A fun night at a Georgia county fair turned into a terrifying ordeal when two 13-year-olds allegedly ignored safety warnings and caused a spinning carnival ride to become dangerously unstable, leaving three people injured.
The frightening incident unfolded Saturday, November 7, at the Columbia County Fall Fair in Grovetown, where riders suddenly found themselves crashing into one another as their suspended swings swung erratically.
According to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the two teenagers had been warned not to grab onto each other while the ride was moving. Investigators believe the pair deliberately disregarded those instructions, setting off a dangerous chain of events.
Witness video shows two riders in separate swings appearing to hold onto one another as the attraction slows down. Moments later, swings collide, sending frightened passengers into a panic.
Kristen Murphy, a mother whose children were aboard the ride, captured the chaos on her cellphone. She recalled the terrifying realization that something had gone seriously wrong.
“This ride has to stop,” Murphy told local television station WRDW. “My kids are on it. Something’s happening. I need to get to them.”
As the situation escalated, Murphy said her husband rushed toward the ride’s control panel while other concerned parents joined efforts to bring the attraction to a stop.
Once the ride finally stopped, the extent of the injuries became apparent.
“Once we did get it stopped and I was able to get to my kids, that’s when we noticed that there were some pretty severe injuries,” Murphy recalled.
One woman was injured when the swings collided and was transported from the fairgrounds by ambulance. Two children were also treated for minor injuries.
Murphy later questioned the response to the incident, saying she had attempted to provide a statement to law enforcement but felt her family’s concerns were not adequately addressed.
Deputies charged both 13-year-olds in connection with the incident. The teenagers were given paperwork outlining the allegations before being released to their parents. Subsequent reports identified the allegations as unruly juvenile conduct.
The frightening episode has also raised questions about the ride’s safety. On November 9, WRDW reported that state records showed the attraction, known as the Flying Circus, passed inspections in 2024 and 2025. However, a 2026 inspection report was not included in records provided to the station, prompting questions about its inspection status. That omission does not establish that the ride went uninspected.
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