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Manufacturer adds modifications to Re-Mix II(September 24, 2009) - An amusement ride that ejected a 15-year-old girl at a New Hampshire carnival on Sunday has reopened following modifications by its designer, Tivoli Manufacturing. Investigators concluded that the girl slipped from underneath her seat's overhead restraint, partially because a portion of her body was able to fit through a gap between the side rail and the overhead restraint. New safety rails were added to the sides of the passenger seats to close that gap and prevent future ejections."We believe she slipped out under the restraint, but if this rail had been in place and this person had been kept behind this restraint, we don't believe it would have been possible for this person to be ejected," said Briggs Lockwood, director of the New Hampshire Bureau of Tramway and Amusement Ride Safety. Tivoli reports that there are six similar rides in the United States, and that the new rails would be installed on each of them.
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Re-mix II riders are secured by an over-the-shoulder restraint device. All of the restraints were in place when the ride came to a stop. Investigators have begun inspecting the ride and interviewing witnesses. The ride is only two years old; it is manufactured by Tivoli and operated by Fiesta Shows of Seabrook, N.H. UPDATE: Although investigators have not yet reached any conclusions about the cause of the accident, initial reports indicate that inspectors have yet to find any evidence to suggest that the accident was caused by a mechanical malfunction, operator error, or rider misbehavior. The ride remains closed and representatives of Tivoli are in New Hampshire to join the investigation.
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Girl, 11, killed in fall from log flume(September 7, 2009) - At a festival in Bavaria, Germany, an 11-year-old girl was killed in a 30-foot-fall from a log flume ride called Wildwater. She was alone in her car and fell when from one of the ride's highest points. She died while being transported by helicopter to a hospital in Munich.Inspectors found no evidence that the ride malfunctioned. They said that the ride's safety restraints were working, and could not explain how the girl fell. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kings Island: 'Son of Beast' shut down indefinitely Associated Press, August 10, 2009
A special rope rescue team evacuated the riders using stretchers and spinal boards. Ambulances transported
riders to hospitals for treatment. Most were released after they received treatment for relatively minor injuries.
At least one of the victims was scheduled to undergo facial surgery.
Thirty-two people were aboard the ride at the time of the accident.
The Big Dipper, a wooden roller coaster, opened in 1923. The ride has been shut down pending an investigation by the
Health and Safety Executive.
UPDATE: Firehawk reopened August 9 after inspectors found it to be in proper operating condition.
The riders were underwater for 20 seconds, locked in their seats with seat belts.
"It flipped over with us in it. We were in our seatbelts upside down," said one of the riders.
"We kept fighting and squirming until we could get our seatbelts off and get out."
The park offered the riders season passes and asked them to sign forms releasing the park of liability; both offers were refused.
The ride has been shut down.
In 1999, five people suffered injuries after their raft capsized on the same ride. That accident happened when two of the ride's rafts
were too close together during the ride, and they began bumping each other until one finally flipped over. The passengers became trapped
upside-down in their seats beneath the surface of the water until park personnel freed them.
In 2001, a raft filled with park employees capsized on the same ride. It was determined that the employees were rocking the raft and caused it to tip.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s amusement ride safety division has taken disciplinary action against the resort at least four times since it opened in 2005.
In 2008, state officials reported that Kalahari Resort is cited more frequently for safety violations than any other Ohio water park.
The most recent complaint cited a total of 11 violations in eight separate areas in the park.
At least five lawsuits were filed against Kalahari by people who say they were injured there.
In a May 7, 2008 letter addressed to Kalahari President Todd Nelson, Amusement Ride Safety Division Chief James Truex said inspectors found the resort had 14
fewer guards than its plan specified, and that two guards on duty had invalid certification. The department also found that “many water rides were operated
in a careless and unsafe manner.”
"We made a close loop toward the end of the ride and the whole thing tilted over and fell," said a 9-year-old
boy, who suffered a scraped wrist.
Another witness said she "saw the whole ride tip over coming over a turn."
The ride is operated by Tri-Star Amusements.
The man suffered was hospitalized in fair condition, and is expected to fully recover. No one else was injured.
The trains sustained minimal damage.
Thai police are investigating.
Botched attempt to switch train to another track
At about 2 a.m. on July 5th, a Walt Disney World monorail train, designated the Pink train, backed into another monorail train, designated the Purple train, near the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) monorail station. The operator of the Purple train was fatally injured; the six passengers on that train were treated at the scene. The operator of the Pink train, who was transported to the hospital, treated and released, was the only one aboard that train at the time of the collision.
Prior to the accident, the Pink train had been instructed to detrain all passengers at the TTC station and then to operate without passengers past the station and a switch to a point where the train could be backed through the track switch from the Epcot loop over to the Magic Kingdom loop. The operator of the Pink train moved the train past the track switch and stopped.
The Pink train was then instructed to back through the track switch, towards the Magic Kingdom loop. At about the same time, the Purple train, which was inbound to the TTC station, was instructed to stop at the station to detrain passengers. For undetermined reasons that are currently under investigation, the switch had not changed position needed to allow the Pink train to be routed to the Magic Kingdom loop, which resulted in the Pink train backing down the same track it had just come from, putting it on a collision course with the Purple train. The Pink train passed through the TTC station and struck the Purple train while it was outside the station.
There are indications that the operator of the Purple train had brought the train to a stop and had attempted to put the train in reverse prior to the collision. To this point in the investigation, no anomalies or malfunctions have been found with the automatic train stop system or with any mechanical components of the switch or with either of the trains.
The on-scene phase of the investigation is expected to continue for several days.
The parties to the investigation are Walt Disney World, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Orange County Sherriff's Office, and the Transportation and Communications International Union.
Disney reopens monorail after fatal crash
Six people were examined by EMTs at the scene and released.
Witnesses said that the trains were carrying passengers from Epcot after a fireworks display.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
The victim was rushed to a hospital.
The ride opened after park officials determined that it was operating properly.
One of the teens suffered minor injuries.
The ride is owned and operated by Magic Midway of Georgia.
Several other children suffered minor injuries when they were bumped or scraped by the ride
as it flipped several times during its flight.
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Boy suffers serious burns in go-kart accident
(May 25, 2009) - At the Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Florida, a 7-year-old boy
was seriously burned when his go-kart tipped over and caught fire. He was airlifted to a hospital
where he is being treated for second-degree burns on nearly half of his body.
The go-kart is owned by the victim's family.
Park worker killed in roller coaster accident
(May 18, 2009) - At PortAventura theme park in Tarragona, Spain, a 55-year-old maintenance worker was struck by a train
of roller coaster cars and killed. The victim was carrying out routine maintenance on the Tomahawk, a wooden roller coaster.
The ride was shut down temporarily, but reopened hours later after investigators determined that the ride itself had not
malfunctioned.
Teen drowns at Wet 'N' Wild Waterworld
(May 15, 2009) - At Wet 'N' Wild Waterworld in Anthony, Texas, a 14-year-old boy was found
at the bottom of a swimming pool. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital after revival attempts
by lifeguards and emergency responders failed.
An autopsy is planned.
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Boy, 2, killed by roller coaster after climbing onto track
(May 12, 2009) - At the Ducketts Common funfair in north London, England, a 2-year-old boy was killed after he climbed onto the track of a kiddie roller coaster and got struck by the oncoming cars. Witnesses said that the boy exited a bouncy castle where he had been playing, then made his way to the adjacent Go-Gator roller coaster, which was only a few yards away. There was a barrier between the two attractions, but investigators believe that the boy either slid through them or underneath them.Emergency workers rushed the boy to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
A spokesman for the carnival told reporters that the ride operator activated the emergency stop, but that "nobody saw the little boy until the train hit him," and it was too late.
The Health and Safety Executive is investigating. The carnival has been shut down.
The carnival was operated by JEA Manning and Sons.
Accident closes flume ride at Hersheypark
(May 9, 2009) - At Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a pipe break on the Coal Cracker log flume ride
caused several boats to bump into each other. One woman was evaluated at a local hospital and released.
The ride was shut down after the incident but was expected to reopen later in the week.
"We can preliminarily say it was a mechanical issue," said a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture.
“I want people to know that we take safety very seriously, we always have.
I want people to feel comfortable that I operate and maintain all my attractions
with safety in mind... I cannot stress enough, the ride was properly registered
and permitted. I went to the state and pulled documents (the inspection and maintenance
history of the ride) when I bought it." - Harry Mason, owner of Midway of Fun / Brass Ring Amusements
Collapsed Yo-Yo owner sues state over OSHA report
Calaveras Enterprise, 5/8/2009
“I want people to know that we take safety very seriously, we always have.
I want people to feel comfortable that I operate and maintain all my attractions
with safety in mind... I cannot stress enough, the ride was properly registered
and permitted. I went to the state and pulled documents (the inspection and maintenance
history of the ride) when I bought it." - Harry Mason, owner of Midway of Fun / Brass Ring Amusements
Calaveras Enterprise, 5/8/2009 |
Child, 8, injured in fall from swing ride
(May 2, 2009) - An 8-year-old suffered minor injuries in a fall from a mechanical swing ride at a carnival
in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Investigators believe that the child was began to come out of the swing
as the ride was slowing to a stop.
“There was no apparent malfunction of the machinery,” said a fair spokesman, and the child's size was
not thought to be a contributing factor in the accident.
The ride passed a state inspection two weeks ago.
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Carnival ride tips over; 6 injured
(April 17, 2009) - At the Puyallup Spring Fair in Puyallup, Washington, five children and one adult suffered minor injuries when a kiddie ride called the Lolly Swing tipped over. Fourteen children were on the ride at the time of the accident, most of whom suffered minor cuts or bruises.The ride was manufactured by Zamperla of Italy and is operated by Funtastic Traveling Shows of Portland, Oregon. It passed a state inspection on Wednesday.
Inspectors said it could take weeks before the exact cause of the accident is determined. Some have suggested the possibility that the ground, which had become saturated with rain, may have collapsed under the weight of the ride.
According to the Seattle Times, a Lolly Swing tipped over in Hollywood, Florida in 1997, injuring five people. That accident was blamed on metal fatigue.
But it was his fate that the clasp wrenched off the string and he plunged to death." - Abhishek Pesala, relative of 25-year-old V. Bhargava |
Safety cord snaps during bungee jump; 25-year-old killed
(April 11, 2009) - In Bangalore, India, a 25-year-old man was killed in a 150-foot-fall when a safety belt snapped during a bungee jump. Police said that the event organizers did not have a license to operate a bungee jump. Two event organizers have been arrested and charged with negligence.
RELATED STORIES -- BUNGEE RIDES
Woman breaks back in fairground fall
(April 10, 2009) - A 27-year-old woman was injured when an amusement ride car collapsed at the Chapelfield Gardens Easter fair in Norwich (UK).
The woman suffered a fractured lumbar vertebrae and was hospitalized.
The accident happened on a ride called Jumpin' Frog, which consists of rotating hydraulic arms that rise and fall as they rotate through the air.
The victim stated that the accident happened as the ride was coming to a stop. She said that the cars had just begun to slowly lower to the ground
when hers collapsed suddenly.
The ride passed subsequent safety checks and was reopened.
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Woman struck by amusement ride suffers serious injuries
(April 10, 2009) - At a carnival inside the International Exposition Center in Cleveland, Ohio, a woman was struck by a ride that had started before she exited to the platform. The woman had boarded the Hurricane ride and been secured into her seat, but then changed her mind and asked to leave the ride. A ride operator unlatched her safety bar and and allowed her to exit the car. The ride started before the woman left the ride's path. She was struck and knocked to the floor. She suffered a broken pelvis, wrist, and collarbone; 4 broken ribs, and a punctued lung. She was hospitalized in intensive care and was listed in serious condition.The ride operator is on administrative leave.
The ride was passed state and city inspections prior to the opening of the fair. It was temporarily closed until state inspectors deemed it safe for operation.
Official: Fatal Playland ride shouldn't have happened
Newsday, 3/19/09
Lawyer: Ride had history of breaking daily
Journal News, 3/21/09
$1.2 million settlement in Playland death
(Monday, March 24, 2009) - After two days of testimony in a wrongful-death civil trial, the parents
of 7-year-old Jon-Kely Cassara, who died at Playland Park in 2005, have agreed to settle their lawsuit
against the park's owner, Westchester County, for $1.25 million. Westchester County also agreed to established
a scholarship in the boy's name.
Cassara fell from his boat as it was traveling through Ye Old Mill, an indoor boat ride. The boy, who was allowed
to ride without an adult, exited his boat during the ride, and fell. He died from a blunt head injury. His
body was found in the channel.
The County was accused of negligence in the boy's death because the ride was understaffed at the time he died.
Joseph Montalto, the director of Playland at the time of the accident, testified that the ride should not have
been operating with only two operators, and that only one of the two workers operating the ride was licensed to
do so. Montalto also acknowledged a statement he made in a 2007 deposition that "Jon-Kely Cassara should not have
been permitted to be on that ride."
Newsday, 3/19/09
Lawyer: Ride had history of breaking daily
Journal News, 3/21/09
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Yo-Yo owner faulted for "serious maintenance deficiencies" in ride collapse
(Friday, March 13, 2009) - The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has issued a report that faults the owner of a Yo-Yo amusement ride for its collapse. Brass Ring Amusements, also known as Midway of Fun, operated the ride at a fair last May. The company is owned by Harry Mason, who is faulted by investigators for operating the ride with significant maintenance deficiencies. Twenty-one riders were injured when the ride suddenly collapsed.Among OSHA findings:
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Department of Industrial Relations Division of Occupational Safety and Health Amusement Ride Unit Accident Investigation Report |
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Infant critically injured after fall from kiddie train ride
(Tuesday, March 10, 2009) - At a mall in Cutler Bay, Florida, a 12-month-old boy suffered severe head injuries when he fell 2-3 feet from a mechanical kiddie train. He landed on his head, then was partially run over by the train before it could be stopped. Rescue workers arrived to find the child unconscious and unable to breathe on his own. They began CPR, revived him, then transported him via helicopter to Miami Children's Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.The Miami-Dade Police Department is investigating the accident and the ride has been shut down.
UPDATE: The boy died from his injuries on March 17, 2009.
"You think you go into a bounce house you're okay, safe. You're not safe."
- Kim Thurman, mother of boy injured in latest inflatable attraction incident
Boy, 3, injured in inflatable play center
(Sunday, March 8, 2009) - A 3-year-old boy suffered scrapes on his forehead after he became stuck
in the crevice of an inflatable bounce house. The incident happened at a play center called
Boomerangs Party & Play in Flower Mound, Texas. The boy's grandmother was waiting for him
at the entrance to the attraction, but after some minutes had passed, she realized something was
wrong. Initially, it was thought that the boy was kidnapped. Employees rushed about the building
searching for the boy, then called police. The police department and the fire department joined the
search for the child. An hour later, firefighters ordered employees to deflate the attraction.
The boy was discovered deep in a crevice, asleep. He suffered friction burns on his forehead.
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Roller coaster accident causes minor injuries
(Sunday, March 8, 2009) - At Jeepers amusement center in Albany, New York, several children suffered minor injuries after
a wheel of a kiddie roller coaster car broke, causing the ride to stop abruptly in the middle of its run. Two children were
treated for cits and bruises at a hospital; the others were treated at the scene.
The ride was shut down, pending repairs and an inspection.
Bungee cord snap causes near-fatal accident
(Thursday, February 19, 2009) - A 49-year-old man escaped serious injury when his bungee cord snapped during a
jump from a 400-foot high bridge over Canyon Creek in Amboy, Washington. The man fell into the creek as the cord
began to retract, when he was only about 25 feet from the surface of the water. He complained of feeling sore,
but suffered no serious injury.
CLICK HERE TO SEE RELATED STORIES |
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Roller coaster car derails; 4 injured
(Sunday, February 15, 2009) - At the Tourism and Trade Fair in Chennai, India, 4 people were injured when a roller coaster car derailed.Reports indicate that two sections of track rails separated when a bolt that held them together came off.
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Man dead after fall from roller coaster
(Saturday, February 14, 2009) - A 37-year-old man was killed after falling 30-40 feet from a roller coaster at Star City theme park in Pasay City, Philippines. The accident happened on a compact, inverted-type roller coaster called the Star Flyer.Park officials say that the ride's safety system was operating properly at the time of the incident, and that it is impossible for someone to fall from the ride unless he intentionally eluded the restraint harness before it was locked.
According to a ride attendant, the victim had asked whether falling from the ride would be fatal. Several witnesses reported seeing the man escaping from his harness as the ride began.
A lawyer for the park said that there was "no failure in the safety mechanism of the Star Flyer" that caused the victim's death. The man's restraint device was found in the locked position after the incident. Police are investigating.
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Naples Daily News, 4/6/09
Girl falls from Avalanche ride at Florida fair
(Thursday, February 5, 2009) - At the Collier County Fair in Naples, Florida, a 16-year-old girl fell 20 feet from an amusement ride called the Avalanche. She was hospitalized with five broken ribs and a bruised lung. One witness says that the girl's harness opened when the ride was at its highest point.The Avalanche consists of a 24-passenger gondola that circles through the air vertically. It is operated by Reithoffer Shows, and passed a state inspection before the fair opened on Thursday.
The Florida Department of Consumer Services is investigating the accident.