Wacky Worm Ride Injures Seven at Alameda County Fair

Seven people suffered minor injuries when a chain broke Thursday on a children's roller coaster ride at the Alameda County Fair.

Five children and two adults on the Wacky Worm ride were hit by the dangling chain, said a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's Department.

Fire officials said one child and one adult were taken to a hospital for an evaluation as a precaution.

The others were treated at the scene.

The ride was closed for repairs that cannot be completed until a part arrives on Friday, said Alameda County Fair spokeswoman April Mitchell. The ride will remain closed until a state Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspector declares the ride safe once all the repair work is completed.

Mitchell said malfunctioning roller coaster is not the same as a ride at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, also called the Wacky Worm, that severed a worker's leg below the knee last week.