An accident on the “Vortex” ride at the North Carolina State Fair on Thursday night has left five fairgoers injured.
Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said in a news conference that, while the ride’s operator was getting riders off of the ride, the “Vortex” suddenly restarted, and a total of five people were injured, according to CNN. The ages of the injured riders ranged from 14 to 39, and the ride operator was one of them.
Local station WRAL reports that Harrison also added that a few of the injured riders appeared to have been a family riding the “Vortex” together, but he could not divulge their relationship.
Witnesses at the scene were interviewed Thursday night to try and give authorities a better idea of what caused the accident.
"The ride had stopped, and they were fixing to offload when the ride started off again, but that is preliminary," Harrison said in his statement. "It is going to take quite a while to talk to all these people."
All five of the injured were taken by ambulances to WakeMed in Raleigh for treatment, reports the Washington Post. Two of the injured are reportedly in serious condition, though there is no further information about their injuries.
Two of the injured have, however, already been released from the hospital, according to WRAL.
The North Carolina Department of Labor will be conducting an investigation into what caused the ride to restart and injure the five people. The fair’s rides are generally inspected three times a day for safety concerns.
The fair will reopen Friday as planned, but the “Vortex” will remain closed.