Local News

Vortex ride victims planning $150M lawsuit

Four people injured when they were thrown from a fair ride at the North Carolina State last fall plan to file a $150 million lawsuit Thursday, the attorney representing them said Wednesday.
Posted 2014-04-09T20:20:35+00:00 - Updated 2014-04-10T02:43:58+00:00
$150 million lawsuit to be filed in Vortex ride incident

Four people injured when they were thrown from a fair ride at the North Carolina State Fair last fall plan to file a lawsuit Thursday, the attorney representing them said Wednesday.

Attorney Willie E. Gary said the victims – Anthony Gorham, Kisha Gorham, Justen Hunter and Shykema Dempsey – are seeking $150 million in damages from Powers Great American Midways, which brought the ride to the fair, and Family Attractions Amusement LLC, which owned it.

Anthony Gorham suffered brain, skull, neck and spinal cord injuries when The Vortex – a ride known for its wild twirls and flips – started moving Oct. 24 while people were getting off.

He spent nearly four months in a local hospital. His wife, Alisha Gorham, and her son, Hunter, were also seriously injured.

Authorities later arrested the ride's operator, Timothy Dwayne Tutterrow, and owner, Joshua Gene Macaroni, both of Quitman, Ga., on three counts each of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious bodily injury.

A criminal investigation found that a safety mechanism designed to keep The Vortex from moving had been disabled.

Macaroni's attorney has said the evidence in the case will show that his client was out of state at the time of the accident. Tutterrow's lawyer has said his client would never have intentionally harmed anyone.

Credits