Incident at the State Fair 2017

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State Fair opens Wednesday and, according to the fair’s website, there will be more than 60 rides.

In 2017, an attraction malfunction resulted in one person dying and several others being injured.

Seven years later, Keziah Lewis is still on the road to recovery.

“She had to put her entire life on hold while she was in the hospital. She was in a wheelchair, she couldn’t walk. She had had a dozen surgeries and still had more to come,” said Sean Alto, Lewis’s attorney and partner at Cooper Elliot.

Alto has been fighting for years not only to hold the attraction’s manufacturer financially accountable, but also to prevent similar accidents in the future.

“Find out who is responsible. Which companies, which people can be held liable for the events at the trade fair, who ultimately overlooked what,” said Lewis.

Lewis’ pain goes beyond her injuries.

Her boyfriend Tyler Jarrell was killed in the 2017 incident.

Two years later, Governor Mike Dewine signed Tyler’s Law, a law designed to tighten regulations for ride inspections and ultimately ensure the safety of riders.

While Alto said the law is a step in the right direction, he believes other states should follow suit.

“Common sense laws across the country to protect amusement park visitors ensure that the decision whether to ride a ride is not a life or death decision,” Alto said.

A court in New Jersey has ordered KMG, the manufacturer of the ride, to pay Lewis $20 million.
However, since the company is based in the Netherlands, Alto says it will not be easy to get the money from it.

“They won’t do it voluntarily. We have to force them,” Alto said.

In the meantime, Alto said Lewis’ injuries continue to impact her life. She must walk with a cane, which prevents her from doing some of the things she loves, like going to concerts.

But despite everything, she perseveres.

“For her to go through all that and then seven years later go back to school, graduate from college, write a book and do all the things that hopefully bring her joy – most people wouldn’t do that,” Alto said.

The State Fair said safety has always been its top priority and that several inspections will take place before the attraction opens to the public.

Meanwhile, following the Fire Ball incident in 2017, the fair has decided to no longer use the rides manufactured by KMG.

However, officials said they learned earlier this month that one of the rides used last year and planned for this year was actually manufactured by KMG.

They said Governor DeWine ordered the ride to be removed from this year’s program.