Marine Tyler Jarrell killed on Ohio State Fair Fireball

Marine Tyler Jarrell killed on Ohio State Fair Fireball

The young man who lost his life at the Ohio State Fair on Wednesday night had just enlisted in the Marines lat week.

Tyler Jarrell, 18, of Columbus, Ohio has been identified by the State Highway Patrol as the young man who was killed while riding The Fireball.

He was thrown into the air when part of the amusement ride snapped and came down with such force that he was killed upon impact.

The tragedy occurred just five days after Tyler posted a photo to his Facebook page which showed him in a Marines Uniform and holding a plaque that read 'United States Navy' and 'Department of the Marine Core.' 

His decision to enlist meanwhile came a little over a month after he graduated from Franklin Heights High School in Columbus. 

Six of the seven victims have also been identified by the State Highway Patrol, with the youngest of the group having his name withheld at this time as he is just 14 and a minor.

Tamika Dunlap, 36, of Reynoldsburg; Russell Franks, 42, of Columbus; Keziah Lewis, 19, of Columbus; Jacob Andrews, 22, of Pataskala; Jennifer Lambert, 18, of Columbus; and Abdihakim Hussein, 19, of Columbus. 

Keziah was Tyler's girlfriend, and only learned that he had passed when she woke up in the hospital, where she was admitted in critical condition on Thursday and has already undergone two operations to after badly damaging her pelvis, ankles and ribs.

Meanwhile, documents released on Thursday show that the Ohio Department of Agriculture gave The Fireball passing marks during an inspection that happened just a few hours before the fatal crash.

The Department also released the paperwork they received from Amusements of America showing that both the operator and attendant who were working that day had been trained and were aware of safety/emergency procedures.

Keziah and Tyler went to the carnival on Wednesday after a difficult day for the young woman, who attended her grandfather's funeral.

The University of Cincinnati journalism student, who just finished her second year at the school, wrote on Facebook about her grandparents finally being together again in death.

'It was hard and extremely sad to see you go but it's a blessing to know that you and Nana are reunited and living it up in Heaven,' wrote Keziah. 

'Rest In Peace Vincent S. Williams, Sr. You will forever be in our hearts.'

Keziah's grandfather also served, having been a member of the Air Force.  

The comments on that post soon filled with wishes of good will after people found out that she was one of the victims.

Keziah and Tyler have been together for approximately one year and worked together at McDonald's for two years, which is how they met.

Her mother Clarissa Williams told The Columbus Dispatch that she was the one who had to tell her daughter the devastating news when she kept asking for Tyler. 

When asked what she thought about the accident and if she was angry, Williams said: 'I just feel something went terribly wrong, something was overlooked that they should have secured more.'

Williams revealed in the interview as well that her daughter was heading in for yet another surgery on Friday. 

Marine Corps Recruiting South Columbus Ohio even posted a photo of Tyler on their Facebook page Sunday because they were so excited about his enlistment.

'Give him one! Tyler Jarrell is the first senior from Franklin Heights high school to enlist into the United States Marine Corps this year,' read the post.

'I'm proud to call him my brother. #FranklinHeights #Marines.' 

Tyler was also very involved in the local police force, having joined The Columbus Division of Police Explorer Program to see if he might be interested in becoming a cop.

Dillon King, who heads up that program, posted a photo on Thursday of Tyler posing in front of a paddy wagon in his police uniform.

He also commented on a photo of the young man by stating how much he looked up to the teenager. 

That sentiment was echoed by almost everyone Tyler knew, both young and old, upon hearing the news. 

Sharon Payne, who was Tyler's boss at McDonald's posted a photo of the young boy in his Marine uniform and wrote: 'He was a good kid who just passed his physical and was accepted into the marines last Thursday, i thought of him as my son and he called me mom.'

And in addition to his enlisting in the Marines and  working with Police Explorer's and holding down a job at McDonald's, Tyler was also very involved in the Boy Scouts.

A young woman who was on the amusement ride detailed what happened just before the crash in an interview on Wednesday. 

'It started normal, everything started normal, and then it started