Teen killed in state fair ride malfunction to be memorialized at Fairgrounds

COLUMBUS (WCMH) — On July 15, a memorial brick will be placed at the Ohio State Fairground in honor of Tyler Jarrell.

Almost two years ago, the Fire Ball ride malfunctioned, killing the young Marine recruit and injuring six others at the Ohio State Fair.

There will be 25 memorial bricks laid at the Ohio State Fairgrounds this year. One will be for Jarrell.

Jarrell’s mom, Amber Duffield, said the Ohio State Fair meant so much to her son and she wanted her son to be remembered at the fairgrounds in a positive way.

“Well, anytime that I see Tyler’s name in print on anything like this, it is very emotional, but in this situation, I’d like to hope that it is going to be a beacon of hope to those who continue to come to our state fair,” she said.

It will be a lasting tribute to Jarrell, at a place that always meant so much to him and his family.

“That’s been a family tradition forever and then it obviously was the last destination that Tyler was at that was dear to him and so it seemed like a no brainer to get on there and try to figure that out,” said Duffield.

While trying to figure out how to buy a brick, Duffield noticed a potential issue: Tyler didn’t fit the requirements for the memorial brick.

It states on the Ohio State Fair website:

“The Ohio Expo Center and State Fair is a public space and it is generally not appropriate for memorializing individuals who did not have a significant relationship to the Fair.”

That didn’t stop Duffield from going a step further for the child she called “Slim.”

“I did what I do,” she said. “I found a phone number and I called.”

It was the first time she has ever talked to someone from the fair directly since the night Jarrell was killed on the Fire Ball Ride.

After a few days, she heard back with the news that there will be a brick placed on the fairgrounds in honor of her son and it will read, “In Loving Memory of Tyler Jarrell.”

“I was speechless, actually, on the phone and then I actually cried while still on the phone,” Duffield said.

She said what made the news better is that the general manager of the fair paid for the brick out of his own pocket, a gesture Duffield said she will always remember.

“It’s not a business,” she said. “It’s not about money. It’s just the recognition that something very awful happened.”