RideAccidents.com is the world's single most comprehensive, detailed, updated, accurate, and complete source of amusement ride accident reports and related news. The site includes a record of fatal amusement ride accidents in the United States since 1972, and, for the past nine years, has recorded all types of accidents, including many from outside the United States. The number of injuries and fatalities recorded at this site does not reflect the total number of injuries and deaths that have occurred as a result of amusement ride accidents. RideAccidents.com is a nonprofit operation, and is not affiliated with any government agency, amusement industry organization, or consumer advocacy group. Please send questions, comments, and news to Jared Costanza at rides911@aol.com. FATALITIES 1972-1997 AMUSEMENT RIDES ROLLER COASTERS WATER RIDES RIDEACCIDENTS.COM NEWS ARCHIVES: FATALITIES, INJURIES & ALL RELATED NEWS STORIES (1998-PRESENT) 2007 NEWS ARCHIVE January February March April May June July August September 2006 NEWS ARCHIVE 2005 NEWS ARCHIVE 2004 NEWS ARCHIVE 2003 NEWS ARCHIVE 2002 NEWS ARCHIVE 2001 NEWS ARCHIVE 2000 NEWS ARCHIVE 1999 NEWS ARCHIVE 1998 NEWS ARCHIVE RELATED NEWS PAGES B&B AMUSEMENTS INTAMIN RIDES RIVER RAPIDS RIDES LAKE COMPOUNCE AMUSEMENT PARK DISNEYLAND INFLATABLE AMUSEMENT RIDES BUNGEE CORD RIDES LEGISLATION AND REGULATION SPECIAL REPORTS CPSC: RIDE-RELATED INJURIES IN DEATHS IN THE U.S. (2005 UPDATE) MASSACHUSETTS DPS AMUSEMENT RIDE REGULATIONS 2005 CPSC REVIEW OF RESTRAINT FAILURES ON MOBILE RIDES THE TROUBLED EARLY HISTORY OF THE RATTLER ROLLER COASTER STAY SAFE: AMUSEMENT RIDE SAFETY and ACCIDENT STATISTICS STATE REGULATIONS & LEGISLATION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION REPORTS RELATED LINKS Directory of State Amusement Ride Officials (CPSC) American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Outdoor Amusement Business Association (OABA) Responsible Operators of Amusement Rentals (ROAR) National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials (NAARSO) SaferParks MassTort.org Amusement Link One Source IN THE NEWS Lightning hits chair lift, leaves 38 hanging WYFF News July 30, 2007 Oklahoma considers water slide inspections Tulsa World June 17, 2007 Boy, 8, stranded alone atop carnival ride WJRT News June 16, 2007 Ride operator says he'd welcome more regulation Tucson Citizen April 12, 2007 Too Many Thrills? Another roller coaster death prompts speculation that the era of faster, higher and scarier may be coming to an end - Time Magazine, July 1, 2006 AHA: Thrill-a-Minute Roller Coasters May Be Dangerous to the Heart MedPage Today 11/16/05 Wild Water Park rides raise safety questions ABC News June 20, 2005 Are parks putting too much risk in thrill rides? St. Petersburg Times June 19, 2005 Disney World death raises calls for more oversight Associated Press June 18, 2005 Theme park safety KPNX-TV News June 15, 2005 SEARCH RIDEACCIDENTS.COM Hint: Try searching by location, using city and/or state. FEEDBACK Questions or comments may be sent to Jared Costanza at rides911@aol.com. This website opened on October 17, 1996.

BACKGROUND CHECKS Carnival worker beats fellow employee to death - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 9, 2008 Carnival worker charged with groping girls - KFSN ABC30 News, May 6, 2008 Carnival worker arrested on kidnapping, armed robbery warrants - Patriot Ledger, May 3, 2008 Carnival worker sentenced for kissing, licking girls - Associated Press, April 30, 2008 Free ride for criminals is over - Patriot Ledger, April 30, 2008 "The arrest of a carnival worker in Weymouth is just the latest indication that we have not done enough to ensure the owners of transient carnivals and fairs perform due diligence on the temporary workers they hire to operate their rides." Agency: Massachusetts puts out welcome mat for criminals - Daily News Tribune, May 3, 2008 "You might think that if someone wanted in another state for kidnapping applied to work in a school, nursing home or carnival in Massachusetts, that a state background check would mention the out-of-state charges. You’d be wrong." NEWS Click here to watch news segment from WGCL CBS46 News, Atlanta Carnival worker injured in fall from Roll-O-Plane (Sunday, April 27, 2008) - A carnival worker was hospitalized in critical condition after he fell 45 feet from the top of a Roll-O-Plane ride at a carnival in Hamblee, Georgia. Witnesses said that the worker had loaded two passengers into one of the ride's cars and noticed that the door of the car was not properly closed. As he attempted to lock the door of the car, the ride started. The worker held on to the door and was hauled into the air, then lost his grip and fell from the top of the ride. He landed on a steel support beam at the base of the ride. Local firemen were called in to rescue the two passengers, who were left stranded at the top of the ride for about 20 minutes, but were not injured. The ride is owned and operated by Gold Medal Rides. Boy, 6, killed in fall from Ferris wheel (April 26, 2008) - In Berdsk, Novosibirsk (Siberia), a 6-year-old boy fell about 50 feet to his death from a Ferris wheel after he had climbed over the fence of a closed amusement park and boarded the ride, which had been somehow activated. The boy was left dangling from one of the cars for nearly 90 seconds after he apparently tried to exit the car. As the ride continued to move, the boy fell from a point near the top of the wheel. He collided with the ride's spokes several times until his body came to rest on the roof of a car at the bottom of the wheel, about 10 feet above the loading platform. Two other girls, aged 10 and 11, had also boarded the ride, but were uninjured. Police are trying to determine why there were no security guards inside the park, who started the ride, and why the controls were left unlocked. Most of the witnesses were children, but at least two adults -- one of whom recorded the incident with a cell phone -- were present. The adults can be heard laughing and joking throughout the cell phone video, which was later posted to an internet website. Police are trying to learn their identity. The video clip features a news segment from Russia Today. SHOCK PR: "We stand by our maintenance procedures ..." This picture, made public by the family of Kaitlyn Lasitter, shows the cable that snapped on the Superman Tower of Power drop ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom theme park last summer. Kaitlyn Lasitter's shoelace remains intertwined with the broken, rusty cable. Maintenance workers faulted in Kentucky Kingdom drop tower accident "For safety, best performance and long life of the equipment, a reliable preventative maintenance program must be carried out according to the maintenance guidelines. For damages caused by failure to follow these instructions or by changes in the systems … no claims can be made to the manufacturer." - Specifications of ride manufacturer Intamin AG (Monday, April 14, 2008) - Ride technicians at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom theme park never performed a hands-on inspection of any of the 10 cables on the Superman Tower of Power thrill ride that severed a girl's legs last summer, according to a sworn statement given by the park's ride maintenance manager, John Schmidt. He also stated that technicians did not lubricate the cables monthly, as recommended by the ride's manufacturer, Intamin AG of Switzerland. The ride's cables were tested periodically with a micrometer, he said. The ride manual indicates that maintenance technicians should conduct a "rag test" to detect for snags or fractures in the cables at least every six months. Workers were to perform the test by wrapping a cotton rag around each cable while the ride is set to maintenance mode. The manual states that "snagging of the rag on the cable indicates broken wires or some other significant flaw is present." Schmidt said that workers performed visual inspections of each cable, but that "It was never brought to my attention to check those cables with a rag for snags." When asked whether the ride's cables had been lubricated, Schmidt answered, "Not by a person, no." He then explained that some of the lubrication that was applied to the car rails would "end up on the cables," and that high winds would sometimes blow the cables into the rails, causing them to pick up grease. Schmidt believed that there was excessive grease on the cables, and that this would cause cables to slip on the drum as the ride was in motion. To prevent slippage, he said that corn starch was applied to the cables to dry them. Intamin's specifications did not indicate that corn starch be used at any time. Earlier this year, a 16-year-old ride operator who was on duty at the Superman tower said that she "heard something snap" as the car was lifted to the top of the tower, then moved into a position where she could see the problems with the cables. She then called to the other operator to press the emergency stop button. "… I was like, 'Press the stop button,' then by the time we did that, it was too late. It was already down." Six Flags denies responsibility for the accident. The parents of the girl who was injured, Kaitlyn Lasitter, are suing Six Flags for negligence. They are not suing Intamin or the manufacturer of the cable that snapped. The exact cause of the failure has not yet been determined, however one test by a metallurgical laboratory revealed that, while there was grease around the ends of the cable, "the center surrounding the fracture exhibited rust and cracks without substantial grease. "The cracks were prominent near the cable fracture site." The Kentucky Department of Agriculture continues its investigation. Safety through communication? Six Flags wanted deposition to be kept secret OSHA: boy who drowned at Great America floated for 39 seconds (Saturday, April 12, 2008) - The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has concluded its investigation into the July 12 drowning of a 4-year-old boy at Great America theme park in Santa Clara, California. In their 47-page report, investigators said that the victim had been floating in the water for 39 seconds before lifeguards responded. "In the security recording, at the time of the accident, the pool does not appear to be particularly crowded. Patrons appear to move in and out of the pool, and randomly around the pool, in a constant state of flux, causing the density of patrons in any one zone to increase and decrease randomly, particularly once the waves operate, as would be expected with any wave pool. Because of this dynamic, the density of patrons can suddenly increase or decrease in any one zone at any time. At the time of the accident, there were six lifeguards on duty. After interviewing all of the lifeguards involved, some of the guards stated that it was crowded in the pool, and others stated that it was not very crowded. "In the digital recording, the child is viewed floating for approximately 39 seconds prior to the lifeguard in zone #4 reacting to the event." OSHA officials said that the pool's safety specifications require Vigilance Awareness Training (VAT). VAT testing is failed when lifeguards fail to respond after 30 seconds. Also, investigators discovered that four of the six lifeguards who were on duty had been at the same position for more than an hour and a half, and one of the four had been at the same position for two hours. Pool specifications require that lifeguards spend a maximum of one hour at a particular position. Great America released a statement in response to the report, using the opportunity to promote the opening day of its wave pool and water park for the 2008 season: "California's Great America would like to continue to express our deepest sympathy to the family. All of us at California's Great America are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Safety is our No. 1 priority here at California's Great America and the most important thing we do each and every day. The park cooperated fully throughout the state inspection, met all requirements and received approval to reopen the "Great Barrier Reef" wave pool last August. The wave pool will open for the 2008 season on May 24 with the rest of the Boomerang Bay water park." Great America is owned and operated by Cedar Fair. Click here to download the complete 47-page report. VIDEO LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSXTrycC2oQ Ride collapses in South Africa (Friday, March 21, 2008) - Seven people escaped serious injury when an amusement ride called "Crazy Wave" collapsed at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, South Africa. The riders were taken to a hospital where they were treated for neck and back pain. The ride passed an inspection last week. Forensic engineers are investigating. Aichi Prefectural Government Worker killed while inspecting ride (Monday, March 24, 2008) - At Family Ai Land theme park in Nagakutem, Aichi, a 46-year-old park worker died while conducting a routine inspection of a whirling swing-type ride called "Family Swinger." According to police, the man was inside the ride's cylindrical support column when part of the ceiling structure collapsed on top of him. Man injured in jump from carnival ride (Friday, March 21, 2008) - At a carnival in Fayetteville, North Carolina, a 23-year-old man was injured when he jumped from a whirling ride called Scat while it was in motion. Police say that the man was intoxicated. Witnesses say that he removed his safety belt and climbed to the top of the ride, then jumped off. He landed head first into the metal frame of an adjacent bumper car ride. The man was airlifted to a hospital where he was treated for severe head injuries. State says deadly carnival ride was illegal - Victoria Advocate, 1/28/08 Carnival worker, 15, killed as workers dismantle ride (Sunday, January 27, 2008) - In Victoria, Texas, a 15-year-old girl was killed when part of an amusement ride struck her in the head as workers were disassembling the ride. The girl worked as a ticket taker for Blue Ribbon Entertainment of Houston, Texas. Workers say that a piece of the ride, called the Hammer Slammer, fell and hit the girl. The accident happened on the girl's first day of work. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation. Bangkok Post Water slide fails at Siam Park; 28 children injured (Saturday, January 12, 2008) - At Siam Park in Bangkok, Thailand, 28 children were injured when a section of a water slide gave way, according to police reports. Four children were hospitalized in critical condition. The slide, called "Super Spiral," is three stories high. Park officials said that the collapse occured at a section near the end of the slide that was about 6-8 feet high. Some of the children fell through the slide when it collapsed. Victims suffered head injuries, broken limbs, and bruises. Authorities have ordered the ride shut down and an investigation is underway. Some witnesses said that children were shaking the slide. The park accepted responsibility and promised to cover the victims' medical expenses. Three months ago, an accident on a log flume ride at Siam Park left one woman dead and five others injured. UPDATE: Overwhelmed with grief over the park's recent accidents, Siam Park president Chaiwat Leungamornphan has announced that he is selling the park. Shanghai Daily Roller coaster strands passengers upside-down; wind blamed (Monday, December 31, 2007) - At Wuhu Fangte Amusement Park in China's Anhui Province, 18 people were left stranded on a roller coaster for up to 30 minutes after high winds caused the ride's safety system to engage, stopping the ride's passenger cars as they passed through a loop. Some riders were seated in cars that stopped upside-down. The ride was inspected and found to be in safe operating condition. Six riders complained of dizziness or headaches, and were sent to the hospital where they were observed and released soon after. Park officials said that the park would suspend operations until all rides were inspected. Riders complain of injuries after roller coaster cars collide (Monday, December 31, 2007) - Thirteen people complained of minor injuries when a roller coaster jolted at a sudden stop. The incident happened on the Titan V roller coaster at Space World amusement park in Kitakyushu, Japan. A coupling between two of the train's six cars came loose, causing the slight collision. Another child killed in inflatable accident (Saturday, December 15, 2007) - At the Hoppin' Houses indoor playground facility in Castlerock, Washington, a 3-year-old boy was crushed to death by two adults who fell on top of him while they were playing on a bouncy castle-type inflatable attraction. The boy was at the birthday party of a relative. Reports indicate that the child may have fallen off of the attraction or was standing beside it when two adults landed on top of him. All three fell to the concrete floor. The death has been ruled accidental. The boy's mother was shocked to learn that Hoppin' Houses continued its schedule by hosting the next party immediately. UPDATE: Hoppin' Houses did not have a proper state permit to be operating and was ordered shut down on Monday. Statement from Hoppin' Houses owners Larry and Kim Hoff We are truly saddened and heart broken by the tragic death of Jacob Pierce and our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the Pierce family. We know it must be a tremendously heartbreaking, difficult period and we are deeply sorry for their loss. As parents of four children, we can only imagine how difficult it must be to lose your child so suddenly. No parent should ever have to endure this inconceivable grief. We realize the private party held a short time after the accident should have been cancelled (sic) and that it was not the best decision to continue the event. We sincerely apologize for this as to do anything that would be deemed insensitive would have been completely counter to our intent. Providing a fun and safe environment for children to jump and play has been the focal point of our business, our lives. However, we have closed the facility until further notice as a sign of willingness to assist everyone affected by this tragedy in working through this difficult time. RELATED STORIES -- INFLATABLE RIDES: Inflatable slide tips over at Texas carnival; 4 injured (3/25/00) Teen dies after accident on inflatable ride (5/31/00) Inflatable Titanic slide collapses at fair; 5 injured (6/2/00) One killed, 12 injured in inflatable ride accident (3/11/01) Another inflatable ride collapses; 3 children injured (5/20/01) Another inflatable ride collapses; 9 children injured (5/21/01) North Carolina slide was uninspected and overloaded, says state (5/25/01) Inflatable ride tips over at Michigan carnival; 2 children injured (6/24/01) Another inflatable ride collapses; 4 injured (7/15/01) Another inflatable ride collapses; 5 injured (7/28/01) Boy injured on Titanic inflatable (8/12/01) Another inflatable Titanic ride accident; 2 injured (8/19/01) Another inflatable ride collapses; 12 children injured (8/8/02) Another inflatable ride mishap; 2 injured (9/21/03) Report: at least 14 Titanic inflatable slides have collapsed (11/26/03) Turbo Rocket inflatable collapses; nine hospitalized (5/7/04) Another inflatable ride collapses; 8 children injured (6/27/04) Another inflatable ride collapses; 9 injured (7/30/04) Another inflatable slide accident; 7 injured (8/14/04) Another inflatable ride accident; 3 children injured (10/16/04) Inflatable ride blows away with children inside (4/9/05) Woman, 24, dead after fall from inflatable climbing wall (5/25/05) Inflatable rides go flying; 12 children injured (6/4/05) Another inflatable ride blows away; children injured (7/3/05) Another inflatable ride collapses; 6 children injured (7/28/05) Another child injured on inflatable attraction (10/15/05) Girl, 11, dead after fall from Titanic inflatable (4/20/06) Inflatable ride collapse leaves 4 children injured (6/10/06) Inflatable ride tips over in wind; 1 injured (7/1/06) Another inflatable ride blows away; 1 killed, 5 injured (5/3/07) Another inflatable ride flips over; 2 injured (5/27/07) Inflatable tossed 50 yards offshore with 2-year-old inside (6/9/07) Inflatable ride with three children inside blows away, hits fence, power line (10/20/07) Boy's clothing caught in Orbiter gears (Thursday, November 22, 2007) - A 10-year-old boy was seriously injured when his clothing became entangled in the machinery of an Orbiter ride at the Wings Over the Prairie Festival in Stuttgart, Arkansas. The boy was taken by helicopter to a children's hospital, where he was treated in the intensive care unit, then moved to the burn unit. Some news reports indicated the boy suffered two broken legs. Police investigators said that part of the boy's clothing "was entangled in the ride and his right leg was stuck between two pieces of metal attached to the ride.” Carnival workers had to remove two of the ride's seats and two pieces of fiberglass housing so that rescue workers could remove the boy from the ride. A relative of the boy said that it was the hood of the boy's sweatshirt or jacket that got caught. The ride passed inspections before and after the incident. It is operated by Miller Spectacular Shows. Log flume accident leaves 1 dead, 5 injured (Tuesday, October 23, 2007) - Two boats collided in an accident on the Indiana log flume ride at Siam Park in Bangkok, leaving one woman dead and five people injured. The collision happened after the power supply to the water pumps failed, leaving little to no water to cushion the boats at the end of their drop down the waterway slope. Witnesses say that the boats raced through the stop area and crashed. One woman was ejected from her boat. Investigators are focusing on two park workers who were supervising the water pump and generator. They have charged the two with recklessness causing injury and death. The ride was ordered shut down. Authorities are investigating. Inflatable ride with three children inside blows away, hits fence, power line (Saturday, October 20, 2007) - At a school carnival in Topeka, Kansas, a gust of wind lifted an inflatable slide from its anchors into the air, blew it against a fence and then into power lines. Three children were on the ride at the time; one was sent to a hospital with minor injuries. Carnival worker injured in fall (Tuesday, October 16, 2007) - While setting up rides for a carnival in Cocoa Beach, Florida, a worker fell 14-15 feet. He was sent to a hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. Riders complain of injuries after roller coaster mishap (Saturday, October 6, 2007) - At Six Flags America theme park in Largo, Maryland, 24 riders were left stranded ten stories in the air for up to two hours when the Two-Face roller coaster stalled. When the coaster train finally rolled back to the loading platform, some riders said it jolted to a sudden stop, leaving them with neck and back pain. No one was seriously injured. Park officials say that a safety sensor triggered the shut down. KOTV News, Tulsa Roller coaster accident injures 6 at Oklahoma fair (Saturday, September 29, 2007) - At the Tulsa State Fair in Tulsa, Oklahoma, six people suffered minor injuries when two cars collided in the loading station of the Wildcat roller coaster, also called Zyklon. Three children were taken to a hospital for evaluation and treatment; two other children and one adult were treated at the scene. The ride was closed temporarily to allow for an inspection by Oklahoma Department of Labor officials, who determined that the ride operator failed to properly apply brakes. The ride was found to be in safe mechanical condition. RELATED STORIES: Girl injured in another accident on Tulsa State Fair ride Inspectors uncover problems with Tulsa Fair rides (10/16/07) Photo: Mathew Star Woman, 60, in critical condition after fall from Ferris wheel (Friday, September 28, 2007) - At the Middle Tennessee District Fair in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, a 60-year-old woman was seriously injured when she fell from the top of a Ferris wheel. The woman fell 30 feet from the top of the ride and landed onto spokes near the center axle of the wheel. Rescue workers removed her from the ride and rushed her to a hospital. Initially, she was listed in critical condition, however she is expected to recover from her injuries, which include a broken collar bone, ribs and leg. Witnesses told investigators that the woman was standing up and waving inside the gondola when she fell. The ride was shut down as a precaution, and inspectors were expected to investigate. Teen struck by falling ride part (Monday, September 17, 2007) - At the Cullman County Fair in Cullman, Alabama, a 17-year-old man suffered minor injuries when a small part of an amusement ride either fell from the ride or broke off, then struck him. Witnesses said that the ride, called 1001 Nights, made a loud noise. The teen was not on the ride at the time. The ride is owned and operated by North American Midway Entertainment. A spokesman for the company said that the universal joint may be the part that broke, but the ride would remain closed until the cause was determined for sure, parts could be replaced, and the ride could be reinspected. Two thrown from fair ride in Dublin (Monday, September 17, 2007) - At a fair near Dublin, Ireland, a 28-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl were thrown from a high speed amusement ride. The woman was hospitalized in serious but stable condition. The girl was treated for minor injuries and released. The accident is under investigation. Car falls off fair ride (Saturday, September 8, 2007) - Two 14-year-old boys were seriously injured when their car came loose and detached from an octopus-type amusement ride at Beek en Donk in the Netherlands. They were taken via trauma helicopter to a hospital, where they were treated for serious injuries. Both victims are expected to fully recover. Investigators found no mechanical defects with the ride, and were expected to determine whether the car was properly attached to the ride, and whether proper inspections had occurred. Teenager injured on Gravitron at Washington fair (Saturday, September 8, 2007) - At the Spokane County Interstate Fair in Spokane, Washington, a teenage boy was injured while riding a Gravitron amusement ride. He hit his head on a metal part of the ride, and needed to staples in his scalp to close the wound. Witnesses say that the boy ignored safety warnings and climbed the walls of the ride while it was in motion. State investigators determined that the ride was safe and that the accident was the result of the victim's behavior. Twenty evacuated from stalled roller coaster (Saturday, August 25, 2007) - At Luna Park in Tel Aviv, Israel, 20 passengers were evacuated from a roller coaster after it stalled. The incident happened on a steel boomerang-type roller coaster called Anaconda, on which riders travel backwards and forwards through several inversions. The ride's train of cars stopped after it was lifted to the top of the ride. Officials say that the brakes jammed, leaving passengers stranded. After 40 minutes, riders were evacuated via a stairway that leads from the loading station to the top of the ride where the car was stuck. No one was injured. Man killed underneath inverted roller coaster (Saturday, August 18, 2007) - At Mirabilandia theme park in Ravenna, Italy, a man was killed after he was struck in the head by the leg of a roller coaster passenger. The accident happened on Katun, an inverted roller coaster that features cars that hang from an overhead track. The legs of riders hang below the seats during the entire course of the ride.The man was in a restricted area underneath the ride when he was struck. The girl whose leg struck the man was injured. The ride was shut down and officials are investigating. Phillipswi.com Octopus ride accident injures two (Saturday, August 18, 2007) - At the Price County Fair in Phillips, Wisconsin, a gondola dropped to the ground from an amusement ride called the Octopus. A man was ejected from the car and hospitalized with a broken back. His 9-year-old daughter was also injured. The ride is operated by Spectrum Entertainment. It had passed an inspection before the fair opened, however a spokesman for the company said that the part of the ride that broke was completely enclosed and could not be inspected visually. Ferris wheel collapses; 15 injured (Saturday, August 18, 2007) - A Ferris wheel collapsed at a fair in India, leaving 12 children and 3 adults with minor injuries. Witnesses said that the arms of the ride appeared to come loose. The ride operator was arrested. Police are investigating. Ferris wheel catastrophe kills five (Monday, August 13, 2007) - In one of the deadliest amusement ride accidents in modern history, five people were killed when a Ferris wheel car flipped upside-down at a fair in Busan, South Korea. The victims fell 65 feet. Four of them died at the scene and one died after being rushed to a local hospital. Among the victims were a 7-year-old boy and a 68-year-old woman. All of the victims were relatives. Two other passengers who were inside the car were able to cling to the ride's rim, 60 feet in the air, and were eventually rescued. The ride, called the Giant Wheel, reaches heights of 216 feet. It consists of 42 gondolas. Police are investigating. Girl, 17, trapped underneath ride in attempt to exit before stop (Monday, August 12, 2007) - At the Felixstowe Carnival at Langer Park in Suffolk (UK), a 17-year-old girl fell was injured when she attempted to exit a car on an amusement ride before it had stopped. Firefighters removed the car from the ride and freed the girl, whose foot was pinned underneath the car. The victim was taken to a hospital where she was treated for back injuries. Carnival ride worker struck by ride (Saturday, August 11, 2007) - At the Nevada County Fair in Nevada County, California, a high-speed whirling ride called Vortex struck a carnival worker in the head, knocking him unconscious for two minutes. According to witnesses, the man started the ride, then bent down to pick up a plastic cover that had fallen off one of the ride's lights. A helicopter transported the 30-year-old victim to a hospital, where he received some stitches and was released. He is an employee of Butler Amusements. EuroNews Two dead in carnival ride crash (Saturday, August 4, 2007) - A 48-year-old man and his 21-year-old son were killed when an amusement ride car broke off a ride at a carnival in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. The ride, called the Booster, consists of a giant arm with two four-passenger cars at each end. The arm revolves vertically around an axis and reaches speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. The victims' car detached and slammed into the ground. Two other people who were in the car were seriously injured. The second car was carrying two riders, both of whom were uninjured. They were left stranded 118 feet above the ground for six hours until rescue workers were able to free them by cutting through the ride's safety bars. The ride passed a recent inspection. Police are investigating. Boy, 3, injured in 25-foot-fall from Ferris wheel (Saturday, August 4, 2007) - At the State Line Heritage Days festival in Dayton, Ohio, a 3-year-old boy fell 25 feet from a Ferris wheel and landed on pavement. He suffered a fractured skull and was hospitalized in critical condition, but was expected to recover. The Ohio Department of Agriculture is investigating. WABC-TV News Girl, 15, injured in fall from Coney Island ride (Friday, August 3, 2007) - A 15-year-old girl suffered head and back injuries when she was thrown from the Polar Express ride at Coney Island amusement park in New York. Her injuries were not life-threatening. She was hospitalized in stable condition. The New York Department of Buildings is investigating. Some witnesses said that the girl was waving to friends and may have tried to stand up. A Department spokesman said it appeared that the girl's safety bar broke while the ride was in motion. WRC-TV NBC4 News Girl, 6, injured in fall from Octopus ride (Friday, August 3, 2007) - At Six Flags America theme park in Largo, Maryland, a 6-year-old girl was injured when she fell from the park's Octopus ride. Witnesses said that the girl stood up as the ride was in motion. Park officials say the girl fell about four feet. Some witnesses claim she fell over 15 feet. The girl was flown to a hospital for treatment of her injuries, which were considered to be relatively minor. EDITORIAL A Fresh Look At Ride Safety - Kathy Fackler, Saferparks.org (April 4, 2008) 2007 NEWS ARCHIVE January - February - March - April - May - June - July