Maintenance worker killed while inspecting ride at Florida county fair

MIAMI-DADE, FLORIDA — An accident at Florida’s annual Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition killed a 23-year-old maintenance worker on Wednesday afternoon minutes before the fair opened to the public.

Prior to the fair’s opening at 3 p.m., a ride company employee was inspecting a ride called the Hurricane. A mechanical error occurred and the worker was found dead at the scene, reported the Miami Herald.

Police officers responding to the scene noticed that several of the metal slates on the ride’s flooring were out of place. Police are unsure if the victim removed the slates to get underneath the ride, or if other workers removed them in order to get to the victim.

According to the Miami Herald, the fair’s regular evening shows went on as scheduled. However, the Hurricane and several rides in its vicinity were closed while police investigated the incident.