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Arapahoe County Fair pulls down ride after deadly Ohio accident

Posted at 6:39 PM, Jul 27, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-28 08:59:07-04

DENVER – The Arapahoe County Fair kicked off Thursday, but one ride was sitting still as others came to life.

Fair organizers decided to shut down "Freak Out," a thrill ride similar to the Fire Ball ride at the Ohio County Fair that left at least one person dead and seven others injured on Thursday. 

Shannon Carter, director of Arapahoe County Open Spaces, said the ride was dismantled early Friday morning "out of an abundance of caution and out of respect for the victims" in Ohio. 

Earlier Thursday, a state inspector performed tests on the Freak Out ride, and said the ride passed those tests.

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Carter said they will be doing a longer safety checklist, usually done once a month, every day on every ride, just to be safe following the tragic accident.

Meanwhile, families said the Ohio accident was on their mind, especially when the saw the ride that had been shut down.

"It’s kind of eerie and weird," said Traci Akin, who was watching her two children on the other rides. "I know that it’s not the same ride, but the fact that they closed it because of that just feels kind of weird."

She said she did feel "a little more nervous," but that she would not let "a freak accident" keep her family from having fun.

If you would like to know how you can check if a carnival ride at your local fair has been inspected, you can check the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's Division of Oil and Public Safety website to learn more.