Ride shut down after woman is injured at State Fair

LITTLE ROCK, AR - It’s the last night of the Arkansas State Fair and the fun came to a painful stop for one woman, hit in the head on one of the rides by a flying object.

This afternoon while riding the Avalanche, something flew off of the Zipper ride hitting a woman in the head. She went to the hospital as a precaution but her injury is not believed to be serious.

Workers inspected the Zipper ride, but it is not known what the flying object is that hit her.

Fair-goers we talked to say they're not letting the accident spoil the last day of the fair.

"I think people need to be more aware of what's in their pockets,” said fair-goer Mark Odom. “I think something could have flown out and hit her people need to be more aware of what's in their pockets."

Thomas Stack said he wouldn’t let the incident spoil his fun. "It doesn't bother me, no, it doesn't worry me."

While the accident closed the Zipper, it didn't stop the thousands of fair-goers from indulging in all their favorite fair festivities, like fried food.

"The food is my pleasure, to eat up all the food. I love the food,” Jeremy Simpson said. “Turkey leg, pork chop, everything. I love it!"

Turnout this year, at around 450,000, didn't quite hit last year's record breaking 470,000 attendance mark, but fair organizers say the annual event is always successful.

"We had the best carnival I've ever seen and I've been here 7 years,” State Fair General Manager Ralph Shoptaw said. “This is the best show I've ever seen. Everything looked good; the rides were good, the food was good, the games were good. It just looked good."

As the 2011 Arkansas State Fair comes to an end, wallets are a little lighter and stomachs a bit fuller. Families say this yearly tradition is something they look forward to and can't wait to relive the experience again next year.