Stampede ride inspected daily: company

The company in charge of a midway ride that malfunctioned at the Calgary Stampede on Friday night, sending six people to hospital, says the ride was inspected daily.

At least 10 people, most of them believed to be teens, were reported injured when a midway ride at the Calgary Stampede malfunctioned at about 8:30 p.m. MT.

Two teenagers, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, remained in hospital Saturday with serious injuries.

Another four people were taken to hospital and later released, but the nature of their injuries is not known. Four more people were treated at the scene and released.

'I can assure you that I, myself, will not go on another ride at the Stampede again' — Dustin Anderson-Sharples, 17

Witnesses say one of the pods came off of a ride known as the Scorpion when it was about 10 metres in the air and crashed to the ground.

The pods rotate at the end of long mechanical arms that rise and fall as the ride spins.

In a news release Saturday afternoon, North American Midway Entertainment said, "hearts and prayers go out to all of the families and individuals involved."

In the past year, the Scorpion was inspected by officials in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Massachusetts and Florida, the company said.

The Scorpion will not reopen, and the manufacturer has been notified, the company said.

Car broke off, crashed through railing

Dustin Anderson-Sharples, 17, who was on the ride when it broke, said he rode the Scorpion three times on Friday and there was no sign of trouble until he felt a huge jolt.

"I was sitting with this girl and I was like, 'This isn't good.'

"Then it jolted again … and then we got to the top of the peak and it jolted again and then [the car] blew off and crashed through the railing."

Anderson-Sharples, who suffered a fractured hand, said he saw several people with more serious injuries after the accident.

"There was a woman on the ground lying down, all she was doing was crying," he said. "She couldn't move her body and then when paramedics arrived, they put her in a neck brace.

"There was also another dude that was, like, feet on the ground and face on the ground, not moving at all."

Other witnesses said one person was pinned beneath the car at one point.

Anderson-Sharples said the experience has changed the way he looks at the Stampede.

"I can assure you that I, myself, will not go on another ride at the Stampede again," he said.