O.C. Fair reopens G Force ride two weeks after fatal Ohio accident prompted closure

A thrill ride that was shuttered at the Orange County Fair reopened Wednesday, two weeks after a similar attraction in Ohio broke down and killed a teenager.

The Orange County G Force ride had undergone a series of inspections and tests since it was closed voluntarily July 26 — the same night of the Ohio accident. On Wednesday, Orange County Fair officials announced that the ride had been deemed safe to operate.

“We have taken every precaution to ensure that G Force is safe,” fair spokeswoman Terry Moore said in a statement. “The ride passed multiple layers of inspections and is in top shape for G Force fans to enjoy.”

The ride should be up and running by noon, fair organizers said. But thrill seekers have only a few days left to ride the attraction. The fair in Costa Mesa ends Sunday.

The G Force ride was one of several attractions in California that were closed after the fatal malfunction in Ohio.

In that incident, authorities said, the Fireball ride — a pendulum-type apparatus with a passenger-carrying gondola that spins and swings riders 40 feet into the air — snapped at the Ohio State Fair’s opening day, killing an 18-year-old man and injuring several others.

After investigating the ride, its manufacturer, Dutch company KMG, determined “excessive corrosion on the interior of the gondola support beam dangerously reduced the beam’s wall thickness over the years.”

“This finally led to the catastrophic failure of the ride during operation,” the company said in a statement issued Sunday.

KMG also manufactures G Force rides.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA

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