Police are trying to figure out how a Ferris wheel in Liberty Park malfunctioned Monday night and apparently tossed a 5-year-old girl off the ride.
The unidentified girl was taken to Primary Children's Medical Center treated for injuries on her face and released, Salt Lake Police Lt. Terry Fritz said.
About 7:10 p.m. the girl was sitting in a carriage next to her 15-year-old sister when the carriage's footrest apparently caught onto the loading platform. That caused the carriage to begin rocking, possibly flipping all the way around, Fritz said.
The motion caused the girl to either slip out under the carriage's restraining bar or it threw her from the carriage. She fell eight feet and landed on her face, Fritz said.
The Ferris wheel, which has eight carriages, is run by a private company that sells tickets in the park. An operator was attending the ride when the accident happened. He is being interviewed by police. "He's definitely upset," Fritz said.