Accident in 1930 led to Omaha ban on coasters

That is a sad story but it seems the folks in Omaha overreacted a bit. How many people have been killed in tractor accidents over the years? Did they ban tractors?

Are coasters still banned, bc if they are this runins my master plan(s).

Is this the worst roller coaster accident in history???

Sounds a lot like footloose if you ask me.

I bet the Mindbender accident is the worst in history. I've seen some gory photos from that one.

The ban is just for the city...I don't see a big deal in that. Any park built now would be outside city limits anyway, like the proposed Papa's Park [whatever happened to that? Anyone?].

I sympathize with the woman for the loss of a family member and her own injuries, and this was definitely a case of maintenance error. Was the coaster torn down after the incident?

Good thing this didn't happen in Sandusky Ohio. :)

OlympicParkFan - the entire park was torn down in 1940.

does anyone have any pictures of mindbender

The last update from Papa's Park about Wild Escape was July of last year. http://www.omahariverfront.com/articles2003/20030612_amusementpark.htm

I haven't heard or read anything about it since that. :(

Which is really too bad, because with over 20 million people within an eight hour drive, a centrally located regional resort-park could/would do very well here. Although to draw upon those numbers, the park would have to be more than just a Wild Escape.

I hope something else comes along the way to satisfy a ripe Omaha market. (Preferably IN Nebraska, along I-80 in West Omaha. ;))

To Mamoosh

"OlympicParkFan - the entire park was torn down in 1940."

I read that part, but I didn't read anything about what occurred with the ride after the accident. Was it permanently closed? Did they reopen it after the accident? Did they tear it down ? I don't believe the article mentioned anything about this but perhaps I overlooked it. After all the accident occurred several years before the demise of the park.

Do you have any further information that might explain what occured with the ride (other than the town outlawing roller coasters)?

Since I like the history of these things maybe you can supply some??*** This post was edited by OlympicParkFan 7/19/2004 6:49:51 PM ***

Oh, sorry...no I do not have any more info.

Don't worry about it Mamoosh,

I found out that the Giant Coaster at Krug Park was taken down in 1931. I have also found out that Omaha Ne had a roller coaster operating in 1953 at Playland. It must have been outside the city limits.

Im 90% sure the outlaw isn't still in place.

Mamoosh- Steve Minard still has the domain wildescapepark.com registered, there was an article in a free local paper here (no website) last month that said he is "still moving forward with plans" but about a year ago the Council Bluff's city council basically ended any hope for the project when Minard couldn't prove he had has finances in line for the park by a set deadline. Also the proposed park was originally in city limits and to have been part of the river front redevelopment here which would go against that law.

Olympic Fan- Not sure about Playland, but up until about 1993 their was a park in Omaha called Peony Park with a Galaxy coaster opperating once again which would go against a ban on coasters.

I am 100% sure the law is not in place accordering to RCDB.com there are 2 operating rollercoaster in Omaha

I guarentee you that there are no operating roller coasters in Omaha... There were two that opperated up until 1993 at Peony Park.

RCDB Roller Coasters in Omaha here. I live in Omaha. We have not had a park since Peony park closed in 1993 or 1994, although it could hardly be considered a park in its later years.

Den,

The Mindbender accident was gory, but there were fewer casualties than Omaha. On the Mindbender, the rear car derailed and wedged between the track and concrete pilar at the base of the third loop, killing three and paralyzing one. The other 6 cars in the train were virtually undamaged. Those riders suffered minor injuries and serious emotional trauma.

On the plus side, the Mindbender is now one of the safest operating coasters, with best-available-technology wheel design, frequent inspections, and a redesigned restraint system that includes seat belts, lap bars and shoulder restraints. (It originally operated with only a lap bar.)

However, I've heard rumors that Mindbenders days may be numbered. The track must be x-rayed and inspected in detail before 2006, and because of the method of construction, this may require taking apart many sections of track. (A friend of mine works for an engineering company bidding on the work.) The cost of the analysis may be prohibitively expensive.

So Poeny Parks roller coastes dont count as coasters? I love Omaha, but its this kind of bull that makes me glad I moved.

Was that tractor thing a joke? Agriculture surrounds the area of Omaha, not in it. Might as well ban cars since there are more accidents with them than anything.