>>>
back now at 8:09 with a tragic accident at an amusement pier on the nrnew
jersey shore
. 11-year-old girl fell to her death. her parents are calling for safety changes.
>>>
but first, nbc jeff is in wildwood, new jersey, with the story. jeff, good morning.
>> reporter:
hi,
ann
. good morning to you. look, so many of our children will visit
amusement parks
this summer across the country which is why these parents want you to listen closely to their tragic story. their 11-year-old daughter obiah jones came to this park on a
school trip
. she got on that
ferris wheel
, that huge
ferris wheel
, all by herself. and sadly, plunged to her death. no one knows why. but this morning an investigation is under way. the
state of new jersey
is already taking action. it is one of the tallest
ferris wheels
on the
east coast
. 156 feet high with sweeping views of the ocean. 11-year-old obiah jones got on alone. she was here at morey's piers
amusement park
with her classmates. the trip, reward for making the
honor roll
. the next thing anyone knew obiah tumbled out of the gondola to her death.
>>
she was my everything.
>>
i love you, obiah.
>> reporter:
obiah's heartbroken parents still don't believe it.
>>
most beautiful person you would ever want to meet.
>>
i was blessed to be her mother. she was a blessing.
>> reporter:
according to the manufacturer, the
ferris wheel
has an age requirement to ride alone. 10 years old. obiah met that, she's 11. she also met a height requirement imposed by morey's piers. it's a mystery why obiah fell. but her parents say
whatever happens
there were no
seat belts
, no restraints, no cage to keep her inside.
>>
it's the law. you must put your
seat belt
on while operating a
motor vehicle
. so why shouldn't a
ferris wheel
have a restraint?
>>
that's right.
>>
that's 56 feet, i believe, in the air.
>>
do you think if there were restraints your daughter would be alive today?
>>
absolutely.
>>
of course.
>>
absolutely.
>> reporter:
in new jersey,
ferris wheels
are not required to have restraints. in fact, most
ferris wheels
nationwide don't have restraints. this particular ride passed inspection recently. after the accident, investigators found no mall functi malfunctions or defects. the ride has been at this park for decades out incident and the park had a good safety record. this is the first guest fatality ever. we spoke with the park's president.
>>
one of the family's points was why not cage in these
ferris wheels
all together so no one can fall out no matter what happens.
>>
our operating history for the past 26 years shows that that's not necessary. so as long as there's proper containment, it's a very mild ride. it's really enjoyable for parties to have a
panoramic view
that's uninterrupted by bars.
>> reporter:
but because of obiah's death, state inspectors are tightening the rules, sending this letter to
amusement park
operators. the new rule, a 54-inch height requirement which obiah met and the recommendation, no more
riding alone
as obiah did. at least two riders per gondola.
>>
whenever something occurs we want to step back and analyze it and see whether or not there are some changes to be made.
>> reporter:
by all accounts, obiah's sudden fall was an accident, but her parents say it's more than that. it's a wake-up call for all of us.
>>
we never wanted this to happen to another
child
. nowhere. anyone's
child
.
>>
ever.
>> reporter:
investigators are still looking into this here in the
state of new jersey
, but so far no plans to change
ferris wheels
at all. the design of them at least. this means no restraints, no cages. investigators say it's just not necessary right now. they do say that if obiah was just with
someone else
, this entire tragedy,
ann
, could have been avoided. that's why they're urging everyone to ride with a buddy, no more
riding alone
in write you live in this country, to be safe. and by the way, this
amusement park
,
ann
, will adhere to that new recommendation when the
ferris wheel
reopens.
>>
jeff rossen
, thank you so much for reporting on this. obiah's parents are joining us now exclusively along with their attorney. good morning to all of you.
>>
good morning.
>>
obiah, a name in the bible.
>>
yes.
>>
meaning?
>>
to serve and love the lord.
>>
she was --
>>
a servant.
>>
describe her. 11 years old.
>>
beautiful.
>>
loving. caring.
>>
old, young, whatever, any color. awesome girl. i was blessed to be her mother.
>>
you visibly moved when you heard the words in that prior report about her
being alone
on the
ferris wheel
ride, alone.
>>
it just tears me up that she was alone.
>>
you feel that she should not have been allowed on the
ferris wheel
alone at 11.
>>
not at all.
>>
not at all. no way.
>>
have you spoken to the chaperones, the people from the school outing as to why that happened? had they explained that to you?
>>
no one.
>>
we haven't spoken to anyone. don't know anything about it, why it happened, why she was alone. it's just devastating because my
baby girl
is gone forever. and this is what our family has to deal with. we have two more children that is horrified by this. this is what we are left to deal with.
>>
is your feeling -- you're here today. this just happened two weeks ago.
>>
uh-huh.
>>
you're really here not just out of love for your daughter, which is obviously overwhelming, but out of love for other families because --
>>
so this won't happen again ever, no one's
child
.
>>
the same way we feel about our
child
is the same way i'm sure other parents feel about their
child
. and we wouldn't want no other
child
to be hurt.
>>
not like this.
>>
so what is your message? we don't know yet all the details about what happened. is it, don't let your
child
only be alone, but is it also about restraints, is it also about something else that you think needs to change?
>>
just need to be careful and
pay attention
to what's going on around us. safety is the key. and we just need to pay more attention to our
child
. just be mindful that things can happen.
>>
they have
seat belts
in cars, so i think they should have more --
>>
some type of restraint.
>>
more -- security on a ride like this.
>>
do you think this case is going to make changes?
>>
it has to,
ann
. the same exact accident happened almost to the day five years ago in california when a 6-year-old boy fell out of the same type of
ferris wheel
. for the owner of that pier to say that the history of
ferris wheel
accidents is exemplary is wrong. all of the viewers can go on the internet and find out about how so many
ferris wheels
have happened all around the world. on the same type of
ferris wheel
,
south korea
, five people fell out and died. the key has to be restraints, lap bars, something that will keep everybody in, including adults. just having another person in the gondola is not enough. there's a balance issue. they tell you -- they tell you that when we're unloading, we might have to move you around for balance purposes. they know about the issue and it has to be cured by having the restraints.
>>
obviously this is still a resolve, waiting for the results of the investigation.
>>
correct.
>>
we're waiting to see what the fallout will be -- what the bottom line is. we marvel that you can now stand up for all these other families, given the loss that you have suffered yourself. she was well loved.
>>
yes.
>>
thank you so much for
