3 injured on Flying Swings at Waldameer
Not sure if this is worthy of being news as the details are slim, but apparently there was an incident on Waldameer's Flying Swings (Zamperla Wave Swinger) this past weekend that resulted in 3 people being injured. The ride is closed but is expected to be back open soon.
The ride's manufacturer (Zamperla) is working to determine the direct cause of the injuries. We have no further information at this time.
Oh, Sorry, wrong park...
The park and news have been mum, but based on what I've seen on Facebook from alleged eyewitness accounts as well as photos of the aftermath, this is what sounds like happened:
- Kid unbuckled their seatbelt during the ride causing the ride operator to stop the ride before the end of the cycle
- Ride came down but continued to spin
- Riders on the outside seats came in contact with the operator's umbrella (backed up by picture of crumpled umbrella) and perimeter fence
Unlike older swing rides like at Kennywood and Cedar Point, riders on this attraction swing over the fence and other obstacles, so it's extremely important that the spinning ceases before the ride lowers to the ground.
Wow. It seems like this could have been easily prevented with common sense park design or ride control programming. If this is what happened, sounds like a big lawsuit.
-Travis
www.youtube.com/TSVisits
Yeah, this sounds like the way the ride was programmed to e-stop wasn't a safe way to stop with riders on board.
...or the installation violated the manufacturer guidelines (which presumably know what the e-stop envelope is).
Zamperla should really stick to coasters that go over 100 mph and forth and back and forth.
Promoter of fog.
In my nightmare the Windseeker ride keeps spinning after it lowers to the ground, sending those rigid-armed chairs into the queue, the canopy, the gate, the sign, the doghouse…
I get why it’s necessary to have an e-stop button but it seems when used it presents an equally (if not more) dangerous situation.
Total speculation on my part...
NFPA 70:525, better known as the National Electric Code requires all (portable) rides have a full electrical disconnect located within 6' of the operator. Waldameer's ride is obviously not portable, but is very likely a portable model, and probably has such a disconnect as part of its control panel.
My expectation is that if the power is dumped on a ride like that, the hydraulics will drain, lowering the ride, the drive will stop, and possibly the brake will apply. This sequence of events could be very bad for the ride, bringing the center to a sudden stop. This would be bad for the riders, as it would tend to cause the swings to wrap around the center of the ride. For this reason, most if not all rides of this type have a pin holding the ride together at the top. If the ride comes to a sudden halt, the momentum of the sweeps will cause that pin to shear, and the ride will free-wheel until it comes to a much more gradual halt. Fixing it isn't exactly pleasant, but in theory at least it will limit the damage to the passengers.
Such rides generally also have a "Ride Stop" button on the control panel which does not kill the power to the ride, but instead brings it to a controlled stop and brings it down, which would be the preferred way to end the ride cycle.
Again, I know nothing about the incident and very little about the particular ride, apart from what has been published. But to me, this would be a 'plausible' scenario which would explain why the ride continued to turn once it had been lowered.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
/X\ _ *** Respect rides. They do not respect you. ***
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If I recall correctly from working at the park a hundred years ago, the Zamperla Lolly Swings at CP's Camp Snoopy slowed down and then lowered when the E-Stop was pushed. We had to test it every morning.
Which brings me to ask, wouldn't the ride at Waldameer get an E-Stop check each morning too. Isn't that standard procedure for any park?
-Travis
www.youtube.com/TSVisits
When I worked in Dinoland at Animal Kingdom I remember the Triceratop Spin (Dumbo model spinning ride) had the e-stop test every morning and (if my memory serves me) it would keep the ride elevated. This was to be used if there was an intrusion in the ride envelope amd we didn't want the vehicles to lower into the parked position.
We also had a ride stop that quickly and forcefully ended the cycle that was to be avoided when possible and then a cycle stop that would start a standard ending to the ride cycle as soon as it was pressed, which is what we would use when there was a sick or misbehaving guest.
My foot hit that operators awning when I was riding the ride. I'm around 6-2, long legs too.
Keep your seatbelts on!
The one thing to remember about an EStop - even if it is tested - is that the behavior of the swings will be different if loaded than empty. This obviously should be something that was "designed in", but I could certainly see the ride spinning longer and the seats swinging out slightly farther with people on board than when testing an ESTOP empty. I'm guessing during construction the ride would have been tested with some form of weights to simulate people riding the ride, but how often that is done is a different story.
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