The Associated PressLaw enforcement cordon off the area surrounding the Ferris wheel Aug. 8, 2016, after three children fell from the ride during a county fair in Greenville, Tenn.

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — A Cook County man has been dismissed as a defendant in a pair of lawsuits over injuries from a 2016 accident involving a Ferris wheel owned by a Valdosta company, according to court records. 

Jesus Herrera-Cabanas, a ride operator who lives in Sparks, was “voluntarily dismissed without prejudice” from the two lawsuits June 8, according to court filings. “Dismissed without prejudice” means he could possibly be sued again.

Three children were injured at a county fair in Greene County, Tenn., Aug. 8, 2016, said Det. Capt. Tim Davis of the Greeneville, Tenn., Police Department.

Emergency crews said they found a gondola on the Ferris wheel had tipped forward and dropped three girls 35-40 feet to the ground, Davis said. Two of the girls, ages 6 and 10, were sisters, while the third girl was 16, said Dr. Bracken Burns, director of trauma services at the Johnson City, Tenn., Medical Center, where the girls were taken for treatment.

Burns said the 16-year-old was brought to the hospital in critical condition but improved. The 10-year-old had broken bones in an arm requiring a cast, while the 6-year-old had traumatic brain injuries, he said.

Jason and Kimberly Reynolds, of Greeneville, sued Valdosta-based Family Attractions, the wheel’s owner, on behalf of their two daughters, the 10-year-old and the 6-year-old, according to the original court complaint.

Other defendants included High-Light Rides Inc., the wheel’s manufacturer, Herrera-Cabanas and Ruby and Dominic Macaroni, Family Attractions’ owners.

A trial date has been set for Feb. 26.

In the second lawsuit, Lorena Cowhy, also of Greeneville, claims she was injured when her gondola started to tip and she grabbed her 5-year-old granddaughter to keep her from falling out.

Cowhy and her granddaughter were in the bucket right behind the one which the Reynolds’ children fell from, the lawsuit claims. Cowhy suffered shoulder and back injuries, according to court documents.

A trial date in Cowhy’s case has been scheduled for Feb. 12.

Both lawsuits seek compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.