Two young girls in Louisiana thought they were going to their local carnival to have fun. Sadly, their day ended with trips to the hospital. Things came crashing down, literally, when they were riding the ferris wheel. It’s still unknown exactly what happened, but something caused the car they were riding in to send them crashing to the ground. Spectators were shocked to hear the screams as first responders rushed to the scene. Thankfully, the tweens are expected to survive their injuries, but they may be hesitant to go to a carnival again.
Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff Rene’ Thibodeaux said the incident took place at the Harvest Festival in New Roads on November 1, 2025, WAFB reported. One of the girls was airlifted to a hospital in Baton Rouge.
One girl has been released from the hospital, but the other girl required multiple surgeries, Thibodeaux said, according to Louisiana First News. She has been moved from the ICU to another room, and it’s hoped she can be released from the hospital soon and start recovering.
Officials from the Office of the State Fire Marshal are required to check all of the rides for safety before they’re set up, WAFB noted. Thibodeaux said all the rides at the festival were closed while they were inspected by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office, Louisiana First News reported.
According to a report from NBC News, the two girls who fell are around 11 years old. They fell between 15 and 20 from the ferris wheel, while a third girl who was also on the ride managed to hold on. The girl who held on didn’t sustain any injuries, according to the sheriff. It’s unclear what caused the ferris wheel bucket to fall, he said.
Eddie Jones, who was attending the carnival, shared a video on Facebook of what happened after the fall. One of the girls could be seen lying on the platform of the ride with police around her. They can be heard shouting for a medic. The girl who held on can be seen climbing out of the bucket with adult help toward the end.
“We were in line to buy tickets to the Ferris wheel, and I heard a girl scream, and I looked over, and the Ferris wheel car was kicked over. I don’t know how it got in that position, but it was stuck,” Jones told WFAB. “Yeah, I’ll probably never get on another Ferris wheel.”
Jones believes additional safety measures should be in place to protect riders. “It should not have stuck like that – they had a major malfunction. Someone didn’t do something right, that’s for sure,” he said.
“It was cracking, like they need to take this down,” Ronald Brasseaux added. He had ridden the ride with friends not even 24 hours before the girls fell and said it didn’t feel safe.
Some people are calling for stricter safety measures. “I feel like it should be seatbelts on there, because, mind you, it’s just a gate on there, like somebody can easily fall out, a child can easily just open the gate and then step out,” witness Madison Fields told WBRZ.
Most of the rides were cleared to reopen before the end of the night. The investigation is ongoing.
