On paper, a carnival seems like a good time. Playing games and eating fried dough while sipping on the bottle of vodka you hid in your crotch before walking in? What else could anyone want in life?


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In practice, however, carnivals can be not only disappointing but dangerous. The games are rigged so you fail, the food was cooked by a stoned teenager with no regard for food safety, and the rides themselves, fun as they seem, are frequently on the edge of complete collapse.


Recently, numerous stories have come to light showing just how badly things can go when these rides aren’t maintained. Adding to that ever-growing list is this video:



It shows several kids riding a standard carnival ride. After a few seconds, one of the cars comes detached, launching its rider to the ground. The ride continues for several more seconds before eventually coming to a stop. It’s unclear where this video was taken or if there were any major injuries, though everyone seems to be doing okay by the end of the video.


Part of the reason that sourcing this video is difficult is that this stuff apparently happens all the time, and there are numerous videos documenting similar accidents. I’m going to stick to the ones where no one died, but know that these videos are still fairly graphic, and accidents like these do tend to kill people.





Not surprisingly, incidents like these have turned TikTok commenters against going to carnivals. “I’ve seen enough of these by now that I’m never getting on a carnival ride again in my life,” said one user. “I used to get mad at my dad for not allowing me to ride fair or carnival rides. I’m thankful now,” added another.


In other words, next time you’re at a carnival, stick to the funnel cake.