Revisiting wind safety after person injured at Date Festival

Gusty winds ripped a sign off of a vendor's roof at the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival on Tuesday night and injured one person.

According to fair representatives, the heavy sign caused an injury to their thigh which is not said to be serious.

Paramedics carried the person into an ambulance and transported them to a nearby medical facility.

The current condition of the person is unknown but representatives said they are expected to recover.

This incident has brought up conversations about wind safety precautions at the fair which was discussed hours before the incident occurred.

We followed up with fair officials today to see what changes they might be making to ensure the safety of their guests.

Representatives said they did not have time to talk to News Channel 3 on camera but we were given a statement detailing their late opening to give vendors additional time to recuperate from yesterday's heavy winds.

They did not share any additional information in terms of the precautions they were taking ahead of the active weather weekend.

During an interview before the incident, the fair's operational manager, Chris Pickering, said that vendors were making sure that any objects that could become windblown by the gusty conditions were secured and tied down.

“We're always prepared for any incident that may occur here on the fairgrounds…our operational plans include team that are handled or sorry, trained in wind management as well as lightning strikes. So we always are monitoring those events and making sure that safety of our guests is top priority,” said Pickering.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage.