Ferris wheel fall: One girl in ICU among 3 injured in Tennessee accident

One of three girls injured in a fall from a Ferris wheel at the Greene County Fair in Greeneville, Tenn., on Monday night remained in the intensive care unit of a local hospital, authorities said Tuesday.

During a Tuesday morning news conference at the fairgrounds, Greeneville Police Department Capt. Tim Davis apologized for incorrectly stating earlier that all three children were alert and conscious.

All three girls remained hospitalized, two of whom were alert and conscious, he said Tuesday.

The third victim suffered a head injury and has been intubated, Davis said.

The girls were injured when one of the Ferris wheel’s baskets overturned and dumped all three children out. The girls fells 35 to 45 feet, Davis said.

Two of the children were transported by helicopter, and the third, via ambulance, to the Johnson City Medical Center.

The oldest of the three girls is 16.

All mechanical rides at the Greene County Fair have been shut down and will remain closed pending inspections.

An inspector contracted by the fair was at the site. Family Attractions Amusement Co., which operates about 20 rides at the fair, has contracted another third-party inspector who was not yet on site, according to Davis.

“They will inspect every ride at the fairgrounds,” he said.