Two children got quite a scare this weekend at the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo. The children were not properly secured during one of the carnival rides.

According to the owner of Crabtree Amusements, the company that owns the rides, the ride was and is in perfect condition.

The owner, Patrick Crabtree, blames the problem on an employee who just wasn't paying proper attention.

Every year, the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo makes is way to town.

"I like the way there are animals there and rides and big, fun rides and games," said Lily Campbell, 5.

On any given day, the carnival grounds are crawling with children.

"I'm not going to ride absolutely everything, but I'm going to ride lots of rides and play some games," said Campbell.

This weekend, a ride called Sky Fire, gave two children an all-too-real scare. Crabtree says they boarded Sky Fire, a pendulum-like ride, but were not properly restrained in their seats. The children were not injured, just frightened.

"They check all the…nuts, bolts, look for any cracks in the structure," said Dan Dudley, the safety coordinator of the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo.

Dudley says he and his crew inspect the rides each day and that the problem was an operator error.

Dudley says the children pulled the lap bar down first, which prevented the over-head restraint from closing. A problem he says should've been caught by the operator.

"Rides don't hurt people. People hurt people," said Dudley.

According to the Texas Department of Insurance, state law requires all rides to be inspected once a year by the insurance company that covers the ride. Check for proof of that inspection, a sticker on each ride, to make sure it's current.

Also look for the posted information on how to report an amusement ride that appears to be unsafe or to report an operator that appears to be violating the law. It's usually at the main entrance or at the ticket booths.

Be sure to look for posted height and weight restrictions for riders on certain rides. These things can help ensure that carnival rides are safe, and that they're only as frightening as they're intended.

The Texas Department of Insurance says the sky fire ride was in compliance. It was inspected in October. As for the employee involved, he has been reassigned to a ride that requires less oversight.