GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Three girls were injured after they fell from a Ferris wheel at the Greene County Fair.
Around 6:15 p.m. ET Monday, one of the Ferris wheel's baskets overturned and dumped the three children out, Greeneville police captain Tim Davis said. The children fell 35 to 45 feet.
“We treat it like a crime scene until we determine there’s no foul play,” Davis said. “We don’t know at this time what caused the accident.”
Two of the children were transported by helicopter, and the third, via ambulance, to Johnson City Medical Center, he said. All three children were awake, alert and coherently answering questions Monday night at the hospital.
The oldest of the three children is 16.
The mechanical rides at Greene County Fair have been shut down and will remain closed until an independent inspection confirms the rides are safe, Davis said. The food vendors and smaller games will be allowed to stay open.
The fair had its opening day Monday and is scheduled to continue through Saturday.
The company that runs the midway will have 24 hours to file a report with state regulators and have a third-party safety inspection, Davis said.
The president of the Greene County Fair board will release a statement Tuesday morning on the accident, which remains under investigation.
