9 Investigates: How fair rides are regulated in the Carolinas

DREXEL, N.C. — Each year, millions of people across the country visit their local county fair, and Channel 9 found regulations for rides vary by state.

Channel 9 was there as a team of inspectors with the North Carolina Department of Labor carefully examined every ride before the Drexel Community Fair this month.

[LINK: North Carolina Department of Labor]

They made notes of everything that needed to be fixed before opening night.

"Check for any cracks, any problems with connections, bolts, nuts and once the ride is put up we go back and check it again,” Deputy Bureau Chief Tommy Petty said.

County fairs have made national headlines for accidents like the one in Ohio where the Fireball ride broke apart last summer, killing one man.

[RELATED: Ohio State Fair ride accident: 18-year-old killed, 7 injured identified]

In 2013, several family members were hurt on the Vortex ride at the North Carolina State Fair, when the ride suddenly started.

[RELATED: Ga. ride owner charged in NC State Fair injuries]

Last year alone, more than 29,000 people went to emergency rooms nationwide because of injuries associated with amusement attractions. That number includes both mobile and fixed-site parks.

Since 2010, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been 22 deaths involving amusement attractions.

Cherie Berry, who oversees the Department of Labor, believes everything is being done in North Carolina to keep riders safe.

"Every single ride has been thoroughly inspected by pros, professional inspectors,” Berry said. “The best in the country. Ride with confidence in North Carolina.  We've got the best inspection program in the country, and I'm not exaggerating."

North Carolina inspects every ride every time it is set up at a county fair or local festival.

Dozens of state inspectors visit as many as 50 fairs each year.

Channel 9 learned rides in other states are loosely regulated.

In South Carolina, rides are inspected once a year by inspectors licensed by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

[South Carolina: Frequently Asked Questions about Amusement Rides]

The last serious injury in the Palmetto State was in 2011, when a child was killed when a train ride derailed in Spartanburg.

Families in Drexel have heard about the dangers and question whether fairs are safe.

"I think you wonder if they have enough time to put things together,” mother Lisa Carter said. “And I know it's bad for me saying that, if they have enough time, with the kids on there."

"Things like this, where they get torn down every week, definitely a concern, definitely," father Kirby Beane said.

The Outdoor Amusement Business Association says as many as 300 million rides are given each year in the U.S., and that nationally the chance of an injury resulting in an overnight stay at a hospital is only one in nine million.

Inspectors in North Carolina say families should look for a specific sticker on each ride, showing that it has passed inspection.

"If it's got a certificate on it, I would put anybody on it,” Petty said. “I would put my newest granddaughter on it. She's a year old, once she's old enough to ride something."

Cox Media Group