What Really Happened on Vortex North Carolina State Fair October 24th 2013?

Around 9:21pm on October 24th 2013 Vortex at the North Carolina state fair was operating normally. The ride was just ending its normal cycle and was slowing to a stop. Once the ride stopped the rides restraints unlocked and riders began to exit the ride as normal. Seconds later the ride suddenly restarted.
Accident Report:
drive.google.com/file/d/1k7c_...
Sources:
abc11.com/settlement-lawsuit-...
www.wkyc.com/article/news/inv...
abc11.com/ferris-wheel-accide...
Videos used:
• Vortex - Ohio State Fa...
• Ohio State Fair 2013
• Ride operator in 2013 ...
• Vortex ride owner plea...
• Vortex at Wilson Count...
• Ohio State Fair - Vort...
• 3News Investigates: Cu...
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Music used under license from Epidemic Sound, songs listed in order:
Mission 91 - Autohacker
Swag Rider - Wave Saver
Cold War Games - Gabriel Lewis
Rise of the Velcro - Gabriel Lewis
Call Waiting - Future Joust
UNIX 82 - Ben Elson

[@WDCallahan]

The ESTOP button literally IS the panic button. How are you gonna panic too hard to hit the panic button?? :(

[@rainraven9881]

My guess is when the fight/flight/freeze response got triggered their brain landed on freeze and they went full deer in headlights. Honestly makes me wonder if the ride ops had any training beyond the minimum it takes to run a normal cycle.

[@morphman86]

This happens when your staff doesn't do drills. I'm sure most here have done fire drills and found them a bit superfluous, but when in a panic, that drill could save your life. Same goes for heavy machine operations. Drills feel superfluous, but without them, people could panic and forget what they read three years earlier that they should do.

[@jimmypatton4982]

I know when the fire alarm went off in the school I attended, nobody used the fire exit door that was right next to classroom door instead opting to walk the long distance to the main doors. Basically in fake or real emergencies we are lucky to do what is normal and use the regular stop instead of the emergency stop even if the two are right next to each other.

[@beepbop6697]

He probably figured that button didn't work because all the jumpers to override the safety systems were in place.

[@dracobengali]

@@jimmypatton4982 I was in class when a fire alarm went off and the teacher said "What is that?". A few of us said "Fire alarm" and left. Most of the rest of the class & the teacher stayed in the room. It turned out to be a false alarm because of work occuring in another area of the building and we were back in class in 5 minutes tops, but I can only imagine what would have happened had it been real.

[@gnnascarfan2410]

I work at a LEGOLAND theme park and I have literally had my hand on the E-Stop a few times the instant I see a guest doing something dangerous (In all cases the guests thankfully corrected themselves at the last second). It has literally been ingrained ("hit the E-Stop first, ask questions later.") into all of us in the park and there are no consequences if it turned out to be a false alarm.

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

@@reeseoutdoors7491 I rode many a carny ride when I was a teenager but I'm done with them these days unless they are in a permanent professionally run amusement park. I know those big theme parks still have accidents too but at least the ride ops don't look like methed out Hill Bellies involved in a competition to prove they have the least brain cells or teeth in their family. It's also a comfort to know that a multi million or multi billion company has a rather large liability if something does happen to somebody on one of their rides, unlike some fly by night upstart who my family might never see a dime out of if something happens to me. In the end a national or multi national corporation knows it's far cheaper to make sure the rides are well maintained and operated correctly then it is to pay out huge lawsuits on a regular basis. It's bad PR for them as well.

[@moppupaws]

@@ashleighelizabeth5916 i dunno. six flags ride ops arent any better in my opinion. they're all high school students who dont wanna be there. at least at my local six flags thats how it is (darien lake).

[@HeatherLandon227]

I started in Ride Ops and went into entertainment and spot at the winter parade. There's E-stops on all floats. No guest is coming in front of my float! Alot of guests do not think about safety. Edit- I work at a Cedar Fair park.

[@pxrStryker7]

@@ashleighelizabeth5916 gs

[@hollum1648]

At Disney, for this sort of ride, we had to keep our hand resting on top of the e-stop at all times when the ride was moving - seems like overkill but there were definitely times when I had to react in a split second (pro tip don’t lift your kid up in the air on Dumbo)

[@AdriElizabeth]

Another story of one man's greed hurting innocent park goers who wanted nothing more than a night of fun. You can't argue that Joshua Macaroni didn't know placing the jumper cables was wrong when he went out of his way to hide the fact that he was doing so. The forged plate also just speaks to how suspicious and nefarious this entire ordeal was.

[@Teh_Random_Canadian]

All of that, and he got 30 days for it... then almost did it again with the ferris wheel. Absolute madness this guy is allowed to operate anything involving other people

[@AdriElizabeth]

@@Teh_Random_Canadian The fact that he's even allowed to operate these machines anymore, much less profit off of them, is incredibly messed up to me. He should not be allowed near another amusement ride for as long as he lives.

[@Teh_Random_Canadian]

@@AdriElizabeth IKR. Not once, but TWICE his negligence almost killed someone..

[@thecrowds209]

Macaroni really thought that people would believe that Mr T acted alone and duped everyone, inspectors etc and himself just so he can what? Get paid minimum wage to operate this ride til it gets fixed at the next fair/carnival? The gall smfh

[@nevaehhamilton3493]

Greed is one of the seven deadly sins.

[@justherbirdy]

So much respect for Mr T. He accepted his part in the incident, apologized, and clearly regrets his actions. It's ironic that Macaroni and his company could have made the past 'go away' so much faster if he'd also accepted blame, apologized, and and promised to ensure this never happened again. That's what wins back trust, not 'it's all the fault of the people who did their best to make sure the ride was safe'.

[@GrandCorsair]

I don't know man. That's probably little comfort for the people who suffered life long physical and mental damage. It really shouldn't have happened to begin with.

[@justherbirdy]

For sure, it shouldn't have happened. But still I think 'I'm so sorry, I made a terrible mistake and will never do it again' is going to be much more acceptable to them and their loved ones than 'why are you trying to bring up the past? It wouldn't have happened if the inspectors didn't make me fix stuff!'

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

@Birdy You're completely right, people need to focus on how to improve moving forward, regardless of what happened in the past, otherwise past events are all for naught (which, of course, they couldn't be bothered to do -.- Why are people like this not only in charge, but even allowed to be in charge of their own shoes..)

[@Arlothed1no]

Mr. T was part of something that's going to cause lifelong trauma. The past can never be erased. But, as someone with PTSD, there is comfort in someone admitting they did something wrong and harmful. He paid his dues and is going to be living with that for the rest of his life.

[@flashgordon3715]

I'm sorry Mt t felt pressured.

[@foxloaf8843]

So I worked as a ride op at my state's fair this year, and the policy about e-stopping rides was basically "shoot first, ask questions later". I worked a carousel, which meant riders could undo their seatbelts with relative ease, and therefore a lot of e-stops. Yes, most people could probably sit on a carousel horse sans seatbelt and not fall, but I love that the company was so strict on safety.

[@CoasterCollege]

That's great to hear

[@basilthebat9215]

Yes, especially young children struggle with sitting still. Thanks to the quick reaction of a guy hitting the e-stop saved my sisters life from getting crushed by a moving carousel truck.

[@mothiiee]

This is good, but i have to wonder if hesitancy in this case could have saved lives, if the whole thing was flipped upside down and you stopped it, wouldn't more ppl have fallen? Obviously this wasnt the reason why he didnt estop or else he would have said that but still

[@felsiccanis]

@@mothiiee I don't know, the ride starts slow at first. Like all flat rides, it takes a little bit to reach full speed and height, so there would've been plenty of time to press the ESTOP button before the seats had been fully upside down. Unfortunately the ride operator was just too slow.

[@kamicokrolock]

That is pretty strict. I don't think I've ever ridden on a carousel that required seat belts for anyone over like five or so. Im not gonna complain though because I'm of the opinion to "better to be safe than sorry".

[@s1nnersneversleep]

the “ride was operating normally” always gives me such a feeling of DREAD

[@deeanna8448]

Right? Kind of like "it was a routine flight"

[@ritadyer9295]

I do my best to discourage my kids from rides. They just feel unsafe and there seems to be so many “accidents.”

[@JRBowling1997]

@@ritadyer9295 what about rides from theme parks?

[@samanthawright8830]

@juiceboxer100you have a pretty vehement response to someone not allowing their children to engage in behaviour that they, as a parent, think is unsafe. You don’t have much of a leg to stand on when the whole point of this video is discussing a man who cut corners and jeopardized the public’s safety STILL being allowed to operate in the same industry. That is appalling and cements my belief that travelling rides are not safe. As a lay person, I wouldn’t be able to identify whose rides were being hosted at an event or know which companies to avoid. Most people wouldn’t. We rely on the industry policing shitty people like Macaroni out so everyone can be safe. Since he is still allowed to operate, I’m going to go ahead and say I wouldn’t set foot on a ride like this either, not knowing who owned it or if they had a good safety record or a bad one.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

@@samanthawright8830 I know you mean well... BUT here we already have a couple (and probably more) channels on YT helping "out" the dubious and dangerous practitioners and bad players in the industry... It's ONLY a matter of time before websites start popping up to post charts or curate some form of simple enough rating system on Theme Parks, Mobile Attractions, Rides, and Companies for their safety, performance, and entertainment values... The industry IS getting better about internal policing, and the rides are steadily safer with every passing year. It's come a LONG way just since "Action Park" and a few other Bad Actors raised national awareness (if not International Awareness) to the "Cowboy Era" of ridden attractions needing to draw to a close... and preferably before it killed the industry. At the same time, restricting children too much is ONLY going to be to their detriment. NOBODY is ever truly safe. What are you going to do for them when they HAVE to go off to college or to find work??? You want to wrap them in bubble wrap and duck tape??? It's not going to work. Either they'll grow up to be worse cowards over-all, OR they'll get awakened to "Mommy's needless phobias"... AND you'll get exposed as a LIAR about the freakish hazards of rides, whether mobile or permanently affixed... AND I've seen the parents exposed as liars FAR more often than kids growing up to be cowards. All the best intentions, and you won't understand why your kids somehow find every reason they possibly can to stay well and truly clear of you... You can bitch about "the thanks you got"... OR you can step back and reckon with reality... Try your best, but at some point, let them have adventures and go BE KIDS... The fact is, statistically, you're still more likely to get your entire family killed just negotiating traffic than you are to be injured (let alone killed outright) in an amusement ride. That's a fact across the United States, and regardless of "Carnies" or "Theme Parks". Just something to think about while you pass your own judgments on others. ;o)

[@ZefDavenport]

Mr. T made a huge mistake, but recognized it and said he was sorry publicly. And that's something I truly respect: the person who makes a mistake, but then decides to own it instead of trying to get away. That takes a lot of courage and strenght.

[@PurpleGermanShepherd13]

Yeah after that incident, Joshua shouldn't be allowed to be active in the amusement industry. People make mistakes, sure, but in this case, that guy doesn't seem to care. Also it would be interesting to see a video on the ferris-wheel accident, as I feel like you don't hear too much about stuff happening on ferris-wheels.

[@CoasterCollege]

The ferris wheel accident is being covered in a What Really Happened Shorts video!

[@the1barbarian781]

@@CoasterCollege I’d love to see the recent Melbourne accident covered in a short where someone climbed on the tracks of a travelling coaster. Seen conflicting information The more you cover this kind of the thing the more people will learn how stupid it is to bring a phone on a ride

[@CoasterCollege]

@@the1barbarian781 I'm also looking into covering that accident

[@the1barbarian781]

@@CoasterCollege awesome. Would covering the cedar point raptor accident go against any work agreements?

[@CoasterCollege]

@@the1barbarian781 no, but I don't think me covering it will add much to the story.

[@Vice4Life]

They were seriously lucky to have avoided fatalities with this one. Great job with the research and I can't wait to see more.

[@penguinjay]

I think there was another death at our State Fair where someone had their foot hanging out of the ride, and it struck I believe the ride operator and killed him. I wonder if this guy has done a vid on that one. That is the NC State Fair, same as this one, just some other year, I can't remember I think it was back closer to 2010s or maybe before.

[@girrl88]

Joshua should have gone to jail; he knowingly bypassed the safety alert for an unfastened restraint and also had an employee do the same thing. The company not being able to respond without hostility about their past is a HUGE red flag that they still can't be trusted. And kudos to Mr T for accepting responsibility. It must be hard to live with the knowledge that you hurt those people and I get the feeling that he still thinks about it all the time. I hope he can work through that.

[@OtisCluck]

He did, for 30 days

[@hhds113]

@@OtisCluck When we say he should be in prison we mean years.

[@myyoutubeaccountgotsuspend8666]

Everybody gangsta until Joshua Macaroni breaks out the jumper wires

[@melodiechartier5173]

macaroni, WTF

[@vh5636]

I was wondering if nobody would talk about the fact that this guy is called Macaroni 😅

[@jmiller297]

@@melodiechartier5173 His life was doomed to failure with just that last name alone lolol.

[@danacato8956]

Me and my son rode the Vortex the day before the accident happened. Still praying for the people and their families who were affected by this incident.

[@tamarabrown3511]

Oh my, that would put a pit in my stomach. Glad no one lost their lives 🙏

[@alexanderkvenvolden4067]

How the freak did he only get a month in jail on a guilty verdict for clearly modifying the electronics to cheat inspection? No plea deal, just off easy. And how the freak did he get to go back to the same career afterwards? And how the FREAK did he get to go back again after a second accident? Oh, and his very cooperative and forthcoming worker got assault with a deadly weapon and left his career in disgrace. Macaroni's punishment should have been worse than Mr. T's.

[@Teh_Random_Canadian]

I know, and that sentence was after he was caught lying about it, clearly willing to throw his employee to the wolves, and showed no remorse for his actions... 30 days. Meanwhile, people have gotten years in prison for having a joint on them, absolutely insane.

[@wasperfly]

Rich white men don't get punished the same way normal people do.

[@matthewg3374]

Don’t worry, karma is beautiful, what goes around comes around

[@0Asterite0]

welcome to america

[@cashnelson2306]

Capitalism :)

[@carysgeorge2509]

The level of detail in this what really happened is incredible

[@CoasterCollege]

Thank you! I really gave this one everything I could!

[@michaeltaylor1603]

It saddens me that operators/owners would override safety features due to greed in wanting to keep the ride open. Playing Russian roulette with peoples lives is unacceptable. Ride operator took ownership of HIS role, while owner tried to throw him under the bus. Glad to see your return Coaster College. Hope you had a safe FUN 2022 season!

[@safespacebear]

Mr T seems like a man who didn't realize how in deep he was until it was too late. I'm glad he cooperated. It doesn't undo what happened but it's pretty much the only way to do something for the victims

[@Teh_Random_Canadian]

Of course, Joshua tries to throw his employee under the bus... 30 days for gross negligence almost killing people... wtf

[@brandoncole5533]

The fact that he was confident in his unauthorized adjustments to the rides and expected nothing to happen makes me wonder if those two were the only ones that were poorly maintained or tampered with I'd wager that some of his other rides have or have had unauthorized adjustments but have just never been caught

[@DeathMetalDerf]

My uncle was the owner of Martin's Shows up here in NY. That man was insanely strict about setup, teardown, and regular, active maintenance on all rides and games no matter what they were. After he bought Fantasy Island, I worked in engineering and maintenance for years, and some of the bigger and more mechanically complicated rides were inspected every few hours to ensure every single piece was in perfect working order. People like this Macaroni guy just make me sick.

[@ElToroRyan]

This is one of my favorite video series on KZbin and this was one of your best videos yet! It’s a shame such misconduct occurred with the operation of this flat ride leading to several injuries. But that was fascinating learning about it all

[@CoasterCollege]

Thanks so much Ryan! I'm glad you enjoyed this one, it took a lot of time to research and create!

[@Binkus65]

You both make such good video series that are fun to watch beetween the what really happend and the problematic coasters seris

[@Why-dj8lz]

I love both of your channels! They're my favourite thing to watch!

[@MakerBayfield]

hey if it isnt my two favorite roller coaster channels in one place

[@playername6834]

elryantoro

[@rushmgl]

Joshua Macaroni literally sounds like a name you give when you have to make up an alias off the top of your head and blurt something out

[@ahhwe-any7434]

Even agent 007 sounds better than Josh macaroni. Or just put some common name in front of bond. & watch ppl believe it. John Smith> Macroni. Kind of feel like you're just asking for it if u call yourself macaroni. But then again, I'm not gonna even bother trying to look him up. Glad I talked my youngster out of seeking thrills out of fair. Even tho other incidents happen at parks & its rarer, if u said u didn't question it even a teeny bit, ure lying!

[@nicolekirkland86]

I was still active in traveling that year. I had played several fairs that year and it was ALWAYS having some kind of issue. It sat across from me at the Ohio State Fair that year and it operated fully , maybe one day out of the 10 days of the fair. And fully, I mean where it actually went upside down and around like it's supposed to. They were ALWAYS tinkering with it and working on it. And I knew "Mr. T". He did unfortunately pass away this pass year due to complications of COVID.

[@thealmightycrisprat]

rip

[@roseofhybrids]

I really need to thank you for making these videos. I'm an anxious person, so while I was never really afraid of the idea of going on a roller coaster, I was still wary of them. But after coming across your videos, I started to develop a great interest in coasters and other amusement rides. Many probably wouldn't think watching a bunch of videos about roller coaster accidents would actually make someone WANT to go ride one for the first time. But with how you explain the stories behind each accident, why it happened, what changed in the safety industry as a result, and all the features these kinds of rides have to make them safe. Well it put me at ease knowing how these machines worked and what has been done to make them as safe as possible. I rode my first coaster this summer and can't wait from spring to come, so I can visit my local park again

[@veronicadow1407]

I’m the same way with plane crashes - I used to be really afraid of flying, until I got into plane crash documentaries and learned exactly why flying is so safe

[@madeliner1682]

The exact same thing happened to me! I like the feeling of being in roller coasters, but couldn't bring myself to get on anything that wasn't a kiddie ride until I got on anxiety meds and watched a lot of technical analyses of them park accidents

[@aquasnek5487]

Me too! Now I wanna go ride a few 😆 🤣

[@aquasnek5487]

@@veronicadow1407 this didn't happen for me. I figured out I have a phobia 😆

[@aquagirl555]

I was the same, but about elevators, until i watched an elevator documentary, and it brought up the invention of the special lock mechanism that stayed unlocked only when there was power, so if the power went off the lock mechanism would lock the elevator in place, keeping it from falling more then maybe a foot or so. the guy who invented it showed it off at a fair or convention or something, showed how'd it worked, and said to the crowd something along the lines of 'I will not step on a elevator without this safety mechanism', eventually leading it to being standard for elevators

[@zmbdog]

The fact that Joshua seems to think it's out of line to inquire about prior instances and apparently has little or no concept of why anyone might be concerned about them in relation to his new rides, leads me to think he's the kind of person who never learns a lesson. He'd probably do (or _does_ ) the same things that got him in trouble just because there's relatively small chance of him actually being caught...so screw safety! Someone who had actually learned from their mistakes would own up to them and would _want_ to address such concerns.

[@alexanderkvenvolden4067]

Jumping the relays and (inadvertently or not) disabling the safety checks should be an automatic felony, and knowingly evading inspection like that should be a separate felony!

[@princesskristan]

This is why I'm so skeptical of riding fair/carnival rides. The only ones I've ridden that turned out to be ok were a wild mouse coaster, gravatron, himalaya,, and this one smaller coaster that had some nice air time for a travel coaster

[@Lovefromwcu1]

If I'm ever looking to ride a fair ride, I'd rather go to a park or pier that has them as permanent installations (especially in NJ where regulations are very strict) because I frankly trust them more. Great Adventure and Morey's Piers have most of them available without the perceived risk of traveling versions.

[@TheTundraTerror]

I mean, it didn't have any issues for over 2 decades and the incident could have easily been avoided people followed the damn rules. There's also plenty of cases of incidents happening at actual theme parks. Not to mention how bad people are at evaluating risks considering we drive vehicles at upwards of 100km/h with nothing more than a line of paint separating them, all while filled with volatile petrol. So, despite what you think, nothing like this is going to happen in your boring life. Now pass the turkey.

[@princesskristan]

@@Lovefromwcu1 Oh for sure. Santa Monica Pier has the dragon ship ride that I love, and I would rather ride something like there or the pirate ship ride at Knotts

[@loamie]

@@Lovefromwcu1 i love morey's piers! i go there every year with my family and i know how committed they are to safety

[@Clay3613]

They're rarer than roller coaster accidents.

[@nikkimae813]

Mr T seems like a parent working hard to provide for his family and got caught up in some shady stuff because he couldn't afford to not work. At least he seems decent, helped with the investigation and accepted his wrongdoings. We all make mistakes but it takes a big person to admit, accept and apologise for them.

[@lukamagicc]

No way he ended up back in business and didn’t get a single day in jail after injuring 6. The private settlement alone should have bankrupted him, insane!

[@TheJaxDoesGames]

by far your best of the series, keep up the great work Macaroni’s company really shouldn’t be given the benefit of the doubt due to their handling of basic questions of an accident entirely caused by their owner’s negligent past i hope one day carnival rides in the us are able to be something everyone can confidently ride and feel safe on, and that won’t happen until all involved in the industry are giving the same effort to prevent tragedies like this occuring

[@laureng6412]

I actually rode this exact ride a couple days before the accident multiple times. I remember this being in the news a couple of days afterwards. It was tragic and definitely made me more cautious around rides at the state fair.

[@ilovefood333]

So glad that “what really happened” series is back. This was a great video to start off with. I don’t think Macaroni man should have been allowed to continue on in the amusement ride industry after this accident.

[@BrightBlueInk]

My mom wouldn't allow me to go on carnival rides as a kid because she believed they were unsafe. Actions like those of Macaroni absolutely harm the industry!

[@knownasredd3017]

i was there this day. and had just got off this exact ride. the group right after us was when this happened. i actually cried on this ride because it hurt so bad. we found out about this the next day.

[@michaelcarpenter2498]

That was a great and sad report. My heart goes to the victims.

[@janne6265]

My 11 and 12 year old siblings were on Vortex ride before the one that went horribly wrong. I was in a different part of the fair at that time but they were debating to ride it again before determining to go to another ride. I can't even imagine if they rode just one more time. How terrifying that must've been for those people

[@tetchuma]

I’ve been waiting for another one of these stories! I love learning the intricacies of these ride accidents!!! Keep it up!!

[@pdotjdott]

These videos keep getting better in quality! I love it, thank you for putting so much effort into this.

[@CoasterCollege]

Thank you so much!

[@RedsSCABL]

We all missed Coaster College.

[@newsuperhdgraphic]

it’s been a while

[@joshgraves789]

He’s gp to enthusiast for me

[@dindog22]

he has such a calming voice

[@SpitefulAZ]

I remember when it was stilled called GP to Enthusiast

[@SpitefulAZ]

@@joshgraves789 me too. We are the old skool fans.

[@CHUCKSCHUMACHER]

I like how you present the stories with respect and factual information. And not sensationalized to make it creepier or something. Didn't realize that was something important till I was on another amusement accident Channel and it kept having analog static glitches and funny sounds at key moments. Not only un nessisary, actually deters me from watching any others. You do these videos right and better than others I've seen. Although I believe you are friends with a couple of other coaster channels and I haven't gotten into them yet, I'm assuming they are good and professional presenters as well. Thanks again! Ride safe!

[@chaseman113]

Never trust a dude who won’t buy the correct $200 wrench for correct assembly of his $100,000 ride. Dude can’t handle buying the correct chunk of steel to torque a nut on his own equipment. Torquing a bolt will twist the bolt some, allowing your torque to change after the bolt relaxes. As well as causing metal fatigue everytime you put a twist in the bolt. Made worse it’s a traveling ride and this bolt twisting happens 10 times a year until the bolts just break from being twisted & untwisted so many times. I already don’t trust any guy who doesn’t own the $200 wrench for his $100,000 machine. Someone like that is to be wary of, what else have they disconsidered important to human lives? That Same person could be willing to disable safety systems with complete disregard to life. Great vid, love the content.

[@SycoFoxII]

Wow, I had heard bits and pieces about this incident but never a full beginning to end explanation. Great vid and glad I could contribute some footage.

[@CoasterCollege]

Thanks so much for your help!

[@litz13]

Manuals exist for a reason, as do manufacturers specifications. The deliberate alterations and bypasses (not to mention the forged plate, etc) show a deliberate willingness to put profit over safety. That's not an attitude, unfortunately, that is likely to change. It's frankly rather amazing this guy was allowed to remain in the industry, I would guess that had there been a fatality, he would have earned that ban (as well as jail time).

[@Irreve-rsible]

Thank you for making educated videos and documenting all these accidents!

[@brand-EE]

I get ridiculously excited when I see you guys have posted a new video. 🙂

[@Legacy-sw7bv]

As horrible and avoidable as this event was, it was very honorable of Mr. T to cooperate with the investigation and plead guilty. He himself worked on the ride as instructed by Joshua Macaroni, but there is something to be said about the psychology of following orders from authority. Regardless, Mr. T did the right thing after the fact, and he has significant honor as a mature human being.

[@mgloven9533]

You know it's a normal day until you hear "Around [time] on [date], [ride] was operating normally"

[@Lola-xb8sd]

I went on this ride a year before the accident, never again, I went pale when I was thrown upside down and I swear to god the guards to hold me in place felt loose, the ride ended its normal cycle and that feeling where my body shifted as I went upside down is a feeling I will never forget.

[@kw272]

The ferris wheel story reminded me of a time I went to the local county fair. There was a ferris wheel there and I thought it would be nice to go on with my mom, but as we walked by it I noticed this large pin on the ground, laying in the grass underneath it. That pin looked like it belonged to one of the joints, luckily it was a slow night and not many people were even going on the rides.

[@mgarf03_]

I really like your coverage of fair incidents, I found this one especially interesting!

[@meadow7229]

heyy, a video about my home state's fair! i didn't actually know this happened, which is unusual because i love our state fair. great video as always! glad you're still doing videos :)

[@crimewav3]

Omg this is my state fair too, I have never heard about this!!

[@setyourmindfreenow]

This was my first time hearing of the incident as well.

[@dextermorgan1]

Where do they hold the State Fair in NC?

[@crimewav3]

@@dextermorgan1 Raleigh, NC.

[@jasminemiller7485]

I remember going to the fair with my mom a few days after the incident. Police tape was still surrounding it. Needless to say, we both stopped caring about the rides from that point onward

[@CrazyMan_Engineer]

Safety system should never be bypassed. When in doubt always shut down and do proper repairs.

[@micoasters]

I’m so glad ur back making videos when I was at cedar point this summer i always thought of this channel. If you do another series of flatride of the week can you cover the paratrooper

[@07jaydog]

Never seen a video by you or ever heard of your channel but very nice video. Good quality, good sources and facts. I appreciate your video. Thank you.

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

It’s a shame carnivals and fairs get such a bad reputation because they are quite fun depending the ones you go to

[@GlutzahnLP]

Wow what a story. I have to say i did hold my breath and thought "oh no he didnt" when you startet talking about the jumper cable...

[@coasterconquistador2517]

Love your channel, every thoosie can benefit from your content. What really happened is easily one of the best made series on KZbin without a doubt. The only thing better than coaster college is rolling blocks and pivoting wheel assemblies.

[@RGL.]

I also noticed something with the KMG freakout owned by Primetime. The ride was still being set up on opening day of the Georgia State Fair and when they had finished setting it up the ride was opened. I thought that was a little weird because they had only ran 1 test run and the ride was still being set up earlier. And 1 of the operators was standing on the platform inside of the fences when the ride was in motion

[@simpinainteasyRHEC]

Amazingly done! Thanks for this!

[@KingKidKobra_]

Really great and informational video, thanks for making some more flat ride content!

[@CoasterCollege]

Thanks for watching!

[@KingKidKobra_]

@@CoasterCollege No problem!

[@OneAdam12Adam]

Thank you for your detailed description of all of these accidents. This is what makes KZbin such a valuable resource. Since we can't count on our corporate news media outlets on television to do their jobs, we citizens have to take matters into our own hands.

[@piratecaribou4337]

Happy to see you back

[@kimberlycolezemke2290]

My family was on this ride a week before the accident. I got chills watching this video.

[@Zachford111V2]

And this is why I’m skeptical and don’t go to fairs, fair rides need more regulations, and Josh shouldn’t even be allowed to continue to own an amusement company, definitely red flags.

[@TxBrennick]

Great video! Also, really liked the song at the end.

[@kimberlycolezemke2290]

Very well made video. Very informative and unbiased. You Sir are a REAL JOURNALIST!! You did your research and gave the incidences mentioned due diligence. Thank you for this video. God bless you.

[@themeparkeren]

I love this channel! Keep up the great series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@trilliamc5185]

This was a great video with lots of detailed information 👍🏼👍🏼🔥

[@kaylawhipple7570]

That was insightful. I can understand it taking a while. Fairs and carnivals aren't really a thing where I am so this is a little peak into something I don't know about. I find it a sign that you care about your videos when you visit a suspicious place just to see how shady it looks.

[@CoasterCollege]

I won't lie, it was also to have fun lol. But thanks for understanding, I do try to give these WRH videos everything I can, sometimes that takes a while.

[@Art__E]

joshua is a monster, he caused this but then tried to push the blame onto mr T. messed up

[@melodiechartier5173]

A pasta monster...

[@SinisterG-Man98]

I live in North Carolina and was there one of the craziest things I’ve seen.

[@omachao6856]

I know very little about rollercoasters, but all this information is so interesting I try to listen anyway!

[@handstand2000]

Really good video, homie! Keep up the good work!

[@meganhobbs9383]

This was the only year we didn't go to the state fair. I'm not scared of rides but this hit a little close to home. Made me think this could have been me.

[@sunnied2552]

So cool how much goes into this stuff!

[@ryebread9299]

I live in raleigh so I grew up with this state fair I remember this in the news. So scary

[@darkninjafirefox]

We still talk about this whenever the fair comes back to town, to this day. It's such a shame that people got hurt so badly. Accidents happen, but that's why we have such regulations

[@deeanna8448]

Of course the guy at the top denies responsibility, had basically no repercussions, and shows no remorse.

[@felipecardoza9967]

When up to 32 lives are in your hands, don't let your boss tell you, "go ahead." Chances are, he'll throw you under the bus to try to save his own ass.

[@ianovenden984]

A lil something I learned in the construction industry is that if they take shortcuts and ignore safety policies once they’ll absolutely do it again. U don’t just stop randomly especially when even if u get charged for nearly killing three people the punishment is just a couple years of probation and some fines. I used to live in the apts directly across from the fairgrounds in NC where this happened and would see the ride companies come and set their rides up ahead of time and the amount of mechanical and electrical engineers involved with the process was usually 0 until the inspectors failed something and they had to show. It’s just scary that not just this one but so many of these companies treat safety as merely another expense that they can reduce rather than a priority (save for the biggest of commercial carnival companies where there is a lot more oversight and internal auditing)

[@SweetLilWren]

Good on you for taking that extra step and going to see for yourself very very impressed

[@CoasterCollege]

Thank you!

[@janmcguire5268]

Good report…thank you!

[@tommytube6]

I'm quite shocked... As a German, I'm often surprised of the hard sentences in the US... So I looked forward that he would stay in Prison for many years, when somone has this kind of criminal energy...

[@sassyhello]

People usually only get a harsh sentence if they are poor. The courts are especially lenient for business owners. It’s a travesty.

[@Suburbansanity]

damn, you really did a good job with this one!

[@CoasterCollege]

Thank you!

[@ajp9009]

Great video! Loved the research and the insight. My only slight critique would be, towards the end of the video you do reveal "Mr T's" identity. Keep up the great work!

[@justdeidra13]

Here's why it's tricky if you ask what vendor the rides come from the staff at the fair might not even know if the ride vendor has a bad safety record!

[@insertgoodchannelnamehere]

We need to have a law that bans people who practice willful negligence in the amusement industry from operating or running amusement rides, in the same way people can be banned from trading securities or from holding office in a public company.

[@SweetestHoney86]

I was at the state fair the day after that and I remember seeing The Vortex. It was eerie knowing I may have ridden it.

[@coasterlover2484]

A 17-minute ‘What Really Happened’? Nice.

[@sirrides-a-lot7153]

PrimeTime started playing the Darke County Fair in 2018 and that was basically their way into doing fairs in Ohio. They took that fair over from Kissel Bros who had played it since 1982. Then 2019 they had some rides booked in by Talley at the state fair

[@davidslaton]

What a fascinating video, great job!

[@Mandy7D7]

This man must have some incredible money coming in. To go through a long trial or anything requiring an attorney is so expensive. Plus 5 seriously injured people needing reimbursement. I don't understand how he could afford to buy more rides. ??

[@CoasterCollege]

His family also works in the industry

[@whereintheworldisCarmen]

4:47 😂 I wasn’t expecting that lol, I like your impression

[@BASKETBALLJEZUS]

Is Mister Macaroni's favorite dish Mac n cheese 🤣

[@Apocketfullofbs]

Lol

[@shaneoleary9919]

My prayers are with family

[@marktrenfield]

Hey, I’m in this video at 11:54 ! In the grey near the centre of the screen watching the ride.

[@Decembirth]

Hearing how meticulous the inspectors were - impressed me!

[@fvckfascists]

24 months of probation???? That is ridiculous

[@theswannboxx9161]

Great video as usual, just a sidenote at circa 11:30 you haven't censored name of Mr. T in one of the segments of text. Love the vids

[@CoasterCollege]

A fix is being pushed through the KZbin editor now, thanks!

[@sirrides-a-lot7153]

Yeah PrimeTime plays several fairs in Ohio and they have had rides at the state fair the past couple times. I remember last year their KMG Experience was down the whole year and their Ring of Fire wasn't running most of the year either AND their Spin Out was running sporadically at certain spots. They no longer bring the Experience out....I remember in 2019 after every cycle I'd see the ride op climb a small ladder and poke at the fuse box with a screwdriver. Not sure if he was flipping a breaker or what. Also their Hurricane wasn't bouncing last year either. But it seems as if PT has bounced back, as they refurbished their Ring of Fire, fixed the Hurricane, got a new Freak Out, and had the platform on their Sea Ray replaced.