ANGELS CAMP, Calif. - State investigators were trying to determine what caused a spinning carnival ride at a county fair to collapse and injure all 23 people aboard.
The carnival ride, called the Yo-Yo, collapsed shortly after 6 p.m. Friday at the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, located about 80 miles southeast of the state capital of Sacramento.
The ride has metal arms, each with a seat at the end attached by a chain, that swing outward as the ride picks up speed.
The arms rise and fall as they spin around a center pole, putting the seats horizontal to the ground.
The pole apparently collapsed, causing the arms to crash back toward the center,said Dennis Townsend, a chief in the Calaveras County unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention.
The fair remained open but the carnival area was shut down, said Laurie Giannini, the fairground's marketing director.
The Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubileeopened Wednesday and is held each year in late May.
It was inspired by a MarkTwain story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."
Front Section, Pages 10 on 05/18/2008