State fair officials work to reassure visitors about safety

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COLUMBUS (AP) — State officials are working to reassure visitors the Ohio State Fair will be safe a year after a catastrophic ride failure left an 18-year-old dead and seven others injured.

Yet The Columbus Dispatch reports little has changed since last year. Amusements of America is still the ride vendor and Ohio still employs eight inspectors for 3,700 rides statewide.

A spokesman says Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich has urged the Ohio Department of Agriculture to improve safety, but a tougher inspection law requiring changes has languished.

“Tyler’s Law” is named for Tyler Jarrell, who died July 26, 2017, when the Fire Ball ride broke apart, flinging a four-passenger carriage into the air.

The Agriculture Department says inspectors will do more this year, including daily spot-checks and supplemental inspections.

Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com

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