The "Gravitron" ride will be running as planned at the Eastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot, which begins this weekend, the owner of the carnival company offering the ride says.
Federal regulators have urged shutdowns and inspections of Gravitron rides like the one that fell apart at the Missouri State Fair and injured seven children Aug. 20.However, George Butler, owner of Butler Amusements of San Jose, Calif., said the ride has been inspected as federal regulators have asked and will be operating at the fair as planned.
The barrel-shaped Gravitron, manufactured by Wisdom Manufacturing of Colorado, is made up of vertical panels. Riders enter the circle and stand against backboards on tracks.
As the Gravitron spins, the centrifugal force raises the riders on the backboards. In the accident at the Missouri State Fair, one of the panels broke loose at the bottom, throwing three riders out and injuring other people inside and outside the ride with debris.
The nationwide notice, issued Thursday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, did not contain a ruling by the commission on the cause of the Aug. 20 accident in Sedalia.