Bruce Lamm/Twitter The scene at the Ohio State Fair after the ride 'Fire Ball' broke.
Police have released the names and ages of the eight victims of the ride accident at the Ohio State Fair that left one dead, two in critical condition and five others hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
The accident occurred after a malfunction on the “Fire Ball” at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus caused the ride to break apart. A horrifying video shows the moment one of the cars disconnects from the ride and is sent flying through the air, crashing into the crowd as terrified onlookers watch. The teen killed in the accident was thrown from the ride and died on impact, the Columbus Dispatch reports. The cause of the malfunction, which occurred about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, has not been determined.
The deceased victim has been identified as Tyler Jarrell, an 18-year-old recent high school graduate from Columbus who joined the Marines on Saturday, just days before his tragic death. You can read more about Jarrell here.
FacebookTyler Jarrell.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol, which is continuing to investigate the accident, released the names of the seven other victims on Thursday:
- Tamika Dunlap, 36, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio
- Russell Franks, 42, of Columbus, Ohio
- Keziah Lewis, 19, of Columbus, Ohio
- Jacob Andrews, 22, of Pataskala, Ohio
- Jennifer Lambert, 18, of Columbus, Ohio
- Abdihakim Hussein, 19, of Columbus, Ohio
- A 14-year-old male whose name is being withheld at the request of his family.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Lewis is in critical condition and was Jarrell’s girlfriend.
“She kept asking for her boyfriend,” Clarrisa Williams told the newspaper. “I had to tell her he was the one who was deceased.”
Williams told the newspaper her daughter does not remember anything from the crash. She fell from the car and suffered pelvis, ankle and rib injuries. Lewis underwent surgeries Wednesday night and Thursday morning and has a third operation scheduled for Friday.
Keziah Lewis, of Columbus, Ohio, was among the injured in the Ohio State Fair ride accident. Her boyfriend was killed.
Lewis and Jarrell met two years ago while they were working at McDonald’s together, Williams told the Dispatch. Lewis recently completed her sophomore year at the University of Cincinnati.
Lambert is also in critical condition, according to the Dispatch. Two other victims also remain hospitalized.
