NORWALK, Conn., Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A swing ride stopped abruptly at a festival in Connecticut Sunday, sending riders slamming into each other and leaving 18 with minor injuries, authorities said.
Police said 12 children and one adult injured on the ride at the Norwalk Oyster Festival were taken to hospitals for treatment and five other riders declined treatment at the scene, The Hartford Courant reported.
Police said an apparent "internal mechanical failure" interrupted the ride's circular motion, causing the riders to collide with each other as they swung back and forth until it came to a halt.
"A lot of kids were screaming," witness David Barker told the newspaper.
The festival host, the Norwalk Seaport Association, said in a statement posted on its Facebook page that state police authorized the ride operator, Stewart Amusement Co., to reopen other rides for the remainder of the evening but had taken custody of the swing ride. The company reinspected the other rides, the association said.
The Courant said a Stewart Amusement representative could not be reached for comment.
