Operator error caused a ride at the Wilson County-Tennessee State Fair to slam into a fence Aug. 19, injuring riders, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The ruling was determined after consulting with the fair's carnival operator Reithoffer Showsand a third-party inspector.
The 2026 fair concluded on Aug. 22 in at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center in Lebanon.
The ride that hit the fence is named the Wave Swinger. The mishap required nine people to be treated, including four who were hospitalized, officials said. The four treated at a hospital were released, officials said.
The operator for the Wave Swinger pushed the E-stop button for the ride, but then switched the ride back to manual mode and began to lower
the ride without waiting for the ride to stop rotating, according to a letter from the state..
“It didn’t slow down at the end,” said Ahmad Sadiq Nooristani, one of the riders along with his daughter who had to be hospitalized with leg injuries.
A letter dated Aug. 21 from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Division of Workplace Regulations and Compliance states that the state received inspection photos and a report from WorldWide Safety Group deeming the device "safe and operable." The letter was sent to Reithoffer Shows.
Efforts to reach Reithoffer Shows were not immediately successful.
The 2026 fair drew 647,118 attendees over its 10-day run, down from 795,526 in 2025.
Randall Clemons, president of Wilson County Promotions, which produces the fair, said both hot weather and economic pressures contributed to the decline.
Clemons said the fair's August dates are shaped by several factors, including its agricultural focus and harvest schedules, contractual obligations with the carnival operator, and the advance booking calendar at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Operator error caused Tennessee State Fair ride crash, state says
