Take a 'ride' on the wild and risky side in today's Amusement parks!

The title here is my opinion, but it's an opinion formed over time and consideration of not just one story but a multitude of them to come out in the last decade or so. What headline got my ire and attention this time, to bother writing a general discussion thread? Well, this one:

With no safety oversight, Six Flags will investigate coaster death itself

...and why for so would the Amusement park who will be held to account in civil court, if nothing else, be the ones in charge of investigating the very accident which resulted in the recent death of a Mom out for a day of fun? Well, that's the heart of the matter, I do believe.

The investigation of the death of a woman on a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas will be led by Six Flags itself, because there's no state or federal agency responsible for enforcing the safety of amusement parks.

One may recall, they had said they were working with authorities to determine just how this lady flew out of the car. However, they weren't entirely honest...and I'm not even sure it's entirely their fault. That too, is the heart of the matter.

Six Flags initially said in a statement that it was "working with authorities" to figure out what happened. But it later had to admit that it was running the investigation itself because there are no authorities to work with.

No federal agency has legal authority to enforce safety standards. And Texas is one of at least 17 states that have no agency responsible for inspecting amusement park rides, according to NBC News' survey of state codes in all 50 states.

Sou rce

So what gives? We have staffs of people in Government from local to State to Federal who inspect, analyze and poke at everything from what a baby plays with in it's crib to the intricate mechanical details of an 18 Wheel truck in a major highway accident. Yet NO ONE outside the company who owns the equipment and employs the workers, is available to investigate a Roller Coaster after an accident right out of a Final Destination flick? Oh, there is a problem here, I'm thinking.


I submit that it's well past time there BE a general standard of authority in inspection and investigation of Amusement Park rides. It's done for Carnivals, Fairs and Circuses as routine business, to my knowledge. At least the Carnival I spent a bit of time working for side cash as spot help on sure had inspections 'a plenty.

This doesn't necessarily need to even be about making some new monster of an agency with overbearing powers and stupidity on steroids to boot. Why not simply add a division to something which already exists and has some of the most extensive experience in the field of mechanical failure and accidents as anyone in the world??

Just an idea and not the point of the thread to suggest, but one could start with the National Transportation Safety Board, at least for the fatal accidents like this?

After all...........

Nadine Kelley, who had been waiting in line for the ride, told NBC 5 of Dallas that riders who were sitting behind the woman said that "right when they came down off the first bump and hit that first turn, she flew out."

The woman was accompanied by two children, who were "hysterical," Kelley said. "They were saying that their mother flew out of the car."

Source

........ Not only should this NEVER happen, even one time at an American Amusement Park, but never should the people likely responsible (if only by pure unintentionally missing something) be the ones to investigate and determine how the death happened.

Thoughts?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


The makers of the ride, from Germany, are going to help investigate.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - A German roller coaster maker is sending officials to a North Texas amusement park to inspect a ride after a woman fell to her death.

Tobias Lindnar, a project manager for Gerstlauer Amusement Rides in Munsterhausen, Germany, told The Dallas Morning News that the company will investigate what led to Friday's fatal accident at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington.

Company to inspect Texas coaster where woman fell


According to witnesses nearby, the lady said something to the worker about not sure if the harness latched correctly. Possible human error for lack of a better word.
If shown to be true, why didn't they check her latch 2 or 3 times like the other riders?

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ETA: I wonder if the Park is hoping for a mechanical error rather than knowing one of your own employees was too damn lazy to double check for safety purposes.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I once thought i was going to fall to my death on a ride in black pool i was only about 10 and i got on a ride i think was called the Playstation it lifts you up about 70 foot in the air and drops you but i was slipping out of the harness a shat myself .

The only coasters I go on have hydrolic shoulder restraints. I just don't trust a simple lap bar. No way, no how. Period. Anyone who goes on those wooden coasters with a simple lap bar, is just gambling in my opinion.

I don't understand the safety harnesses on most roller coasters. How hard is it to put some racing style seat belts in the seats that can be fastened tightly. The bars/restraints on many of these rides are a one size fits all. Good luck if you're a skinny/small framed/young individual.

Smart theme parks have some different seating options (especially for larger folks).
With the shoulder ones, for smaller folks, they simply close more.

reply to post by snarky412



I heard that too, that for others, the bar clicked 3 times, it only clicked once for this mom, she said it to the ride people but, they said not to worry, that it was okay

www.rideaccidents.com...

^ that is a site where ride accidents are reported, the story of this thread is the first one listed

As much as I am for safety, I -DO NOT- want another government agency to be created to monitor this.

Most will probably disagree with me but I feel that when you climb on ANY mechanical device you are trusting your life to man made parts that fatigue and fail over time.

Whether it be rock climbing, amusement park rides, automobiles, motorcycles or any other machine.

There is always a certain risk involved. This is a very rare incident when you factor in how many people ride these things every year vs. accidents.....that's all it was, an accident.

The reason is simple. Like the man who died on the Superman coaster, she was enormous. Not just large. Enormous. It's obvious her size didn't allow for the restraint to work properly. However, the responsibility is still on the ride operators. First, they should have recognized her size would be an issue. Second, they should have done EXTRA checks to be sure, since obviously, she voiced concern.

At Florida theme parks, with modern coasters (not these old school ones), there are electronic indicators to let operators know if all restraints are not locked down properly, before the coaster goes. If it ain't green, you don't go yet. Most shoulder restraint coasters have some extra large seats for those with larger dimensions.

I'm no small guy myself, and fit fine on rides, but my chest dimensions usually mean I'm in the big guy seats for coasters. I can do the regular ones, but feels like my chest is being squeezed if I do.

There is always a certain risk involved. This is a very rare incident when you factor in how many people ride these things every year vs. accidents.....that's all it was, an accident.

I don't think so. This one sounds like negligence. It appears the ride operators ignored the concerns the restraint wasn't engaged properly, and ok'd it to go anyhow. There's a REASON they do those thumbs up checks. Obviously, the operator was lazy, and didn't spend the time to check on the woman's concerns (and failed to see she was too large for the ride).

reply to post by Gazrok


When you're really small, skinny, or both you slide around in those seats even on smallest setting.

reply to post by LadyofGlass


Yes, but if you review the cases where someone has fallen out, they are larger individuals. For you skinny ones, I imagine it is a pretty scary ride! Me? I don't budge much in them, hehe....

I do agree though, they should have some smaller seats as well.

reply to post by Gazrok


Just out of curiosity, do they have 'health guidelines' to follow as well?
Such as people with previous heart problems, high blood pressure, etc. can't ride a particular ride.
Because if so, she probably had high blood pressure as large as she was. Wouldn't want some one to die of a heart attack on a ride.
Just looking at the medical side of precautions that some parks have in place.

Many years ago, my husband and I went to Disney in FL. and he had talked me into going on Space Mountain, unfortunately it was closed due to maintenance.
They did have a list of health issues that if a person had any of those, not to ride.
Needles to say, my husband has had a heart attack since then, so he can no longer ride those kind of rides.
I was wondering if they had those warning signs at Six Flags.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000



I am certain to be flamed for this.....but here goes:

She had no business on the ride to begin with. She was way too obese. I have been there, and I didn't ride the rides either. One time I went on a ride and the thing barely clicked, and I could barely breath as I couldn't expand my chest at all. It was not designed for someone my size. And I was not her size, due to her having breasts.

Should Six Flags have known and done something? Of course! But in this country fat people ride scooters and decry their lack of rights. I know a couple. The wife is a nice lady, the hubby is obnoxious. They are both fat. They have a fat teenage daughter. Last week they all three got back from Disneyland. They all three went with their scooters. And they don't see anything wrong with this.

I am not thinking that people should ever be discriminated against. I'm still far from rail thin (having lost 200lbs, I am still below 300). But at some point we are going to have to acknowledge that roller coasters are not for the morbidly obese. Then there will be nothing to discuss.

reply to post by LadyofGlass


Agreed, I don't get why they don't have harnesses either. My best guess is that it would take too long to secure everyone, especially in certain countries *cough*.

Perhaps there should be a girth limit too.

reply to post by Domo1


There is. It's when the safety doesn't latch. Here is where the operator failed. He/She obviously ok'd it anyhow, and it led to the death of this woman. Or, the restraint was defective. Either way you slice it, it's on the theme park. Just a little more attention to detail from this operator or the ride inspectors could have prevented this.