A family day at the fair turned into a frightening situation in Florida recently, when mom Sheri Pinkerton found herself dangling from the "Crazy Bus" ride, nearly 40 feet above the crowd ... clinging to her two-year-old daughter. The pair had been exiting the ride when it suddenly started up again, trapping Sheri's leg and lifting them both into the air.

Sheri found herself struggling to hold on, and a group of onlookers below were urging her to let go of the child. So Sheri made a gut-wrenching decision -- the only one she could make -- and let go, forcing her frightened daughter to let go of her shirt in the process. I can't even imagine. Her toddler fell safely into the arms of bystanders, and carnival officials used a ladder to rescue Sheri and other trapped passengers.

I think every mother's instinct would be to hold on for dear life, no matter what. But Sheri had the presence of mind to realize that if they both fell together, it could end badly. It's obvious from this video that she's still struggling with her decision and from the stress of their ordeal. Fair officials think that the incident was caused by the operator forgetting to set the brake, but the ride has been closed while the incident is under investigation.