By DOUG GRAVES

Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — More than six months after one of the most catastrophic carnival ride accidents in Ohio history, a state advisory board has agreed to form a new committee to review the amusement ride inspection process.

This is an effort to improve the public’s perceptions about ride safety after a deadly accident last summer at the Ohio State Fair.

“The Ohio Advisory Board on Amusement Ride Safety met last month and recommended the creation of this committee, which will include ride-industry officials and will talk about the inspection process and ways to restore public perception of the ride industry,” said Mark Bruce, Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) communications director.

On July 26, a rusting thrill ride called the Fire Ball broke into pieces, killing an 18-year-old man and injuring seven others, some critically. Ride operators who were in attendance at this meeting described the accident as a “black eye” for the industry.

“It was at first mentioned to look into the Fire Ball, but then it was sort of changed to talk about the ODA inspection process and the public perception of the industry,” Bruce explained.

The decision was an abrupt turnaround from the board’s previous meeting in October 2017, when it appeared that anything relating to the Fire Ball tragedy or a review of ride safety was off limits. ODA Board Chair John Schlichter, a deputy director at ODA, opened the meeting by saying that potential litigation and a pending departmental review prevented any discussion of the Fire Ball.

Rex Elliott, an attorney for Keziah Lewis, 19, a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati who was thrown from the ride and severely injured, was critical of the process.

“The people of Ohio should be shocked that an agency responsible for monitoring the safety of our children concluded that this ride was safety-compliant,” he said. “We believe the evidence of a cracked and severely corroding high-speed ride demonstrates a very different conclusion that should have been detected before clearing this ride.”

Photos taken just before the accident clearly show an arm of the Fire Ball with a large side-to-side crack at the exact point where it failed.

The ODA inspection was reviewed for potential criminal recklessness by the State Highway Patrol, which had copies of these photos. That investigation resulted in no charges.

Several members of the advisory board volunteered to sit on the new panel, but ODA Director David Daniels will select its members. ODA, which is responsible for ride inspections, released its departmental review in December. It found that allowing a ride to rust to the point of breaking into pieces, killing or injuring riders, broke no laws in Ohio.

“The Amusement Ride Safety Division is not recommending taking any proposed administrative action against (ride owner) Amusements of America at this time,” Chief Inspector Michael Vartorella said in a released statement. “As indicated by the issuance of the permit, the Fire Ball was in compliance with requirements of Ohio law at the time of the inspection.”

Dutch manufacturer KMG said the cause was excessive corrosion of a support beam. Lawsuits filed by accident victims are pending.

Bill Prowant, vice chair of the advisory board, suggested at the meeting that a new committee review the negative perception surrounding amusement rides. “The (fair) season is approaching very fast,” he said. “Right now, we’ve got issues.”

In Ohio one can enjoy an amusement ride at hundreds of parks, carnivals, festivals, county fairs and the state fair. Thousands of rides each year in the state must undergo a thorough check by a state inspector.

New state inspectors must undergo a minimum of one year training before going out on their own. All rides, officials say, are inspected by more than one person.