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Ride Accidents Here are the ride accidents. Here at Amusement Mania, we like to tell people about all the accidents. Tuesday January 30, 2001- A woman was injured at Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California when she fell and struck her head on the park's Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The woman's boat lurched forward suddenly as she was exiting the ride. She fell and hit her head on a bench. The victim was taken to an area hospital where she was treated for head and neck pain, and possibly a concussion. Disneyland has reported the accident to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, and the ride has been shut down pending a safety evaluation. Saturday January 27, 2001- At Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, an employee was seriously injured on the Calico Railroad ride when he somehow got trapped underneath the cowcatcher of the locomotive. The accident is reported to have happened just as the train was beginning its course. The victim, who was working as the train's conductor, was freed by firefighters who used the Jaws of Life to lift the train off of him. He was then airlifted to UCI Medical Center in Orange, California where he was hospitalized with multiple fractures to one leg, and a fractured foot on his other leg. While his injuries are serious, a hospital spokeswoman says they are not life-threatening, and that the man is not in danger of losing a leg. In 1996, a 56-year-old man was killed while working as the conductor of the Calico Railroad. He was crushed to death while trying to separate two of the ride's steam-engine train cars. The Calico Railroad is now closed, pending an investigation by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. Sunday, January 21, 2001- A six year old girl lost a portion of her left index finger in an accident on the Tom Sawyer Island playground attraction at Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. The girl's finger was severed as she was playing with a toy rifle, slipped, and fell to the ground. Her finger got caught and severed by the trigger mechanism of the gun she was holding. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was told that doctors would not be able to reattach her finger. Friday January 19, 2001- A two year old boy lost his thumb at a fair in Royal Palm Beach, Florida. He lost it on "Lily's Palace" a kiddie fun house ride. it was sliced off after he fell and landed on a rotating turntable which his thumb got caught in. There was a similar accident last year where a boy lost two fingers on the ride. "Conklin Shows" the rides operator, has disconnected the turntable. Tuesday January 16, 2001- A jury has ordered that Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois pay 450,000 dollars to 15 people who were trapped in in a vertical loop in 1998 on the Demon rollercoaster. Investigators came to the concluded that the ride got stuck due to a mechanical failure. Thursday, December 21, 2000- At Disneyland in Anaheim, California, a 15 year old boy suffered a broken leg and foot after an accident on Disneyland's Alice in Wonderland ride. Police say they suspect the boy did not keep his feet in the car and one foot ended up getting caught between his car and a guard rail. The state Department of Occupational Safety and health is investigating the accident. the boy was treated at a local hospital and released. Wednesday, December 20, 2000- At Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. An 80 year old woman was injured in a fall from Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain log flume ride. The accident happened after the ride stopped. The woman fell into the water as she attempted to leave her boat and and step onto the loading platform. She was taken to a local hospital where she treated for injuries to her legs. Park officials inspected the ride after the accident and said no problems were found with the ride. Sunday, December 3, 2000- At a fair in Adelaide, Australia, A Sizzler Amusement ride collapsed, injuring a 30 year old woman and an 8 year old boy. Witnesses say they saw an arm of the ride disengage while operating at full speed. The women thrown from her seat and hospitalized with chest injuries. The boy was also hospitalized in stable condition. Six other people received minor injuries. Authorities are investigating the accident. Sunday, November 5, 2000- A 37-year-old man was killed on the Splash Mountain ride at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Witnesses say that the man stood up and left his boat in the middle of the ride. He was then struck by another boat. The victim was rushed to a local hospital where he died. Splash Mountain has been shut down pending an investigation. Sunday, September 24, 2000- At a company picnic in Crete, Nebraska, a swing ride partially collapsed, injuring 10 people. Investigators have determined that the accident was a result of structural failure. The ride, called "Big Swinger," is a 24-passenger swing ride and is owned and operated by Mid-American Catering of Rocky Comfort, Missouri. Officials from the Nebraska Department of Labor say that Mid-American never filed for a license to operate the ride in Nebraska, and that, subsequently, state inspectors did not have an opportunity to inspect the ride before it was opened to the public. Saturday, September 23, 2000- At Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, 25 riders were trapped on board a roller coaster after one rider's jacket got caught underneath a car, jamming the coaster train onto the track. It took local firefighters two hours to unload the riders, none of whom were injured. Friday, September 22, 2000- A four-year-old boy was seriously injured in an accident on Disneyland's Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin ride. The victim, who was riding next to his mother at the time of the accident, fell out of his car, was struck by a trailing car, and got pinned underneath it. The child was hospitalized and remains in a coma. Neither Disneyland nor police officials are releasing any details, however, it has been determined that the accident is not a result of a mechanical malfunction. Officials from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health say that their investigation will focus on the design of the ride's cars and, in particular, whether the lap bars are low enough for children. They will also determine whether or not the ride operators were properly trained to load and unload passengers. Disney is also conducting its own investigation. Tuesday, September 5, 2000- A police investigation into the cause of July's drowning at Lake Compounce Amusement Park in Bristol, Connecticut has concluded that the park, its employees, and the victim's parent all contributed to the accident, but that no criminal charges should be filed. On July 1, a 6-year-old boy drowned in Lake Compounce after riding one of the park's water slides. The slide, which is enclosed, carries riders who sit upon inner tubes through twists and turns and then spills them into the lake. Then, riders must paddle over to a dock, which sits in water about 10-12 feet deep. The boy fell off his raft as it entered the lake. Lifeguards found him a half-hour later, curled up in a fetal position at the bottom of the lake, beyond the dock, 15 feet below the surface. He never regained consciousness, and died one week later. The park says that the ride is for "strong swimmers only," but, at the time of the accident, children who were at least 46 inches tall could ride without a life jacket. Police say that the victim was never asked whether or not he could swim, nor was his father. Mike Kindelan, the manager of the park's water attractions, told Southington, Connecticut Police Detective Craig Fournier that he had previously expressed concern to his supervisors that there was no system in place to stop the pumps in case of an emergency, and that underwater safety netting might prevent riders from being swept out beyond the dock if an accident like this were ever to happen. According to Kindelan, his supervisors told him that underwater netting "could cause a hazard if someone were to get tangled in it," and that the ride was not equipped with an emergency stop system because it "takes too much work to get started up once it is stopped." Another lifeguard, Jason Darmofalski, told Fournier that he had expressed similar concerns to supervisors. Jeremy Novak, one of the park's lifeguards who assisted in the search for the child, told Fournier that the pumps were actually left on as park lifeguards searched for the child, and that even some lifeguards could not swim through "the strong current coming out of the slides." Detective Fournier also reports that he made several attempts to meet with Kindelan and Darmofalski, but that the two refused to meet with police in the absence of park management. They eventually hired an attorney who told police that neither of them wanted to be interviewed or give a statement. Detective Fournier reports that the attorney "stated that the men felt that if they were to do so, they would be subjected to retaliation from their employer." Fournier also reports that, in speaking about the water slide, Kindelan told him, "I hope it never opens back up." Kindelan, who is still employed by Lake Compounce, denies having ever said that, and says that Fournier's report is "misleading and inaccurate." "No park employee, either before or after the incident, ever brought safety concerns about this water slide to my attention," said park manager Tom Wages in a statement released by the park. Wages calls the police report "misleading." Saturday, September 2, 2000- At the Royal Adelaide Show in Australia, thirty-seven people were injured after the Spin Dragon ride collapsed. Investigators believe that several bolts sheered off from the ride, causing the passenger platform to break free from its mountings and crash to the ground. The ride is manufactured by the Fabbri Group of Italy. The type of ride is more commonly known as "Top Spin" and "Space Loop." Passengers sit in rows across a large platform, which is connected to the ends of two vertical arms. The rotating motion of the arms causes the platform to flip throughout the ride cycle, sending riders upside-down over and over again. Witnesses say that they heard a loud grinding noise as the platform completed a flip, then they watched the platform break away from the ride and crash to the ground, trapping some bystanders underneath it. Twenty-four people were treated at local hospitals and released. Five people remain hospitalized, three of whom are being treated in intensive care. Ten other people were treated at the scene. Witnesses say that the ride was having problems throughout the day. One witness saw workers making adjustments to the ride shortly before the accident. The accident is under investigation. The ride has been impounded by the South Australian government. The Spin Dragon is owned and operated by Wittingslow Amusements. Thursday, August 31, 2000- At Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, England, 14 people were injured after two roller coaster trains collided. The accident happened on "The Big One," one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world. Park officials say that a slow-moving train hit another train, which was stopped. Two people were hospitalized. Twelve other people also suffered injuries, including fractures, a broken leg, spinal injuries, and whiplash. The rear car of the train which was stopped and the front car of the other train were badly damaged. Four passengers in those cars were trapped until firefighters used special cutting equipment to free them. The accident is under investigation. Friday, August 18, 2000- A 19-year-old man who was working inside of a haunted house ride lost his left leg after it became entangled in the ride's track. Police officials say that the man's job was to scare riders in the darkness, and that he may have tripped onto the track. The ride, called the Monster Mash, is located on the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey. It has been shut down pending investigations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Thursday, August 3, 2000- At a carnival in Albert Lea, Minnesota, two women were ejected from their car while being let off a Zipper amusement ride. When the door of their car opened, the ride jerked forward, and the women were thrown out. One woman was hospitalized. Monday, August 1, 2000- At Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, nine people were injured after the park's Space Mountain roller coaster malfunctioned. Investigators say that a support arm came loose on the wheel assembly of one of the ride's cars, and then became jammed between the car and the track, causing the ride to come to a quick stop. A spokesman for Disneyland confirmed that the car derailed. One woman suffered a sprained foot when the floor of her car buckled. Eight other people suffered bruises. They were taken to local hospitals where they were treated and released. Disneyland has reported the accident to the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), as is now required by California state law. OSHA and Disneyland are investigating the accident. Park officials say that Monday's accident marks the first time the 23-year-old ride has had any mechanical problems. Saturday, July 29, 2000- At Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa, fifty people were left stranded on the Skylift ride after it stalled. Firefighters used ladders and cranes to rescue passengers, some of whom were left trapped more than fifty feet in the air. Most of the riders were rescued within two hours, however, nine passengers, who were left stranded in cars which stopped over the park's log flume ride, waited more than four hours until firefighters could position the crane over the flume ride to reach them. No injuries were reported. A park spokesman says that a breaker switch flipped, causing the ride to shut down. Sunday, July 23, 2000- At a carnival in Chemnitz, Germany, a 30-year-old man was killed after falling from a roller coaster ride. Police investigators say that the man was not wearing a safety belt, and that he may have been kneeling in his seat when he was ejected. Saturday, July 22, 2000- At a carnival in San Jose, California, a 35-year-old man and his 32-year old wife were seriously injured after cables on a swing ride broke and sent the two flying 50 feet through the air onto pavement. The ride, called Whirlwind, features two-passenger swings which circle through the air around a rotating and tilting tower. Witnesses say that the cables which were attached to the victims' seat snapped while the ride was operating. The victims were both hospitalized. The woman was listed in stable condition, and her husband was listed in critical but stable condition. Investigators from the San Jose Police Department say they are not yet sure what caused the cables to snap. A spokeswoman from Butler Amusements, the owner and operator of the Whirlwind ride, says that the company has an excellent safety record.
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