Two girls, both under 13 years old, were ejected from a Ferris Wheel ride at the Harvest Festival in New Roads, Louisiana on Saturday.
Witnesses reported to local stations that the Ferris Wheel gondola overturned around noon on November 1, ejecting both girls onto the ride’s platform.
Eddie Jones was waiting in line when he observed the incident.
“I heard a girl scream. I looked over, and the Ferris wheel car was kicked over,” he stated. “I don’t know how it got in that position, but it was stuck,” Jones stated. “Yeah, I’ll probably never get on another Ferris wheel.”
It remains unclear what caused the gondola to overturn during operation, but video posted online shows it tilted at a 90-degree angle. It’s also unclear how high the girls fell from or what their current conditions are.
Both girls were transported to the hospital, one by air and the other by ambulance, Pointe Coupée Parish Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux stated.
All rides at the festival were briefly closed for inspection by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office. All rides have since reopened except for the Ferris Wheel and a slide beside it while investigators continue their examination.
Amusement park injuries are uncommon but do occur. A 2019 study reported there were roughly 3.7 injuries per 1 million amusement park visitors in the United States.
That same report indicated 29% of injuries were soft-tissue injuries and 28% were neck and head injuries.
The noon timing on November 1 placing the incident during peak festival attendance when families with children crowd fairgrounds, with the daylight hours and holiday weekend creating maximum witness presence documenting the terrifying gondola overturn that ejected two young girls onto the ride platform.
The under-13 age designation indicating both victims were children rather than teenagers, with their youth raising particular concerns about whether height or weight restrictions were properly enforced and whether their smaller stature contributed to ejection when the gondola tilted.
The Harvest Festival setting representing typical traveling carnival environment where temporary amusement rides operate under less stringent oversight than permanent theme parks, with the mobile installations assembled and disassembled repeatedly potentially creating maintenance gaps that fixed installations avoid.
The New Roads, Louisiana location placing the incident in a small town of approximately 4,700 residents where major accidents are rare, with the community festival turned tragedy likely devastating the close-knit population where everyone knows the victims or their families.
The Ferris Wheel gondola overturning rather than simply swinging violently indicating catastrophic mechanical failure or improper latching, with the complete inversion to 90-degree angle suggesting either restraint system failure, attachment point breakage, or operator error allowing the car to rotate beyond normal operational parameters.
Eddie Jones’ eyewitness account capturing the auditory warning where a girl’s scream preceded visible evidence of the malfunction, with the witness testimony providing investigators crucial information about the incident timeline and whether passengers recognized danger before the gondola overturned.
The “kicked over” description suggesting violent sudden movement rather than gradual tilting, with the characterization implying either impact from another gondola, mechanical failure causing abrupt rotation, or centrifugal forces during wheel movement exceeding the car’s balance point.
The stuck position where the gondola remained tilted after ejecting passengers indicating the mechanical failure persisted rather than self-correcting, with the frozen angle providing investigators clear evidence of the malfunction’s nature while preventing ride operators from rotating the wheel to horizontal position that might have obscured the problem.
Jones’ declaration that he’ll “probably never get on another Ferris wheel” reflecting the psychological trauma witnesses experience, with the statement capturing how observing amusement ride accidents destroys confidence in carnival safety even for people not directly injured.
The video evidence posted online showing the 90-degree tilt providing documentation that investigators can analyze frame-by-frame, with the digital record potentially revealing mechanical details, passenger positions, and timeline information that witness memories might not accurately preserve.
The unknown fall height creating uncertainty about injury severity expectations, with Ferris wheels varying dramatically in size from small portable models rising 40 feet to massive permanent installations exceeding 200 feet, though traveling carnival wheels typically remain under 60 feet.
The undisclosed medical conditions reflecting either ongoing treatment preventing status updates, privacy protections for minor patients, or family requests for information control during the traumatic period following their daughters’ hospitalization.
The air ambulance transport for one victim indicating either critical injuries requiring immediate specialized care at distant trauma centers or remote location where ground transport times would delay treatment, with helicopter evacuation typically reserved for most serious cases.
The ground ambulance for the second victim suggesting either less severe injuries not warranting air transport or limited helicopter availability requiring prioritization between the two patients, with the transport disparity potentially indicating different fall distances or landing positions creating varied injury patterns.
Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux’s public statements providing official confirmation while maintaining investigative discretion, with law enforcement involvement indicating potential criminal charges if negligence or regulatory violations contributed to the accident.
The Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office inspection authority reflecting state-level oversight of temporary amusement rides, with the agency possessing specialized expertise in mechanical systems and safety protocols that local authorities lack.
The brief closure of all festival rides demonstrating precautionary approach where authorities assess whether the Ferris wheel incident reflects isolated failure or systematic maintenance problems affecting multiple attractions, with the comprehensive inspection protecting public safety while substantially impacting festival revenues and attendance.
The reopening of all rides except the Ferris wheel and adjacent slide indicating inspectors found other attractions mechanically sound, with the continued closure of the slide potentially reflecting either proximity concerns where failure debris damaged neighboring equipment or general precaution given the slide’s similar portable construction.
The ongoing investigation into specifically the Ferris wheel and slide suggesting either shared mechanical systems, common maintenance provider, or inspector concerns about similar failure modes, with the paired examination potentially revealing whether substandard assembly or operation affected multiple rides.
The 3.7 injuries per million visitors statistic demonstrating amusement park relative safety compared to other recreational activities, with the rate translating to approximately one injury per 270,000 guests making serious accidents statistically rare though individually devastating.
The 29% soft-tissue injury prevalence reflecting sprains, bruises, and muscle strains typical of sudden movements or falls from limited heights, with these injuries generally healing completely though causing significant pain and temporary disability.
The 28% neck and head injury rate representing more serious trauma with potential long-term consequences, with these injuries ranging from concussions to traumatic brain injuries or spinal damage that can cause permanent disability or death.
The 2019 study timing providing pre-pandemic data potentially not reflecting current conditions where deferred maintenance during COVID closures, workforce shortages affecting inspection quality, or aging equipment operating beyond intended lifespans could have elevated injury rates.
The traveling carnival safety concerns distinct from permanent theme park risks, with mobile rides experiencing assembly/disassembly stresses that stationary installations avoid while operating under less consistent regulatory oversight as equipment moves between jurisdictions with varying inspection standards.
The operator responsibility questions surrounding whether the incident stemmed from improper assembly, inadequate maintenance, operator error during ride operation, or manufacturing defects in the gondola restraint systems, with liability potentially extending to multiple parties including ride owners, festival organizers, and equipment manufacturers.
The community impact where the festival celebration intended to bring joy instead produced trauma, with the accident potentially ending the annual event if liability costs or reputation damage make organizers unwilling to continue hosting attractions that could injure children.
