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Two young girls were hospitalized after being thrown out of a Ferris wheel during a Louisiana festival on Saturday, according to reports and authorities.
The pair tumbled out of a revolving bucket they were inside on the ride at the Harvest Festival on False River in New Roads around noon after it unexpectedly tipped over, horrified witnesses told WRBZ.
The girls, both under 13 years old, were rushed to the hospital after the harrowing incident, with one of them being airlifted to a medical facility, Pointe Coupée Parish Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux told the outlet.
Terrifying photos captured one of the girls being rescued while appearing to still be lodged in part of the ride.
“It caught on to the wires, and then it tilted over, and the two girls fell out,” witness Madison Fields told the outlet.
“I heard like a body, just like something falling, I heard a loud boom,” Fields said. “It was two girls, and one of the girls fell on her face, and she was really damaged.”
The experience left Fields shaken.
“It was sad and upsetting, like, because, what if that could have been me?” she said.
The witness also expressed safety concerns over the Ferris wheel ride, noting the buckets did not have seatbelts.
“I feel like it should be seatbelts on there, because, mind you, it’s just a gate on there, like somebody can easily fall out, a child can easily just open the gate and then step out,” Fields said.
The condition of the girls is not immediately known.
“Injuries are unknown right now, so our hearts go out to the families and our prayers,” Thibodeaux said.
After inspections, most rides at the fair were cleared to reopen, except the Ferris wheel, the outlet reported.
The festival to support the local agriculture-based community in New Roads ran from Friday to Sunday.
The Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal is actively investigating the incident.
