Dramatic photo shows boy dangling from carnival ride

ROME, Ga. - They are dramatic pictures going viral showing a young boy dangling from a carnival ride more than 30 feet above the ground.

It happened at the Coosa Valley Fair in Rome this week. The boy is okay, but his parents want to make sure other parents are aware of what happened.

The carnival manager said the ride is shut down. He said the state was out Thursday and they are waiting on the ride’s manufacture to arrive so they can finish the investigation

“It's unexplainable and incomprehensible to me as a parent, but the way he handled it, the way turned out, we couldn't ask for anything better,” said Tony Cooper, the father of the boy.

Looking at pictures people in the crowd took, Mr. Cooper is still amazed everyone walked away unharmed. His son Brayden, and his niece Gracie were the last to get on the Zipper ride. The two hopped in, hooked up their harness and closed the gate. Tony and his wife were waiting with their daughter Emerson who was still standing in line when all of a sudden there was a loud bang and Mr. Cooper said he can see one of the cages opening.

“As soon as we saw the door open and we could see Brayden's foot come out. Immediately, I jumped the fence. I don't know what… I was going to try to catch them. I didn't know what else to do,” said Cooper.

In some of the pictures on Mr. Cooper's phone you can see Brayden dangling in the air. Gracie is still harnessed in, but upside down. Still the ride had not stopped.

“When it opened, I told her to stay still because I don't want it to move. And then we landed I was telling her to stay still. Everything was going to be okay,” said Brayden Cooper.

Once the ride came to a stop, Brayden was able to stand on the cage below him until he could get down.

“I don't know what I was doing. I just wanted to get down, get Gracie down,” said Brayden.

Everyone walked away unharmed. For Gracie, she said she couldn't have done it without Brayden.

“I love him. If he wasn't there I don't know what I would have done,” said Gracie Cooper.

“I'm extremely proud of him. He was able to keep his whits, he was able to stay calm.  And that he had the where with all to take a horrible situation and make the best of it,” said Mr. Cooper.