Hot air balloon narrowly avoids disaster at festival in Ohio

CANTON, Ohio (CBS, KYMA) - An attendee at a balloon festival in Canton, Ohio captured the moment a hot air balloon narrowly avoided disaster Friday, July 24.

Josh Dermody recorded the footage at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival Balloon Classic, an event which welcomes balloonists from across the country and offers rides, live music, family activities, and food for attendees.

Footage captured shows a hot air balloon falling toward a field, making contact with the ground and then being dragged along the grass before lifting skyward again.

Two people appear to be in the basket as it floats away.

"Literally thought I was about to witness someone die in front of me," Dermody wrote to Instagram.

According to event organizers, hot air balloon pilots "put their precision to the test by dropping markers onto a target on the ground" as part of a competition throughout the weekend.