CARTHAGE, Tenn. (WTVF) — An investigation is underway following an incident at the Smith County Fair, where a Carnival worker lost his life on Thursday.
Oval Lee Mudd, a 45-year-old man, was tragically killed while working on one of the fair rides. The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation, with early indications suggesting it was an accident.
Jennifer Hiers is Mudd's sister. She's raised questions about her brother's level of training and other employees.
"I know my brother isn't properly trained to do the safety checks, so was the other guy," Hiers said.
Hiers is mourning the loss of her brother but shared doubts about the overall safety of the rides at the fair.
"If they're not even capable of ensuring a safety check is done without killing somebody, is it really safe for anyone to be on those rides?" Hiers explained.
The James Gang Amusement Company, responsible for owning and operating the ride said Lee was among a group of men greasing bearings for the popular "Gravitron". They say he was in training.
According to their spokesperson, the ride was turned off, but this process involves them mainly rotating the ride. They say all the workers believed they heard everyone say "clear" before proceeding, but unfortunately, Lee's head wasn't out of the way. He died after the incident.
"They told him to go clear and thought he was clear, but a pole came back and hit him in the head," Hiers shared.
Hiers says she didn't receive the tragic news until nearly seven hours later when the Carthage Coroner messaged her on Facebook.
"No one from the company or the fair notified the family," Hiers revealed.
Hiers firmly believes that the responsibility of informing the family should have fallen on the company's shoulders.
"You should get people's emergency contact, whether they're working for you that day, a week, or however long. You should have some way to contact their family if it's dangerous," Hiers said.
The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development initiated an investigation into the matter. The department's Amusement Device Unit issued a cease and desist order for the James Gang Amusements-operated "Gravitron" ride on Thursday.
The Unit's Manager traveled to Smith County and determined that an independent inspection of the amusement device was necessary. After the third-party inspector concluded the assessment on Friday morning, no operational issues were found, leading to the issuance of a business resumption letter for the "Gravitron."
The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development reports that James Gang Amusements had not encountered any prior issues while operating in the state of Tennessee.
The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) joined the investigation too. TOSHA dispatched an investigator to the Smith County Fairgrounds to gather information and determine the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.
During the investigative process, the TOSHA investigator will usually survey the accident site, review company records and procedures, and conduct interviews with both management and employees.
The investigation is estimated to take between eight and ten weeks to complete.
To ensure the integrity of the investigation, TOSHA does not release any preliminary information regarding the incident. When the investigation is final, the report detailing the agency’s findings is open for review by the citizens of Tennessee. The Smith County Fair runs until Saturday.
