Ohio State Fair Ride Mishap Leaves 1 Dead, 3 Critically Hurt

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COLUMBUS, OH (CBSMiami) - One person was killed and several others injured when a high flying ride at the Ohio State Fair malfunctioned.

Cell phone video shows the moment a seat gondola on the "Fire Ball" ride crash into something on the ground.The gondola broke apart from the ride, throwing it and the people seated in it into the air.

"I heard a girl scream help and look over and seen someone fly out and then I seen it slap to the ground," said Jennifer Body.

"It's hard to imagine that you have family that goes to the state fair and those calls come that there was a terrible accident a terrible tragedy," said Governor John Kasich.

Inspectors from the Ohio Department of Agriculture insisted the ride was thoroughly looked over three or four times before it was opened, even once by a third party. They're now trying to figure out what may have been missed.

"There's no guarantee, obviously mechanical or structural damage could be done where you can't see it metal fatigue sometimes, there's different things that are not visual to the human eye," said Michael Vartorella, an inspector with the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture.

"Ride inspection is one of the most important things we do. We will begin an investigation on this to determine what the failure was, if an,y and how this accident occurred," said David Daniel with the Dept. of Agriculture.

Governor Kasich has called for all rides at the fair to remain closed until a new round of inspections can be completed.

Three of the seven people injured are in critical condition. Rides similar to the Fire Ball are being shut down at some events across the country.