PKD Eiffel Tower accident like 15-20 years ago?

Hello. Someone posted about accidents on rides at theme parks this year. Does anyone remember if someone jumped off the Eiffel Tower at PKD like 15-20 years ago? I was small and remember that there was some outline of a body on the ground and heard someone jumped. Not sure how you can jump (with all the bars up there) but does anyone have info on this?

Thanks

I don't have any info except that it did in fact happen (Unlike some of the other Urban Legend deaths talked about at KD) and yeah, it was like 15-20 years ago.

I heard it happened too. There are 2 platforms on top of the tower. The bottom one has bars to the roof, but it is possible to climb over the bars on the top one. I don't know if they use the top one any more. They also have a level at 50 feet.

Of course jumping off a tower would not be categorized as an accident. It would be suicide. A recent case like this occurred when a woman committed suicide by jumping from a ferris wheel at the Navy pier in Chicago.

Yeah, it would be suicide, but that's a selfish way to commit suicide. The person could have easily landed on someone, which would have most likely killed them. Not very considerate.

Which is why you should always make sure you are in a distinctly clear area, because not injuring anyone else besides themselves is a suicidal man/woman's first priority. ;)

I'm not trying to make fun of suicide or anything I was just being a little sarcastic with the above comment. Suicide is a bad thing, I'd be sad if anyone I knew ever committed suicide. I'm sorry in advance if anyone is negatively affected by my comment. *** Edited 5/3/2004 9:07:46 PM UTC by Kyle Fobe***

Suicide is, by definition, selfish. It's an escape from your own problems, but it causes grief and hardship to everyone who knows you and loves you.

As for the one at PKI, I thought it was from the 50-foot level.

I can remember when we first went to Kings dominion all those years ago, my grandmother and grandfather were talking about it to my parents while we were going up to the top of the eiffel tower.

I was under the impression that the whole thing was caged in up top so as not to let it happen again, but thats just what I thought, not sure if thats true.

I do remember that when we went(not long after it had happend), you could still go up the steps to the top of the tower, so you may be right, Den

Almost exactly 21 years ago, a drunken young man (kid) at PKI (then just KI) was at the top of the Eiffel Tower (first level I think) and had climbed through the infrastructure and was sitting on one of the beam when he was struck by a counter weight, landing on top of an elevator and into the gears/pullies/whatever on top. It was Grad Night, he was mad at his girlfriend and drunk. For the record, in 1983, you only had to be 18 to drink 3.2 beer.

I had worked at KI for all of two weeks. My job that night, watch the employee entrance for police and coroner vehicles and make sure the press went to the appropriate place. I think it was the personnel office at the time.

This was a horrible thing to happen, and is one of my least favorite memories of working at KI.

There is another thread out there somewhere talking about the alleged ghost that haunts the park as a result of this accident.

There was in fact a suicide on the Eiffel tower at PKD.

The man jumped from the upper level observation platform which is why the elevator no longer goes there because they've since closed the upper platform to guests following the incident.

Tower Johnny was one of the attendants at KI's Grad Night in the early 80's He was intoxicated (As was the norm for those times) Now they check backpacks and if people are sober before entering on grad night.

The 50-75ft level of the tower used to be open and you could only get up there by the steps on each side of the tower. While he was up there he decided to show off. climbing over the elevator protection cage and started climbing the tower himself when he was struck and killed by the elevators counter weight.

The urban legend part is that anytime something strange happens at the park, Tower Johnny gets blamed.

Chuck, who says don't climb any towers or jump fences that are meant to keep you out :( *** Edited 5/4/2004 10:57:54 AM UTC by Charles Nungester***

Tower Johnny was one of the attendants at KI's Grad Night in the early 80's He was intoxicated (As was the norm for those times)

Funny misuse of attendants. Not being critical, just laughing at the thought of drunk employees being the norm. He was in attendance, or was an attendee.

I do however seem to recall that he was on the lower of the top two levels rather than the 50ft level. But 20+ years does a lot to memories.

I had a wierd thing happen to me on the way home from Kings Island last summer. I stopped at the rest area to pick up a cup of coffie at the little trailer set up for safety breaks. I got to talking to the old lady running the counter about my day at Kings Island when she got a very somber look on her face and told me the story of how her nephew had his head ripped off by the elevator.

She explained to me that one nephew entered a restricted area on the tower and thought it was cool, he came back and convinced his brother to go check it out. He ended up dead.

I have no idea if it's true or not, but I didn't get the impression that this old lady was lying to me. Even though I was curious, I didn't press her for more detail. She seemed very upset by the memory.

I know this question was years ago but I just came across it and yes it did happen. I was there in the Eiffel Tower and saw it happen. It was a man guessing about early 30s wearing a gray suit with silver pinstripes. He seemed out of it the whole time. He bumpyinto a couple people when they spoke to him and said sorry or excimer he didn’t register they said anything. We were waiting to get back on elevator and he climbed up on the top of the railing. They didn’t have the bars up above waist high than. He was holding onto a bar that went to the roof from railing looking down several people screamed and several people kept saying you don’t wanna do this, come back down please. The doors to the elevator opened and there was a girl that worked there the man jumped and it seemed like he hung in midair for a second and was gone. The worker screamed closed the elevator and left us all up there while they covered the body. This was I wanna say late August 1986.

estcstgrl: Mid-August '86 but close enough.
Lexington NC Dispatch article

It's odd, but I came across a similar discussion on ultimaterollercoaster.com recently (where this article was linked) but I hadn't been on that site in years.

Wow, I guess I never realized that the bars that form the “roof” of the top level and make it a complete cage weren’t always there. I just did an image search for the KI tower in 1972, and sure enough, it’s a tall fence, but wide open.

2Hostyl thanks for sharing that link. I never knew what his name was. I didn’t live in the area so never saw any articles on what happened.

2Hostyl said:

estcstgrl: Mid-August '86 but close enough.
Lexington NC Dispatch article

Ok, who's going with me to the 9:30 showing of Howard the Duck?

Vater said:

2Hostyl said:

estcstgrl: Mid-August '86 but close enough.
Lexington NC Dispatch article

Ok, who's going with me to the 9:30 showing of Howard the Duck?

Busy hitting up the $5.00 carload for Psycho 3. Getting the Plymouth Wagon ready.

Don't you mean PHYSCO 3?