on to each other on fair swing ride
Deputies say two 13-year-olds were warned before the incident that caused a woman and two children to be treated at a Georgia fair.
By Marco Whitaker ·
County fairs rely on simple rules to keep thousands of visitors safe. This weekend in Grovetown, Georgia, two teenagers broke that rule and caused a ride to swing wildly.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office charged the two 13-year-olds with intentionally causing the ride to go out of control. A spokesperson said the teens were told not to grab each other while the ride was moving. Video from the scene shows the swings becoming unstable as the ride slowed down.
Kristen Murphy filmed the incident while her children were aboard. Her video captures two riders in separate swings holding onto one another. When several swings collided, one woman was injured and left the fairgrounds in an ambulance. Two children received treatment for minor injuries.
Murphy said she rushed toward the ride as it was still in motion. “This ride has to stop,” she said. “My kids are on it. Something’s happening. I need to get to them.” She added that other parents ran to the control panel to help her husband slow the ride down.
After the ride stopped, Murphy reached her children and noticed their injuries. The sheriff’s office confirmed the teens received paperwork describing their charges. Both were allowed to leave the fair with their parents.
