RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A worker dismantling a ride at the North Carolina State Fair was injured Monday, four days after five people were injured on a similar ride, officials said.
The 35-year-old worker was dismantling the older of the fair's two Vortex rides when a seating section fell and injured his leg, NBC News reported. He was being treated at WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh.
Five people were injured on the fair's newer Vortex ride Thursday after their safety harnesses released prematurely. Three people remain hospitalized, The (Raleigh) News & Observer reported Monday.
A North Carolina judge Monday refused to reduce bail for the fair employee charged with injuring those five people by tampering with the ride.
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Wake County District Judge Keith Gregory refused to lower the $225,000 bond for Timothy Tutterrow, 46, of Quitman, Ga., who is accused of altering safety systems on the Vortex.
District Attorney Colon Willoughby Jr. said in court the investigation into the incident was incomplete and asked the judge to let the bond stand. Outside court, Willoughby said he did not know if additional charges would be brought against Tutterrow, a four-year employee of Family Attractions Amusement Co. of Valdosta, Ga.
North Carolina's State Fair is often cited as among the safest in the nation, with rigorous health and safety inspections.
Three days before the accident, state inspectors found the Vortex was disabled by a malfunctioning solenoid, an electrical device that shuts the ride off when restraints are not properly engaged. Labor officials said the solenoid was replaced and the ride reinspected, the newspaper reported.
Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison told reporters the ride appeared to have been tampered with after its final inspection Thursday "to keep that ride operating," adding, "That's all I'm going to say about that."
