5 injured at NC State fair

When the N.C. State Fair closed its gates for the final time this year Sunday night, a cloud had been cast over the light-heartedness of fair games and fried food.

Five people had been injured in an accident involving the Vortex ride on Thursday night. And on Saturday, ride operator Timothy Dwayne Tutterrow, 46, of Quitman, Ga., was arrested and charged with three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon that inflicted serious bodily injury.

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said at a news conference that an inspection found the ride had been tampered with and critical safety devices were compromised.

“The question I know is going to be asked: ‘Will there be other arrests?’ And the answer is yes, probably will be,” he said.

Two victims have been released from WakeMed hospitals in Raleigh, but three remain hospitalized, a statement from the fair said — Anthony Gorham, 29; Kisha Gorham, 39; and a 14-year-old youth.

WakeMed is not releasing the conditions of the victims.

When the accident occurred, operators were beginning to unload fairgoers when the ride suddenly started again.

Earlier last week, State Fair safety officials received a complaint about the safety latch on the seats of the Vortex, Harrison said at a news conference on Friday. The ride was inspected, and it was confirmed that the ride was secure.

The Vortex is owned by an independent ride contractor that employed Tutterrow. That is the only ride the company has at the fair.

Gov. Pat McCrory released a statement Friday, saying that he has full confidence in Harrison’s ability to investigate the accident.

“The state stands ready to assist in any way we can to help those impacted and ensure the safety of our citizens and fairgoers,” the statement read.

The last serious accident at the State Fair happened in 2002, when a ride worker was killed after being struck by the legs of a passenger on a pendulum-type ride.

Cherie Berry, N.C. commissioner of labor, said on Friday that the State Fair rides are inspected three times a day, and operators spent two-and-a-half weeks checking the rides prior to the fair’s opening.

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation with the N.C. Department of Labor, the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and fair officials.

Blake Messerly, a UNC sophomore, was at the State Fair when the accident occurred — but he wasn’t in the area of the Vortex and didn’t hear the news until he got home. He said he didn’t ride any rides that night, but if he had, he would have wanted to ride the Vortex.

“I think it’s just kind of one of those freak accidents — if something happens with an airplane, that won’t keep me from flying,” he said.

Senior Will Bennett went to the fair on Saturday and said the news of the Vortex’s accident did not deter him from enjoying rides like bumper cars and the Ferris wheel.

“I love the fair, and accidents are usually isolated and few and far between.”

Senior writer Lucinda Shen contributed reporting.

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