Family injured at NC State Fair in 2013 injured again in car wreck

Durham residents who were injured at the N.C. State Fair in October 2013 when a midway ride malfunctioned were injured again in a car accident over the weekend.

On the day that Timothy Tutterow, the operator of the Vortex ride, was scheduled to be sentenced for three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, Wake County Assistant District Attorney Howard Cummings asked for a delay.

Tutterow, who pleaded guilty last year to the assault charges, was at Wake County Superior Court on Monday when he heard about the Saturday traffic accident.

Cummings said Anthony Gorham and Keisha Gorham suffered injuries that could require surgery. They were unable to attend the sentencing hearing.

The Gorhams were among five people injured when the Vortex unexpectedly lurched to a start on Oct. 24, 2013, knocking riders to the deck below.

Joshua Gene Macoroni, the owner of the ride known for its fast flips and wild twirls, was sentenced in February to 30 days in jail. He was accused of installing jump wiring into an electrical box on the ride that bypassed safety measures designed to prevent the ride from starting without safety bars in place.

Durham resident Anthony Gorham, 30 at the time of the accident, suffered brain, skull, neck and spinal-cord injuries. He was comatose for several months after the accident, according to Wake County prosecutors.

Gorham is blind in one eye and suffered from seizures after the accident. He has been unable to go back to work.

The sentencing hearing was postponed with no date set for the next court appearance.

This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Family injured at NC State Fair in 2013 injured again in car wreck."