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Governor signs bill to make Ohio amusement rides safer

By Mahoning Matters staff and Jeremy Harper
Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday signed HB 189, titled Tyler’s Law, that increases Ohio amusement ride safety and inspection standards, qualifications of inspectors and responsibilities of ride owners. (Contributed photo)
Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday signed HB 189, titled Tyler’s Law, that increases Ohio amusement ride safety and inspection standards, qualifications of inspectors and responsibilities of ride owners. (Contributed photo)

COLUMBUS — Gov. Mike DeWine has signed legislation that increases Ohio amusement ride safety and inspection standards, qualifications of inspectors and responsibilities of ride owners.

HB 189, titled Tyler's Law, is named after Tyler Jarrell, who lost his life in the Fire Ball ride accident at the Ohio State Fair two years ago. Seven other individuals were injured, including an 18-year-old woman who died last year due to injuries related to the accident.

"Though it saddens us all that tragedy ultimately drove this legislation, we can take comfort that with the passage of this legislation, other families may be spared the grief of losing a loved one from an amusement ride breakdown," Louis Blessing, R-Colerain Township, said in a news release. "Furthermore, Ohioans can rest assured that amusement rides in this state will have gone through more rigorous inspections, and that all they should have to worry about is having fun."

HB 189 increases communication among state inspectors, ride manufacturers, ride owners and the Ohio Department of Agriculture to better assess amusement ride inspections and repairs, including:

  • An enhanced classification system to identify rides that may need more comprehensive or internal inspection.
  • Requiring safety and maintenance communications from the ride manufacturer to be forwarded to ODA.
  • Tracking previous locations of temporary amusement rides before their operation in Ohio.
  • Requiring photographic documentation of major repairs before and after they are completed.

Tyler's Law also increases the certification standards for inspectors and adds a professional engineer as a nonvoting member to the ODA Advisory Council on Amusement Ride Safety.

The new law takes effect immediately.

This story was originally published November 12, 2019 at 6:55 AM with the headline "Governor signs bill to make Ohio amusement rides safer."