Girl Suffers Brain Injury in Tumble From Ferris Wheel

Reports are conflicting as to what caused a Ferris wheel car to overturn at eastern Tennessee's Greene County Fair on Monday night: ABC News reports police aren't sure why the basket flipped, dumping the three girls riding in it onto the ground. An accident report filed by Family Attractions Amusement states the car caught on a bar, causing it to upend, which conflicts with an initial witness statement that suggested the car was being rocked. Whatever the cause, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports the trio fell 35 to 45 feet and survived, though WBIR reports one of the girls, a 6-year-old, suffered a traumatic brain injury and is intubated.

At a Tuesday press conference, Greeneville Police Detective Capt. Tim Davis offered an apology for initial police reports that said all three girls were "responsive," reports the Greeneville Sun. The young girl's 10-year-old sister is in stable condition, having injured her arm. Doctors expect to downgrade the oldest to fall, a 16-year-old, from critical to stable condition. The Sun reports the Ferris wheel was last inspected June 21. All mechanical rides at the fair are currently shut down pending an inspection.