thrill ride severs girls feet.

[eleven]

just one of the reasons I DO NOT ride those silly rides!!!just too dangerous.

Actually the danger factor is really low, considering how many thousands and thousands of people ride these rides. Of course, try to tell that to this poor girls family---

I used to not ride the amusement park rides & it was mainly out of fear. Fear of something happening, fear of the ride itself, etc. However, about 2 years ago, that all changed & I decided it was high time to throw caution to the wind and just HAVE FUN! I have since gone on the scariest rides tens of times and to me, the fun totally outweighs the fear and I'm so glad that it does.

 

[hipmamajen]

Man, that's pretty scary. We have a ride very similar to that here in Denver, and we've all ridden it several times. It's a cool ride, but not cool enough to risk that! Poor girl!

I don't want to seem callous, but did anyone else find this sentence funny?

“As the ride came down, the wire swung left, struck the young lady on the back side of my children,” Williams said.

I'm guessing she was in shock and normally makes more sense than that... Or the reporter goofed.

 

[sillygoose]

I don't want to seem callous, but did anyone else find this sentence funny?

“As the ride came down, the wire swung left, struck the young lady on the back side of my children,” Williams said.

I'm guessing she was in shock and normally makes more sense than that... Or the reporter goofed.

Nope, the reporter didn't goof. If you can watch the video in that link you'll see it. The sentence doesn't make much more sense to hear him say it either. I think he was just really rattled. (the witness that said it is a guy, btw)

 

[Texana]

How would you like to be the employee who was charged with looking for this poor child's severed feet?

The whole thing just breaks my heart.

 

[OneLostGrl]

Actually the danger factor is really low, considering how many thousands and thousands of people ride these rides. Of course, try to tell that to this poor girls family---

I used to not ride the amusement park rides & it was mainly out of fear. Fear of something happening, fear of the ride itself, etc. However, about 2 years ago, that all changed & I decided it was high time to throw caution to the wind and just HAVE FUN! I have since gone on the scariest rides tens of times and to me, the fun totally outweighs the fear and I'm so glad that it does.

It seems to me that the odds of getting in a car accident are much higher then they are for something like in this story to happen, ya know?

 

[eleven]

It seems to me that the odds of getting in a car accident are much higher then they are for something like in this story to happen, ya know?

For sure, OneLostGrl....the odds of getting into a car accident are much higher.

I still have an initial element of fear of scary amusement park rides, but I've learned that I like the feeling of conquering that fear better than fear itself.

 

[wandering]

Here's an article and video with more eye-witness accounts. This is so scary. I feel bad for everyone involved.

http://www.wlky.com/news/13547817/detail.html?rss=lou&psp=news

Those cables should be replaced periodically. There should be someone keeping track of the life expectancy of the equipment. :furious: Seems to me the owners/operators don't think about that.

 

[southcitymom]

I love amusement park rides and agree that your risk of death and/or dismemberment is much greater driving your car to the grocery store.

That said, God bless this girl and her family and constant prayers that they can reattach her feet AND someone gives her gobs of money.

For those of you into such things, this site: http://www.rideaccidents.com/ gives detailed accounts of amusement park accidents since 1972. It's fascinating, but not for the faint of heart.

 

[Shazza]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=274899

Here is a snippet from Australia, we have a similar ride and your story has caused a bit of controversy as to whether our ride should be shut down or not.

 

[Cubby]

I love amusement park rides and agree that your risk of death and/or dismemberment is much greater driving your car to the grocery store.

That said, God bless this girl and her family and constant prayers that they can reattach her feet AND someone gives her gobs of money.

For those of you into such things, this site: http://www.rideaccidents.com/ gives detailed accounts of amusement park accidents since 1972. It's fascinating, but not for the faint of heart.

WOW! I had no idea there were that many accidents at amusement parks. I could not find the accident at Great America in Gurnee Illinois listed. It was the ride "The edge" the ride dropped 7 stories straight down, and at one time didn't stop when it should. I remember riding the edge before it closed and was never re-opened.

After getting stuck in an "eddie" and almost drowning on the Wolf river white water rafting my "thrill" ride days are long over. Someone died the weekend before and the river was so high had it been a half inch higher it would have been closed.

 

[southcitymom]

WOW! I had no idea there were that many accidents at amusement parks. I could not find the accident at Great America in Gurnee Illinois listed. It was the ride "The edge" the ride dropped 7 stories straight down, and at one time didn't stop when it should. I remember riding the edge before it closed and was never re-opened.

After getting stuck in an "eddie" and almost drowning on the Wolf river white water rafting my "thrill" ride days are long over. Someone died the weekend before and the river was so high had it been a half inch higher it would have been closed.

When was the Great America accident? - if no one was injured, it might not have been listed.

Yeah - that's a wild site - it's good to know someone is trying to keep up with these things and push for more safety measures.

 

[Cubby]

When was the Great America accident? - if no one was injured, it might not have been listed.

Yeah - that's a wild site - it's good to know someone is trying to keep up with these things and push for more safety measures.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...d=1&q=great+america+the+edge+accident&spell=1

No new rides were added in 1982. In fact, several were removed. In 1983, The Edge, an Intamin AG first-generation freefall ride, was added to much fanfare. However, after an accident in 1984 which resulted in the hospitalization of four teenage riders, the ride was shut down while safety mechanisms were installed. The Edge never regained popularity however, and it was removed in 1986.

Can't find the link again, but the other stated the edge failed due to software problems.... with slowing down the ride. No fatalities but several (4 at most) hospitalized. Link I found stated contrary to rumors there were no fatalities and the ride never regained it's popularity.

I recall it as literally being a cage, can't recall if we sat or stood. It dropped staight down 172 feet and had a small curve to slow the ride. Odd the ride was only open 3 years.......

This link caught my eye because my godson,15, is a thrill ride freak. I remember his mom taking him on rides- at Kiddieland in Melrose Park Ill as a preschooler and him saying " I'm not going to ride that again and you can't make me". I just watched him ride something called the "Skyscraper" in Wisconsin dells which was 160" or so, two seats on each end, NO hand bars, shoulder bars or waist bars. They strapped you in 8 times and you swing around with NO overhead cage...... and it went so fast you went upside down kind of like squirrel cages.

eta: pic of the skyscraper link.... wouldn't let me copy.
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2315331510044378802VJNMmw

 

[kazzbar]

A terrible tragedy.Prayers to this poor child and hopes she will recover .... amusement park rides need to be well maintained, how do we know that they are when we get on them? Sad and tragic but not altogether surprising.

 

[reportertype]

I love these rides. That accident was scary, but still not as scary as driving on Florida roads.

 

[Nova]

I love amusement park rides and agree that your risk of death and/or dismemberment is much greater driving your car to the grocery store.

That said, God bless this girl and her family and constant prayers that they can reattach her feet AND someone gives her gobs of money.

For those of you into such things, this site: http://www.rideaccidents.com/ gives detailed accounts of amusement park accidents since 1972. It's fascinating, but not for the faint of heart.

From SCM's link:

1984


Tuesday, January 3, 1984 - A woman fell from the Matterhorn bobsled ride at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, after her seat belt loosened. She was struck by an oncoming bobsled and killed. This was the park’s seventh accidental death in its 28-year history.

Friday, May 11, 1984 - Eight teenagers burned to death in the Haunted Castle attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey. A light bulb had burned out in one of the rooms of the attraction, and a 14-year-old boy lit a cigarette lighter to find his way through the darkness. The flame ignited some foam rubber padding which was used to protect people from bumping into a wall. A fire resulted, which quickly spread throughout the 17-trailer structure with the help of extremely flammable building materials. The fire eventually engulfed and totally destroyed the attraction. Fourteen people -- four of them employees -- managed to escape after the fire had started. Seven people were treated for smoke inhalation at an area hospital. Firefighters from 11 towns were called to the scene.
The families of those who were killed later sued Great Adventure, Inc., and its parent company, Six Flags Corp., charging them with manslaughter and aggravated manslaughter. The prosecution held that the park disregarded safety precautions, and that the disaster occurred due to the combustibility of the building, lack of sufficient emergency exits, and the lack of fire alarms and sprinkler systems. The defense cited a 1983 report by fire inspectors, which concluded that the attraction was safe for operation.
Great Adventure, Inc. and Six Flags Corporation faced maximum combined fines of $1.2 million. It was reported that they spent $6 million for their defense.
The companies were acquitted on all charges by a Superior Court jury on July 20, 1985, in Tom's River, New Jersey.
Saturday, May 26, 1984 - An amusement ride malfunction killed a 36-year-old man at a carnival in Pontiac, Illinois. A chain snapped on a ride called the Comet, causing the car, in which the man and his son were riding, to fall from the ride and smash into a parked vehicle. The man's son was also injured in the crash.

Saturday, August 4, 1984 - A girl died in a fall from an amusement ride.

Wednesday, August 8, 1984 - A 22-year-old male was fatally injured when he fell 60-70 feet from the upper portion of a Skywheel ride in Minnesota. The man died in the hospital while being treated for massive internal head and chest injuries.

(Emphasis added.) I worked for the law firm (Skadden, Arps) representing Six Flags on the case in bold above. The account is slightly misleading.

The families didn't charge Six Flags with manslaughter, of course, the State of New Jersey did. (The families filed a civil suit. I moved to Los Angeles while that was still being negotiated. I believe the case was settled, but I'm not sure.)

The State attempted to charge the corporation with manslaughter in what would have been a precedent-setting case, because no corporation had ever successfully been charged with that offense. (The D.A. allowed the park executives to plead out to lesser charges that were eventually wiped off their records after the completed a "pretrial intervention.")

We won the criminal suit, not because the park was blameless, but because the evidence showed that state inspectors had approved the construction of the Haunted House, which made "manslaughter" seem unfair. (And there was additional evidence showing that the victims themselves probably started the fire, which was not presented because we were winning and didn't want to look like we were blaming the victim. The account above of somebody accidentally setting the fire because a light bulb was out is almost certainly false. The evidence I saw suggested one or more of the victims probably set the fire as a prank. The problem was that crash mat that was set ablaze was made of synthetics that quickly gave off poisonous smoke; the prankster(s) and the other victims were quickly overcome and couldn't get out.)

All this is a long way of saying the following: a Haunted House is not a thrilll ride, obviously, but I was shocked at the many safety violations in the park's history. (In fairness, that was 22 years ago, but still...)

Though it's true that more people die in car accidents, that's probably not a fair comparison unless one somehow accounts for the time one spends in a car versus the mere seconds spent on a thrill ride. Even so, the car ride is probably more dangerous.

But I certainly wouldn't assume theme parks rides are safe. They are subject to human failure, corporate bottom lines and so forth.

 

[reportertype]

I love these rides. That accident was scary, but still not as scary as driving on Florida roads.

Oops. I meant to say the accident WEB SITE that scm linked was scary. I wasn't referring to this poor kid's situation. It's awful.

Didn't want anyone to think I was blowing it off and I couldn't edit my post!

 

[Shazza]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=274899
Another snippet from the Australian Media.

 

[Mr. E]

I love amusement park rides and agree that your risk of death and/or dismemberment is much greater driving your car to the grocery store.

That said, God bless this girl and her family and constant prayers that they can reattach her feet AND someone gives her gobs of money.

For those of you into such things, this site: http://www.rideaccidents.com/ gives detailed accounts of amusement park accidents since 1972. It's fascinating, but not for the faint of heart.

This is a great site; thanks for sharing. My family and I have an annual pass to Univeral Studios/Islands of Adventure in Orlando. We really enjoy our theme park! We like Disney World, too, but it is usually too expensive and crowded for us.

My husband was injured in a ride accident at a carnival in Seattle once years ago. Because of that, we've always stayed away from the cheap carnival rides because we thought they probably aren't as closely monitored as the bigger, more well-known parks. What a surprise to see so many of those familiar parks in the website you posted! I guess accidents can happen anywhere. When we were riding Bilge-Rat Rapids at IOA this weekend, our barge got stuck (this ride is like Kali River Rapids at Disney, the one mentioned in the website). A woman unbuckled herself and stood up, for what reason I don't know. I was so angry. An accident is one thing, but if you ignore the safety restraints, you should be prepared to be hurt.

I feel very badly for this girl who lost her feet. You go on rides to have fun and experience a thrill. What a terrible tragedy.

A couple of years ago a boy was killed on a ride at Epcot in Florida. It was this ride where you pretend you are going to Mars. I rode it; it's very intense and not really pleasant or enjoyable -- after riding it, my husband and I both said we would never go again. Shortly after that, the boy died. I was never able to determine the cause of his death. Anybody remember?

 

[Nova]

... A woman unbuckled herself and stood up, for what reason I don't know. I was so angry. An accident is one thing, but if you ignore the safety restraints, you should be prepared to be hurt....

I stand by what I said above about amusement park negligence. HOWEVER, most of the accidents on SCM's list were caused at least in part by riders' stupidity.

(Obviously, the poor girl who lost her feet did nothing to contribute to her misfortune.)

 

[southcitymom]

This is a great site; thanks for sharing. My family and I have an annual pass to Univeral Studios/Islands of Adventure in Orlando. We really enjoy our theme park! We like Disney World, too, but it is usually too expensive and crowded for us.

My husband was injured in a ride accident at a carnival in Seattle once years ago. Because of that, we've always stayed away from the cheap carnival rides because we thought they probably aren't as closely monitored as the bigger, more well-known parks. What a surprise to see so many of those familiar parks in the website you posted! I guess accidents can happen anywhere. When we were riding Bilge-Rat Rapids at IOA this weekend, our barge got stuck (this ride is like Kali River Rapids at Disney, the one mentioned in the website). A woman unbuckled herself and stood up, for what reason I don't know. I was so angry. An accident is one thing, but if you ignore the safety restraints, you should be prepared to be hurt.

I feel very badly for this girl who lost her feet. You go on rides to have fun and experience a thrill. What a terrible tragedy.

A couple of years ago a boy was killed on a ride at Epcot in Florida. It was this ride where you pretend you are going to Mars. I rode it; it's very intense and not really pleasant or enjoyable -- after riding it, my husband and I both said we would never go again. Shortly after that, the boy died. I was never able to determine the cause of his death. Anybody remember?

I do remember that incident. It turned out that the boy had an undetected cogenital heart abnormality. Disney was not found negligent in the tragic incident.