Millions of people simply love roller coasters or towering water slides at a water park - it's an opportunity to experience something extreme while remaining safe. But many, especially children, do not realize how unpredictable these attractions can be and how important it is to follow safety precautions... and no one is immune from technical malfunctions.
15. Traumatic Trauma on Cedar Creek Mine Ride
In 1984, in Ohio, USA, at the Cedar Point amusement park, a 5-year-old boy went with his dad to ride a roller coaster. During acceleration, he suddenly flew out of the trolley and fell to the ground from a 9-meter height, receiving a severe head injury. He was taken by helicopter to the hospital and connected to an intensive care unit. The boy was saved. The park administration closed the attraction and began an investigation into the cause of the accident. It turned out that there were no technical malfunctions, but the 5-year-old boy was too short to stay in the mount, and since such cases had never happened before, no one paid attention to this important point when allowing people to visit the attraction.
14. Brain injury on the Skyhawk ride
This attraction is also located in Cedar Point Park and is something like a huge swing 38 meters high, swinging faster and faster (maximum speed is 96 km/h). In July 2014, one of the cables broke and hit a woman with a child. The daughter, fortunately, escaped with fright, but the mother was seriously injured, receiving a brain injury. The attraction was closed during the investigation and reopened a few days later.
13. Collision between two trains at Willard's Whizzer
On March 29, 1980, at California's Great America amusement park, two trains with trolleys collided on an attraction. As a result of the accident, a 13-year-old girl died and eight other visitors to the attraction were seriously injured. According to the park administration, the electronics responsible for the correct intervals in the movement of trains down the 7-story rails - as a result, one train slowed down, and the second one hit it from above at a speed of 80 km/h. Many people were thrown to the ground where the stones were. The dead girl fell right there. fined $70,000.
12. A woman died on the Joker’s Jukebox Ride
On July 10, 2003, a 52-year-old woman took her 4-year-old grandson to Joker's Jukebox at Six Flags New Orleans. She was helping her grandson onto the ride when she was hit in the head by a passing car, and then hit again by the next one. The park employee had already launched the ride without noticing the woman standing next to one of the cars inside the barrier, where it was impossible to enter. The victim was taken to the hospital, where she died from internal injuries.
11. Severed foot on The Superman Tower of Power ride
In the summer of 2007, a tragedy occurred in one of the parks that frightened many. The Superman Tower of Power ride where this happened is 60 meters high. Everything was going fine until one of the cables broke and severely injured the legs of a 13-year-old girl. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors managed to reattach her right foot. Unfortunately, the left one suffered more and had to be amputated. After this, four attractions in this park were closed. The girl's family sued and won.
10. Batman Ride Restricted Area
In June 2008, a 17-year-old boy was decapitated on the Batman roller coaster at Six Flags in Georgia. This did not happen during the trip itself, but after, when he climbed into the forbidden zone. He jumped over two railings while trying to find a cap he lost on the ride and was hit by a moving train, which hit and killed him.
9. 3-year-old girl killed in go-kart collision
There was a case in Illinois where a three-year-old girl died in a Hi-Speed Race Karts ride. She was there with her mother. That is, the mother was driving, and the three-year-old was crawling over her mother, trying to climb on her. The mother collided with another kart, the impact was strong, the child ended up between her and the steel steering wheel - and died. The rules of this attraction prohibit the presence of people shorter than 150 cm in height, especially small children. It is unclear what the child’s mother was thinking when she brought him along with her. It’s unclear how and why she was allowed there with him.
8. The boy fell to his death on the Space Invader ride
In July 2001, in the UK, at Blackpool's Pleasure Beach amusement park, an 11-year-old boy fell from a ride and fell to his death. All day he and his friends rode the rides in this park. During the next ride, everything went fine until he suddenly began to fall out from the seat. According to his friend, the boy’s seat belt was fastened. The investigation did not reveal any safety violations and concluded that the boy was not sitting straight in his seat, was twisting around and leaning, which is why he eventually fell out.
7. Death on the Rocket Launcher Bungee Ride
When a 21-year-old boy in Ottawa, Canada, decided to go bungee jumping in 1998, he didn't think he was in danger. But when he was launched into the air, the fastening broke and he fell to the ground from 30 meters. The owner of the attraction was found guilty. Although the ride passed inspection, an investigation revealed that the rope connecting the anchorage and the rubber cable was twice as thin as required by bungee jumping safety regulations. For violations that led to the death of a person, the owner of the attraction was fined $145,000.
6. Deadly fall from the Raven roller coaster
On May 31, 2003, a tragedy occurred at an amusement park in Santa Claus, Indiana, USA - a woman fell from a roller coaster and was killed. The woman fell out after standing up in her chair at the moment when the trolley slowly crawled up to the first height in order to rush down. Witnesses say they saw the woman struggling to stay on her feet. When her empty trolley returned to the station, her seat belt was undone.
5. Cut in half at Texas Giant
A 52-year-old woman was walking with her family in the park and went on a roller coaster ride with them. During the trip, she was thrown out, and this was seen, among other things, by her son. They searched for the body for almost an hour. He was cut in half. Witnesses claim that the woman was spinning in her seat and was poorly seated.
4. Faulty Wildcat ride
On April 20, 1997, in a state park in Oklahoma, USA, a 14-year-old boy died in an accident on the Wildcat roller coaster. As a result of a system malfunction, one of the trolleys located above was thrown back and fell onto the one behind it. The boy was thrown out of his chair by the impact. He hit a supporting steel beam and fell onto the tracks. The boy died instantly. Six more victims were taken to the hospital with various injuries. The park was not closed after the incident, and park management maintained that they did not want to cause panic.
3. A boy with mental disorders fell from the Drop Tower attraction
On August 23, 1999, a strange and terrible incident occurred at Paramount's Great America park in Santa Clara: a 12-year-old boy died while riding the Drop Tower attraction. This is a tower about 70 meters high, on which you are first slowly raised and then sharply lowered down. Witnesses claim that the child began to try to get out of the seat on the way up, and when the high-speed fall began, he fell out of his seat. The park administration stated that there were no technical problems, but it was known that the boy had mental illness. this is not an obstacle to visiting the attraction.
2. Black Sunday at Kings Island Amusement Park
The night of June 9, 1991 was the worst in the history of this park in Ohio, USA. Accidents occurred at two park sites resulting in the death of three people. The first incident occurred on the Flight Commander attraction - a 32-year-old woman fell from a height of 18 meters, lost consciousness and slipped out of the fastenings. In another part of the park, a drunk man fell into a pond, and when two passing 20-year-old guys climbed into the water to pull him out, they received a fatal electric shock. The drunk also suffered an electric shock, but survived. Although the pond was fenced, there were no signs indicating that it was dangerous to enter the water. During the investigation, it turned out that the cause was a faulty water pump. This day in Ohio is known as Black Sunday.
1. Beheaded on a water slide at a water park
Recent Event: On August 7, 2016, a tragedy occurred at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City that left everyone in shock. A 10-year-old boy was going down the 50-metre Verräckt Slide (believed to be the world's tallest) when he was thrown off an inflatable raft and suffered fatal neck injuries. Two women who were on the raft with the boy later reported a possible oversight on the part of the water park workers. These women witnessed the boy's death. They saw that by the end of the descent he was practically decapitated. Currently time goes by investigation of the causes of the accident - it becomes clear whether all safety measures were taken, and whether additional ones are needed for the future so that this never happens again. The attraction is closed until at least the end of the year.
An amusement park is laughter and fun, balls and ice cream, carousels and roller coasters... However, the latter can become not only a source of joy, but also the cause of real tragedy. After all, attractions, like any equipment, break down from time to time, and this can be fraught with serious injury and even death of a person - as in these cases.
Death of two people in Australia
In October 2016, four adults died in front of their children on the Swift River of Thunder ride at Dreamworld in Australia. The loose round spinner seat on the water slide broke and came to rest in the drop off area. The six-passenger seat behind it overturned and fell into the engine shaft. Only a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl miraculously managed to escape. The children's parents, sitting next to them, died before their eyes.
Death on a water slide
This tragedy occurred on the water slides at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City. 10-year-old Caleb Schwabb found himself sharing a seat with two very obese women. The boy was seated first, the ladies behind him. Due to the disproportionate distribution of weight on the fastest section of the slide, the nose of the cart came off the surface, and it crashed into metal structure. The women escaped with broken bones, but Caleb had his head cut off with an iron rod in front of his distraught parents. Subsequently, it turned out that the attraction was working properly, just the light boy should have been placed in the middle. However, the attraction was closed permanently after the incident.
Death phone
Roller coaster passengers often lose items from their pockets while riding. After the attraction closes, they are picked up by attendants and returned to their owners. But 45-year-old James Young, who lost cell phone at the Raptor ride at Cedar Point Park in Ohio, I couldn't wait. He climbed over two two-meter fences with warning signs and was already starting to look for his phone when he was hit by a rolling ride cart. Young's relatives tried to sue the owners of the park, arguing that the fences enclosing the danger zone should be higher to prevent access to the attraction while driving, but, of course, they lost the case.
Tragedy in Zhaoh Park at
In February 2017, a tragedy occurred at the Zhaohu amusement park in the city of Chongqing in southwest China. While riding the Space Voyage roller coaster, a 14-year-old passenger's seat belt suddenly broke and she fell from a great height. Hitting on metal fencing, the girl died on the spot. As it turned out, technical condition the attraction has not been inspected since 2013. The girl's parents received compensation of $100,000 from the park owners.
Death in a restricted area
Aisha Leeshawn Ferguson, 17, of South Carolina, died on the Batman ride at Six Flags Over Georgia after he entered a restricted area around the ride in defiance of signs. The teenager wanted to pick up a cap that had fallen off while riding and was hit to death by a cart that approached at a speed of 75 km/h. The force of the blow was such that Eisha's head was torn off. A teenager who climbed two fences and ignored danger signs has been found responsible for the incident - and his own death.
Woman falls off ride in front of daughter
This incident happened at the Six Flags amusement park in Arlington, Texas in 2013. Rosa Ayala-Gaona Esparza, 52, came to the park for the first time and decided to ride the Texas Giant roller coaster with her daughter. However, while moving, the safety handle suddenly came unfastened, and the woman, in front of her daughter, who was sitting in the next cart, fell down from a 30-meter height, falling to her death. As the investigation showed, the culprit was the rather large dimensions of the deceased, which did not allow the handle to fasten all the way, and the inattention of the attendant, who did not pay attention to this circumstance during the inspection.
Fire in the "Ghost Castle"
This incident happened in the same Texas Six Flags Park on May 11, 1984. The "Ghost Castle" was built like a panic room with dark corners and mechanical ghosts. That time, one boy in the group was very frightened of the dark, and his friend, to help him, decided to illuminate it with a lighter. With one awkward movement of the lighter it instantly caught fire. plastic sheathing castle Firefighters immediately arrived at the scene. They managed to evacuate some of the visitors, but eight teenagers between 15 and 18 years old died from suffocation in the smoke.
Death at Disneyland
Debbie Stone worked at Disneyland's America Sings ride to raise money for college. The attraction had several rotating walls, and one day, while guiding another group of visitors, Debbie somehow ended up between the main and rotating walls. Visitors and other employees saw how the wall was squeezing Debbie and heard her screams, but did not know how to help the girl. Debi was crushed to death. Her parents sued the park owners, receiving small compensation for their daughter's death.
Roller coaster tragedy
The Big Dipper ride at London's Battersea amusement park has been plagued by misfortune. In 1972, a fire broke out here, fortunately there were no casualties. And in 1972, a real tragedy happened here. While moving, the drive of one of the carts broke and it rolled backwards, pulling the entire train with it. While accelerating, the last car could not stay on the rails and, overturning, hit the fence. Five children died and more than ten people were seriously injured. After the incident, the attraction was immediately closed and dismantled, but this did not help: the number of visitors to the park dropped so much that in 1974 it was forced to close.
School trip ends in tragedy
11-year-old schoolgirl Eva Jannot died in the British amusement park Drayton Manor, where she came with her class. While riding on the Splash Canyon water ride, a girl got up from her seat mid-ride to change seats with a classmate. However, at that moment, the inflatable raft they were riding on collided with a rock. The shock threw the girl into the water, and she instantly sank to a depth of two meters. They pulled her out already dead. The investigation showed that when she fell, she hit her head hard and therefore could not even try to save herself.
Three deaths on Keans Island
June 1991 was a bad month for the Kings Island amusement park in Ohio. Here, three visitors died in two tragic incidents in one day. The first incident happened in a pond next to the beer garden. A tipsy visitor fell into the water, and one of the employees was tasked with pulling him out. But while he was helping the unlucky visitor to get ashore, a short circuit occurred in one of the cables, and the water in the pond instantly became energized. Both men were killed on the spot. Almost at the same time, at the other end of the park, the safety bar of a visitor on the Flight Commander ride came unfastened, and she fell out of the cart and crashed to her death on the ground.
As a character in one famous novel said, the trouble is not that a person is mortal, but that he is suddenly mortal. No one can know the date of their death and, although it can come at any time, the last thing people expect is to risk death while visiting an amusement park - after all, who thinks about death when going on a fun weekend? But don’t forget that the “old woman with a scythe” can hide anywhere - in order to die, a person sometimes only needs to slip on the street and bite his tongue, let alone “roller coasters” and other extreme entertainment.
It's probably not worth remembering this collection every time you go to an amusement park, but once you've curbed the urge to go on rides, it could save your life.
1. Kings Island, Mason, Ohio
June 9, 1991 became a dark day in the history of the Island of Kings amusement park. It all started when one of the visitors fell into a pond located in the park. His friend, 20-year-old William Hayscott and Island employee, 20-year-old Darrell Robertson tried to save the unfortunate man, but in the end all three were hit electric shock, which was fatal for Haycott and Robertson. Just an hour later, another tragedy occurred - 32-year-old Candy Taylor fell from one of the most extreme rides and died.
It is rumored that since then the park has been haunted: customers have repeatedly reported that they saw a ghostly girl in a blue dress and other strange characters, clearly not from the world of the living. These stories became so popular that the SyFy channel dedicated one of the episodes of the documentary series Ghostbusters to the Island.
2. Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire, Wales
16-year-old Hayley Williams arrived with her family at the Oakwood theme park in April 2004 to have fun - no one imagined how the carefree weekend would turn out. While riding a roller coaster, Hayley fell out of the cart and fell from a height of 30 meters, receiving injuries incompatible with life.
The investigation found that park staff routinely failed to check visitors' harnesses and seat belts before launching rides, resulting in Oakwood's management being fined £250,000 (approximately $384,000) for negligence. After the incident with Haley, the attraction was closed for a year and then renamed "Soaked".
3. Action Park, Vernon, NJ
The reputation of the Action Park is hopelessly damaged by several accidents that occurred here over the years. This is due to various factors: the terrible technical condition of the attractions, careless employees and a complete lack of control from management. In the history of the park, at least six people have died here and many have been injured. Among the dead, one was electrocuted, another died of a heart attack, three drowned and another was killed when the cart he was riding on one of the rides derailed.
In 1998, due to numerous claims for compensation for personal injury, Action Park was closed. A few years later, it was renamed Mountain Creek and reopened with proper security and responsible staff.
4. Discovery Cove, Orlando, Florida
The Bay is part of Sea World, a huge theme park where adults and children can literally plunge into the world of sea animals, interact with tropical fish, and play with dolphins, otters and monkeys.
59-year-old British tourist Keith Clark, who came to swim in the wonderful pools of the park, did not know how it would end for him. Clark suffered from hemophilia (inability to clot blood), and he managed to cut his leg on a piece of coral. A few days later, Keith's condition deteriorated sharply, he lost consciousness right at the airport before being sent home to the United Kingdom. Clark was taken on a special flight to the UK, where doctors did everything possible to save his life, but the man died of sepsis.
5. The Cyclone, Coney Island, New York
The amusement park on the Coney Island peninsula is currently experiencing better times: Its popularity was much greater in the 1920s and 1930s, but the famous old rides, including the Cyclone (the world's first roller coaster, which, by the way, is called "Russian" in some European countries), opened in 1927, and the “Wonder Wheel” is still in operation. Despite the fact that the basis of the slides is wooden structure, the attraction quickly won the love of Americans, because they had never seen anything like it. The excitement was fueled by the fact that at the time of the opening of the Cyclone, one trip cost only ¢25 (now you have to pay $9 for the pleasure).
The world's first roller coaster killed at least three people; the ride's last victim was 53-year-old Keith Shirasawa, who broke his neck on one of the ride's first turns in 2007.
6. Gulliver’s World Theme Park, Warrington, England
For Salma Salim, a 15-year-old girl with Down syndrome, a trip to the World Park was the last thing she saw in her life: while riding the Ferris Wheel, Salma fell from a height of about six meters and died a short time later from a traumatic brain injury. injuries.
Later it turned out that the girl was supposed to travel with her mother, but the Koles employees considered her too heavy and put her in a separate booth. Unfortunately, neither Salma nor her mother owned English sufficiently to explain why the girl should not be left alone.
Apparently, shortly after the start of the trip, Salim got out of the seat (although, as the investigation showed, the seat belts were fastened) and fell out of the cabin. After the incident, the park was fined a large amount.
7. Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia
One of the most popular attractions of the Six Flags entertainment complex in Georgia, the roller coaster “The Batman: Ride” (can be translated as “Walking with Batman”) in 2008 claimed the life of 17-year-old Aisha Lishaw Ferguson. During the trip, Ferguson lost his headdress, hoping to get it, the young man climbed over the fence and fell straight onto the rails, along which at that time another train was rushing at a speed of 80 km/h. The boy died on the spot, thus repeating the fate of a park gardener who was hit by The Batman: Ride six years before the incident with Ferguson.
8. Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, Louisville, Kentucky
Batman is not the only superhero whose meeting could end badly for the average person. The Superman Tower of Power attraction at one of Kentucky's premier amusement parks also caused the death of one of its customers. “Tower” is one of the most extreme entertainments: first, passengers are thrown up several times, and then they can enjoy the state of free fall for several seconds.
On June 21, 2007, 13-year-old Caitlin Lesitter bought a ticket for the attraction, hoping to experience the thrill, the girl, however, did not expect that the “Tower” would turn out to be her grave.
During Caitlin's flight, one of the cables broke and wrapped around the girl's neck and legs. The young passenger was able to free her neck, but did not have time to work on her legs, and when Lassiter reached the lowest point of the flight, they were torn off. The surgeons only managed to sew the girl left leg, and the Superman Tower of Power was dismantled.
9. “The Big Dipper”, “Battersea Fun Fair”, London, UK
As part of the 1951 festival dedicated to Great Britain, the Bettersea amusement park organized a fair at which it presented the Big Dipper attraction, the British version of the roller coaster, to the general public. Although “Bear” was far from the most winding and whimsical “slides” of our time, it was not without casualties.
A little more than twenty years after its opening, in 1972, a terrible accident occurred at the attraction: one of the train cars became unhooked and rolled into reverse side, as a result of which five minor passengers of the Bear were killed and several were injured. The popularity of the “Fair” among adults and children fell sharply, and in 1974 it ceased to exist.
10. Haunted Castle, Six Flags Adventure, Jackson, NJ
The “castle” was a typical “panic room”: visitors walked around dark rooms, where they were frightened by ghosts and monsters. Many of them were quite convincing, but the guests of the Haunted Castle experienced real horror on May 11, 1984, when a fire started in the attraction building.
Most of the thrill-seekers managed to escape with burns and carbon monoxide poisoning, but eight teenagers remained in the “Castle” forever. All exits from the attraction were blocked, as a result of which the young people burned alive. Their bodies were so mutilated that relatives were able to identify the victims only by their teeth marks.
During the investigation, it turned out that the “Castle” did not comply with basic standards fire safety, for example, there were no smoke detectors and no system automatic fire extinguishing. Six Flags, through the courts, ensured that the attraction was recognized as a temporary structure, and its management managed to avoid liability.
11. Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Virginia
Unlike other stories in this collection, the incident that happened with the Italian fashion model Fabio is not tragic, but rather comical.
During the opening of the Busch Gardens amusement park, the Italian was invited to be one of the first to ride the new attraction, Apollo's Chariot, and while Fabio was enjoying the ride, a goose flying over the attraction crashed into his head.
The model was immediately provided with all the necessary medical assistance (his nose was damaged), but history, unfortunately, is silent about the fate of the bird.
Everyone loves amusement parks. These are wonderful places where everyone can have fun, relax, and get their dose of adrenaline (who's on the roller coaster with me?). There's a reason these places are called amusement parks, right?
However, in reality, not everything is so rosy here. Unfortunately, over the history of amusement parks, many shocking incidents have occurred in them. Of course, some of these incidents are due to park owners breaking rules or employees not following them; in some cases, parental negligence is to blame.
However, the fact remains that these accidents have left a stain on the reputation of amusement parks as a safe place to relax and get adrenaline.
Here are the 15 worst amusement park accidents.
Metterhorn Bobsled, Disneyland, Anaheim, California
The Metterhorn Bobsled with its steel slide is a model of the Metterhorn mountain of the Swiss Alps. In 1964, it was the site of Disneyland's first accident: a fifteen-year-old boy was injured after he climbed out of a ride and fell. Three days later he died as a result of his injuries.
Big Dipper, Bettersea Park, London, UK
Big Dipper, a wooden coaster in London's Bettersea Park, was the site of one of the most tragic accidents in the history of amusement parks. In May 1972, the trailer, which was being lifted to the start, fell off the rope and rolled back, crashing into another trailer. 5 children died and 13 more were injured in the accident.
Steel slide, Derin Lake, Derin, New York
In July 2011, Iraq War veteran James Hakimer, who lost both legs during an attack, died as a result of a fall from metal slide at the theme park based on the works of Superman - Derin Lake in New York. The slide was closed, but then reopened after it was admitted that James' death was an operator error. He should not have allowed Hakimer on the ride due to his disability.
Cyclone, Coney Island, New York, New York
Cyclone is one of the unluckiest rides in the United States. It was built in 1927 and has so far claimed the lives of three people. In May 1985, a 29-year-old man died after he stood up in a trailer and hit his head on a crossbeam. Just three years later, a 26-year-old man died after falling from a Cyclone. In July 2007, a 53-year-old man broke his neck while riding a Cyclone. He died a few days later.
