Midway employee killed by Fair ride identified, OSHA investigating

A worker killed this week during a carnival ride maintenance inspection at the Miami-Dade Fair and Exposition was identified by a South African media organization on Friday as Clinton van Kraayenburg of Benoni, a city just outside the capital of Johannesburg.

Kraayenburg, 23, was killed on April 6 while conducting a routine inspection of a ride called ‘Hurricane’ about 15 minutes before the fair was to open, according to a spokesman for North American Midway Entertainment, an Indiana-based company that runs the rides for the Youth Fair and employed the man.

State records show that the Florida Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection examined the ride on March 17 and found no deficiencies. Michelle Faulk, a spokeswoman for the bureau, said the agency will inspect the ride again before it opens to the public.

But the investigation into Kraayenburg’s death will be led by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is part of the Department of Labor.

Lindsay Williams, a spokesman for the federal agency, said OSHA has six months to complete the investigation but the exact time will depend on the complexity of the review and the findings.

The fair, which will close after Sunday, has been in operation for 65 years. Wednesday’s accident was the first death to occur on the grounds, although there have been previous accidents over the years.

In 2008, a 45-year-old woman was injured when a car on the Convoy tipped over, spilling her to the ground.

In 2004, three people were catapulted from a midway ride at the Youth Fair after a loose bolt on The Gravitron ride caused one of its metal walls to burst open. The three riders were flung from the breach that opened when the ride broke apart. A 16-year-old girl sustained critical head injuries. Two of her friends were treated for injuries while four on the ground suffered minor injuries.

In 2000, a 14-year-old girl was cut on her face when a metal sign fell from a ride.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Midway employee killed by Fair ride identified, OSHA investigating."