Insets: Riders on the spinning swing ride that Georgia cops say two teens caused to malfunction (WRDW/Kristen Murphy/YouTube). Background: The Columbia County Fall Fair in Georgia, where two 13-year-olds allegedly caused a ride to malfunction, leading to three people being injured (WRDW/YouTube).
Georgia cops say two 13-year-olds caused a terrifying incident on a county fair swing ride that left several injured, including two kids, after the teens ignored warnings not to grab each other while the ride was moving. The move allegedly led to "pure chaos" as riders were flung around and slammed into each other.
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office told local CBS affiliates WRDW and WKRC that the 13-year-olds were warned before the ride started moving not to grab each other or twist their seats together, but they did anyway, the outlets report. Both teens face criminal charges.
Viral cellphone video posted on YouTube and social media by popular accounts like WorldstarHipHop shows the swing ride at the Columbia County Fall Fair in Grovetown spinning out of control while people panic.
Kristen Murphy, a mother who had two kids on the ride, told WRDW it "looked like pure chaos" and she feared the ride "was going to fly apart" in front of her eyes. "I don't know if I'll ever go back to another fair," Murphy said.
"These rides are taken up and down all the time," she told WRDW. "You let your kids talk you into it, you think it's a good idea. Then next thing you know this is what happens."
WRDW reporter Meredith Anderson wrote on Facebook Saturday that a woman was "hurt as swings slammed together" and left the fairgrounds in an ambulance. The outlet later reported that she remained hospitalized.
At least two children were reportedly injured.
Footage shared by Murphy shows the spinning swing ride, which sends riders around in a circle, slowing down as two people in separate suspended swings appear to cling to one another, according to WRDW. The ride appeared to become unstable as the swings were moving around the central structure, the outlet reports.
A sheriff's office spokesperson told WRDW that investigators believe the teens intentionally caused the ride to go out of control. Their parents were given paperwork outlining the charges and the pair were released into their parents' custody.
Authorities have not provided further details about the allegations. WKRC reports that the teens were charged with unruly conduct.
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