Two girls were rushed to the hospital after falling from a Ferris wheel at a Louisiana Harvest Festival on Friday, authorities said.
Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff René Thibodeaux told Fox News Digital that he received a call around noon on Saturday, Nov. 1, from his chief deputy reporting that three girls had been riding the Ferris wheel at the festival in New Roads, Louisiana, when two of them were thrown off the amusement park ride. He said that the pair fell approximately 15 to 20 feet to the ground.
“The third girl was hanging onto the Ferris wheel,” Thibodeaux said, adding that several spectators ran over to help and were able to safely catch her.
First responders treated the victims at the scene before they were airlifted to Baton Rouge Children’s Hospital with what Thibodeaux described as “moderate to severe injuries.” One girl has since been released, while the other remains hospitalized.
“Thank the good Lord that they will both recover,” Thibodeaux said.
Witnesses described a terrifying scene as the ride appeared to malfunction.
“I’ll probably never get on another Ferris wheel,” one witness said. “I looked over and the Ferris wheel — the car was kinked over. I don’t know how it got stuck like that. They had a major malfunction. Someone didn’t do something right, that’s for sure.”
Another witness said he noticed something was wrong moments before the fall.
“It was bad — it wasn’t supposed to be cracking like that,” he said. “They need to take this down. When the Ferris wheel goes, the cars are supposed to swing with it, but it got stuck. And as it was going around, it was just stuck at an angle.”
Authorities have not yet released details on what caused the ride to malfunction. The incident remains under investigation.
