UPDATE: A shocking incident at the Harvest Festival in New Roads, Louisiana, has left two young girls injured after they were thrown from a Ferris wheel on November 1, 2023. Witnesses described a harrowing scene as the girls, both under 13, fell to the ground during the ride, prompting immediate emergency responses.
Witnesses reported seeing three girls enter one of the Ferris wheel baskets. Shortly thereafter, the basket tipped, causing the girls to fall. “I heard like a body, just like something falling, I heard a loud boom,” said Madison Fields, a festival attendee. She recounted the chilling moment, explaining that one girl landed face-first and appeared severely injured.
The incident unfolded around 3:00 PM, leading to frantic scenes as bystanders and police rushed to assist the girls. In a video shared on social media, one girl can be seen on the ground, clearly in distress, while another is being helped out of the basket. Eddie Jones, who filmed the event, expressed his fear of carnival rides after witnessing the ordeal, stating, “Yeah, I’ll probably never get on another Ferris wheel.”
Both girls were quickly transported to local hospitals for treatment. One was airlifted to a hospital in Baton Rouge, but their current conditions remain unknown. The emotional impact of the incident has left attendees shaken, with Fields admitting she had intended to ride the Ferris wheel later that day. “It was sad and upsetting, like, because, what if that could have been me?” she said.
In response to the incident, the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal announced it is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the fall. Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux confirmed that all rides at the festival were temporarily shut down to facilitate the investigation. Once the inspections were completed, all rides except for the Ferris wheel were allowed to reopen.
The Harvest Festival, which commenced in late October, continued as planned and concluded its festivities on November 2. As the investigation unfolds, many are left wondering how such a tragic event could occur at a family-friendly festival.
Stay tuned as we continue to monitor this developing story and provide updates on the girls’ conditions and the investigation’s findings.
