Two Teens’ Reckless Behavior Causes ‘Pure Chaos,’ Injuries as County Fair Swing Riders Slam Together

Three people were injured, with one transported to the hospital, after two unruly young teens reportedly ignored warnings not to grab each other during a chain swing ride at the Columbia County Fair in Grovetown, Georgia, on Saturday, November 7.

Despite the purported warnings, the teens were allegedly caught on cell phone video holding onto one another, with footage shared across social media on pages like WordStar Hip Hop.

Kristen Murphy, the mother who filmed the ride and said she had two teens of her own on it, spoke with local CBS affiliate WRDW after the incident. She told the station it “looked like pure chaos” and she feared the ride “was going to fly apart.”

She went on to describe the swing chairs as “violently hitting the riders” and claimed parents rushed to the control panel in an effort to slow the ride down. The shaken mother added, “I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to another fair.”

The footage Murphy filmed appeared to show the ride become unstable as it slowed, per the station, causing riders on board to collide. It also showed two riders in separate swings who appeared to be holding on to one another.

Investigators with the sheriff’s office reported that they believe the teens were intentionally trying to cause the ride to go out of control, per Law & Crime.

One woman on the ride reportedly left the fair in an ambulance after she was injured when “swings slammed together,” according to WRDW on Facebook, and was hospitalized. Additionally, the news station reported that two children were injured and treated on the scene for minor injuries.

The teens received paperwork detailing charges for unruly behavior, per CBS affiliate WKRC, and were allowed to leave the fair with their parents. It is not publicly known if they have entered a plea.