The Chautauqua County Fair rides receive daily inspections from supervisors who help put them up and break them down. However, this doesn't assure all fairgoers, especially in the wake of Wednesday's deadly accident in Ohio.
Fairgoers at the midway of the Chautauqua County Fair can be seen entering, exiting and running to the next ride. But many guardians follow in their wake, content to watch the young thrill seekers from the ground.
Most people who won't board the rides say they still trust them, while on the other hand some of the riders say they're a bit unnerved by the portable rides.
"We like to go on a lot of them," one rider said, at the fair with two friends. "but sometimes they're a little sketchy."
When asked if the three friends trusted the rides, they all said no.
However, when walking up the midway one can find parents and grandparents scattered around the more adventurous rides. After speaking with a few of them, it became a trend that they trusted the rides, but would simply rather watch.
"I trust the ride or I wouldn't get them on it," a grandparent of one younger rider said.
The rides are closely monitored and inspected every day. David Sutton is the safety coordinator for Bates Brothers Amusements, the company that provides the rides for the Chautauqua County Fair. He said the supervisors who put up the rides also carry out daily inspections before the rides open to the public.
"They know everything about the rides," Sutton said. "They set them up, they tear them down, so they know everything about the rides, every inch."
Sutton said the supervisors go through a thorough inspection, and he follows behind them so everything is double-checked.
"We will check the car out - the shoulder harnesses and then the seat-belts," Sutton said. "Then there's the safety measures that shut the ride down, like the sensors."
Sutton said the accident that happened in Ohio on Wednesday was terribly unfortunate, but he said it was not the fault of the inspection procedure.
"There's no difference in how they would do it in Ohio," Sutton said. "They are very qualified there too, the same here as in New York."
