The
operator of the carnival ride that injured 23 people when it collapsed at the Calaveras
County Fair on Friday had two less serious accidents on different rides six
years ago. The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration
says one boy broke both wrists in 2002 and two other boys had minor injuries
when a Brass Ring Amusements employee started a Skywheel ride prematurely at
the Stanislaus County Fair. And
later that year a boy broke his wrist and another bumped his head at the Tehama
County Fair because the company's Zipper ride was out of balance and the
brakes needed adjustment. Cal-OSHA spokeswoman Kate McGuire says neither
accident was as bad as the malfunction of the company's Yo-Yo ride at the
Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee. Three people were hospitalized, but all have since been released.