RALEIGH--A 2013 accident at the North Carolina State Fair is the catalyst for a bill increasing fines and the seriousness of criminal counts against those who operate carnival rides in an unlawful manner.
A House judiciary committee voted Wednesday to recommend a measure raising daily maximum monetary penalties as high as ten times the current limit for violating the state's Amusement Device Safety Act.
Sen. Ted Davis of Wilmington said the measure responds to the mishap on the fair's Vortex ride in Raleigh. Five people were injured, three of them critically, when the ride lurched into motion, flinging them through the air.
The measure also creates a new felony for violations causing serious injury or death.
The bill now heads to another House committee.