Illinois State Fair cracks down on ride safety

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Illinois State Fair is just days away.

The Illinois Department of Labor shared that today, and every day leading up to the fair, inspectors will be conducting through checks of each ride. This comes after arising fears, following a rider being injured last year by a flying piece of equipment.

Brian Fox, the Carnival Division Manager, spoke at the fairgrounds today saying "Last year, there was a very minor incident where a single piece came loose on one ride, and that's actually a ride that's being inspected by two of our full-time inspectors right now. It's something that we take a lot of pride in, that we look very closely at every single thing at the fair."

Fox continues to reassure fairgoers that all rides will be safe, and consistently checked through the duration of the fair.

"I would put my family on every ride that's here. I'm proud to say that I have a lot of faith in our inspectors, and I have a lot of faith in these carnival companies and operators that are here. We've got great equipment on site at the Illinois State Fair that is really about as safe as you're going to find to ride it."