Watch CBS News

WATCH: Metal Beam Falls Off Ferris Wheel During Texas Festival

LA MARQUE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A crowd of people at a festival near Galveston was caught by surprise last Friday after a metal beam fell off a ferris wheel -- while passengers were on it.

KTRK reports the incident happened at the Magical Winter Lights festival in La Marque. A witness who captured the video was near the ride when he heard a popping sound.

"We saw people screaming and then the big piece, the metal piece, it just fell but it stayed hanging onto like a little piece," Juan Carlos Orlade said.

In the video, the metal beam could be seen falling off the ferris wheel and plunging towards the crowd. There were no injuries reported to anyone on the ground or the passengers.

In a statement to KTRK, the festival said: "Thankfully we can tell you that no one was injured in this incident and the ride was immediately suspended after all passengers were safely removed from the ride. The support beam that broke 'is not vital to the structure of the ride and didn't put any riders in danger.'"

The ride was shut down for the rest of that evening but soon reopened Saturday night.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.