Two young girls were hospitalized after being thrown from a Ferris wheel during the Harvest Festival in New Roads, Louisiana, according to the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Rene’ Thibodeaux said the accident happened on Saturday, Nov. 1, while the girls were on the ride. Reports from WAFB, Louisiana First News, and Fox 10 News stated that one of the victims was airlifted to a Baton Rouge hospital, though officials have not yet released details about their conditions.
Following the incident, Thibodeaux confirmed that all rides at the festival were temporarily shut down for safety inspections by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office. The Ferris wheel and an adjacent slide ride remain closed as the investigation continues, according to WAFB.
The Harvest Festival organizers have not issued a public comment regarding the event.
Held annually from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, the Harvest Festival is promoted as a “fun-filled family event” on Main Street in New Roads. The festival’s website describes it as featuring “delicious food and exciting rides,” with proceeds benefiting the local agriculture-based community.
Witness Eddie Jones said he was moments away from boarding the Ferris wheel when the accident occurred. “We were in line to buy tickets to the Ferris wheel, and I heard a girl scream,” Jones told WAFB. He added that he saw the two girls lying on the steel platform below, appearing injured. “I looked over, and the Ferris wheel car was kicked over. I don’t know how it got in that position, but it was stuck,” he recalled.
“Yeah, I’ll probably never get on another Ferris wheel,” he continued. “It should not have stuck like that — they had a major malfunction. Someone didn’t do something right, that’s for sure.”
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Another festivalgoer, Ronald Brasseaux, told WAFB that he rode the Ferris wheel the night before and also felt uneasy. “It was cracking, like they need to take this down,” he said. “When the Ferris wheel goes, the [carts] are supposed to swing with it, but it got stuck, and as it was going around, it was just like stuck at an angle when they flipped out of it.”
