Ten months after the Yo-Yo amusement ride collapsed and injured 21 riders at the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, the State Department of Industrial Relations on Friday released an accident investigation report that blasted the ride's owner, Harry Mason.
The Division of Occupational Safety and Health concluded there was no evidence that the individual ride operator's error contributed to the accident or its severity.
The accident occurred because of the failure of one lock washer.
The report details that the sweeps of the Yo-Yo collapsed because the "spider bearing assembly slipped off of the cylinder rod, thus losing the power to pull down the sweep's top end." The chairs the riders were sitting in plummeted to the ground and were dragged
The state said the failure of the lock washer is most likely due to poor maintenance and inspection by Mason. Mason owns Brass Ring Amusements, which was doing business as Midway of Fun.
The report blasts Mason for failure to ensure that the ride was safe to operate when he first bought it in 2006.
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As a result, he operated a ride that did not have all the required inspections, certifications and documentations in place to ensure its safe operation, the state said.
