Carnival Ride Collapses

Image from source, AOL News

I've been out of the amusement industry for 11 years, and my heart still jumped a little on this one. This was my previous vocation, an area I was immersed in for 8 years. I worked as a ride operator, maintenance and operations manual writer, safety consultant, project manager--even a safety inspector "spy." It's still in my blood.

So there is a big "oh no" moment every time something like this happens. It is important for me to relay that the amusement industry is--by relative standards--extremely safe. I'm not in it anymore, but it isn't the kind of attitude that regresses. . .these types of rules and standards get stronger over time. And at the time I was in the industry, amusement rides were statistically safer than air travel. Think of it: millions upon millions of visitors attend amusement parks all over the country every season--not to mention the number that go to fairs and carnivals. Now think of how often you see a story like this. . .couple of times a year?

So while I sympathize and empathize with the people who were injured, it is important to keep it in perspective.

[Excerpt]

Carnival Ride Collapses, Injuring Dozens

State accident investigators were trying to determine what caused a Calaveras County Fair carnival ride to collapse and injure all 24 people on board.

The ride, called the Yo-Yo, collapsed shortly after 6 p.m. Friday at the fair, which features the famous Jumping Frog Jubilee. The event is held just outside the Gold Rush-era town of Angels Camp in the Sierra Nevada foothills. . .

Read more (with video) at: AOL News