BLOOMSBURG--The Bloomsburg Fair has around 75 rides for people of all ages. The fair opens this weekend, so rides are being inspected.
"I have certificates of all the rides that were inspected. So far everything is going well except for they just don't want that one ride open," Bill Barratt said.
That ride is the Wild Claw. A ride inspector from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture issued a stop-use order to shut it down.
"Wasn't going to allow it to open up and gave us an order that it's not to operate," Barratt said.
If the Wild Claw looks familiar, it's because it is. It is the same type of ride that blew apart in July at the Ohio State Fair.
According to the ride inspector, the Wild Claw is the same model as the ride at the Ohio State Fair. Even though it's not the exact same ride it has the potential to be just as dangerous.
The Fire Ball had a steel piece that was prone to breaking. The Wild Claw has that same steel piece. Fairgoers tell Newswatch 16 they are happy this was caught before the fair starts.
"That's great. That's what should be done. That's the purpose of having rides inspected," Joe McAndrew said.
"I think they're smart to shut it down because I love the Bloomsburg Fair and I wouldn't want it to have a bad reputation," Ginni McAndrew said.
The Wild Claw ride is owned by Reithoffer Shows, that normally provides the rides and games at the Bloomsburg Fair. Reithoffer is working with the fair to remove the Wild Claw ride from the fairgrounds. Ticket collectors at the entrance gates will hand out fliers about ride safety when the Bloomsburg Fair starts this weekend.