A 19-year-old woman has died more than a year after she suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) on a ride at the Ohio State Fair.
The woman was injured on the Fire Ball ride on July 26, 2017, when a gondola filled with riders broke off from the ride and fell to the ground. An 18-year-old man was killed in the incident, and six others were injured.
The woman had been living in a long-term care home before she was sent to a northeastern Ohio hospital when a medical condition arose. She died of liver failure, which a lawyer implied she could have been more prone to contract because she had been in a hospital and care home for so long.
“Obviously, liver failure doesn’t happen naturally to most 19-year-olds and she was in a susceptible state. Something happened and we simply don’t know what it is yet,” said an attorney who represents one of her court-appointed guardians. “I know that we will see some developments over the next week because I want to know what happened, how it happened and why.”
In an interview in August 2017, an uncle said she had gone to the fair with her boyfriend and was in a coma.
No one goes to a fair or an amusement park and expects tragedy to ensue. It should be a day of fun with family and friends, a day for memories to be made. In this case, the young woman had received compensation to help pay for her care. It is always wise to work with an attorney to seek a settlement to help with costs incurred by such an accident.