Several Children Injured by Carnival Ride this Weekend

At least three children were injured by a kiddie roller coaster operated by Smokey's Greater Shows. Now, investigators are working to determine what caused the coaster to come apart.

Central Maine News reports the accident happened just after 7:00 on Friday Night on a dragon-shaped ride called The Dragon Wagon. The ride was going when, suddenly, some of the cars separated from the front of the ride. It's unclear exactly what the injuries suffered by the kids involved, but the CM says they seemed to be mostly superficial, like bloody noses.  One child was taken to a local hospital, however.

Now, the incident is being investigated by the State Fire Marshal's office. Until just recently, these sorts of accidents were investigated by the individual towns, but the decision was made this year that the Fire Marshal should assume responsibility.

Smokey's Greater Shows was operating several rides at the Waterville Head of Falls. The carnival opened Thursday and runs through today. The rides had been inspected on Wednesday and all of them had passed.

At this point, the cause of the accident is unknown. The State Fire Marshal's office continues to investigate.