Broken limbs=More Rides

Is it true that if you have a broken limb that you can go in through the exit and ride coasters twice? It seems like I overheard this at SFFT once and was mildly inspired to go buy a fake air cast.

I'm thinking the short answer here is no. Maybe if you have a connection with a ride attendant, but that really doesn't have anything to do with a cast...

No.

Ok, so then it must just be handicapped persons.

Moosh, I would beg to differ with you here. I've seen *way* more people with a cast on their arm, or just an air cast on their ankle get into the train at the exit platform with their 15 friends who of course all have to be there to provide them with support because they're so helpless because their wrist is broken.

And this isn't limited to certain parks either. CP's horrible about it, Kennywood's awful, SFWoA is horrible, PKI lets it get by, SFMM was awful about it, need I continue?

I absolutely hate the way that people abuse this rule. If you're truly handicapped and can't stand in line for a long time or if there are steps to a platform that you can't traverse, ok, then you're allowed to jump to the front. But otherwise, I don't care if they have to virtually queue, or what the situation is, if the only thing wrong with you is an air cast or a cast on your arm, get your butt to the end of the line and wait in line like everyone else ... and oh yea, if you can't sustain yourself without only one other person with you (a riding partner) then you shouldn't be at the park that day in the first place. Groups of 10 or 15 jumping up beacuse of their "handicapped" friend (Cartman voice) "piss me off".

Not being able to whack it does not entitle you to a front seat ride in front of me ...

Edit: realized I forgot to address the main topic point here; at all the mentioned parks, multiple rides were almost *always* given, regardless of the party size or injury. *** Edited 1/26/2004 5:50:47 PM UTC by Impulse-ive***

Actually, Cedar Point's system is great. You're given a time to come back, THEN you go up the exit. That time is (roughly) how long you'd have waited in line anyway. Perfectly fair.

I agree that I hate when the system is abused. Hell, I *CAN* use the system (at many parks, anyway), and elect not to. Just because I "qualify" doesn't mean I'm not fit to wait in line like everyone else. Unfortunately, I seem to be in the minority on that.

People who not only abuse the system, but FAKE it, really get me mad. That's just low.

Three summers ago, my riding partner, who coincidentally is in my photo with me, blew out his achilles tendon. The summer was a train wreck for him with one exception: We had more laps on coasters than ever before. He had to be wheelchaired around the parks (Where he was affectionately given the name, "Numerbourg", from Naked Gun fame) SF, KW, CP, MiA allowed exit passes, but it differed at each venue. All parks wanted proof of injury. One person with a broken arm in front of us at Guest services needed a medical note from a doctor, but Glen only needed to show his cast which was from knee down.

CP--Gives a booklet that times were stamped. He couldn't ride a different coaster during that time. But, our posse of four, had the front car on MF, Raptor and Magnum. He would wait for us between times as we hit the smaller coasters.

SF--Just walk up the exit and wait 2 trains, pick a seat, but it could not be the front. They give you a ride, then you wait a train, then ride again in another seat. We rode Villian, B:KF, S:UE & X-Flight 8-10 times that day on an average crowd. KW & MiA were the same as SF.

Overall, I'm sure Glen would have preferred to walk. But, the parks did accomodate his problem.

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slowmotion said:
Is it true that if you have a broken limb that you can go in through the exit and ride coasters twice? It seems like I overheard this at SFFT once and was mildly inspired to go buy a fake air cast.

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Replying to the orginal question, I saw a guy at SFAW enter the exit and stay on the front seat for two rides. He then tried to stay on a third time on Batman: The Escape and lied saying it was only his second.

I complained to the ride op and she said he was aloud two rides, when I said it was his third she ignored me, and he gave me a dirty smile! I then told another ride op who was actually paying attention, and she made him get off. Did I give him a dirty smile back, yes I did.

Then to top it off they let fast track people on the front seat the next go so I had to wait three turns.

Oh, and did I tell you about the Mayan Mindbender line? Okay, I'm done now.

At SFA we were supposed to have exit passes (although I didn't have any at the Chaos that I operated). Because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we weren't supposed to question the patron about what their disability was. The only incident that I had that was kind of funky was when I had a group of deaf girls come up to me. To say it was an uncomfortable situation was an understatement, because I had no paper to write on, and no exit passes, and they were trying to sign to me. Finally, one of the girls pointed to the brochure for disabilities and I got the hint and let them in. In my opinion, they could've waited in line like many other deaf people had (there's a deaf university in D.C.), but that's neither here nor there...

At CP it depends on who's working in Park Operations that day, some employees give special access booklets out to anyone, for others its like pulling teeth for legitimate disabled persons to get a booklet. Along with that numerous people abuse the system, I believe you and 4 others can get on a ride per booklet, but I've seen as many as 8 or 9 get on a coaster with one booklet. I say screw the ADA its to broad in detail what the laws are, you should be able to question the disability, and I would think a Dr's note should be required.

At PKI should a disabled person want to ride rides they are required to get a Attraction Guide for Guests with Disabilites from Guest Relations. They can only get that guide from Guest Relations, not from the Wheelchair Rental Location or any ride entrance. The premise behind this guide is that should they want to ride say the Beast (or any other ride) they would go to the ride, where the ride attendant would log a time in the Guide. They would then have to wait the specified time before they could actually ride the ride. In 2002 this replaced the wristband policy, where guests did not have to wait a specified period of time before getting on.

So they had wristbands at PKI? Heh. At PC we went from having ride access cards to the disabilities pamphlet. If I had to choose between the two, I'd choose the access card. The pamphlets are too much of a hassle due to misinformation. Employees are trained to handle them one way and the guests come up and say that someone at the gate told them otherwise. I think that it would be more fair if at least one able bodied person in a group would wait it out in the queue lines. When that person or persons reach(es) the station, the disabled could then join them from the exit side of the platform. As for the rerides, I think that they should be entitled to no more than 2 consecutive rides on a busy day.

Last time I was at SFWOA they had the wristbands, which are great if you are or with a disabled person you can get in quite a few more rides than if you were required to wait in lines.

I think the booklet with time stamps is the equal way to go, in theory you wait the same amount of time as everyone else but just not in the actual queue's. Since the point behind special access isn't to give one an advantage but an equal chance at riding a ride that they can't physically wait in line for.

Why even go to the amusement park in the first place when you have a broken leg, arm, foot, or anything fot that matter beside the fact of...."I'm cool. I can easily have my 8 friends help me up the ramp and then we can all ride."

I remember from Great America that you could have up to 3 other people and yourself for the disabled pass thingy. Every major attraction was on the card and you could ride each one three times. The catch was that you couldn't ride the same ride until 2 hours elasped or something like that. So in a way it was fair about the whole thing with riding a ride, getting off and automatically getting back on.

The thing with SF is that they are not really promise keepers. I remember waiting for front row on B:TR, and I would be on the next train arriving, when I overheard the ride op saying to the "Broken Hand" boy that he would be able to sit in the front in about 3-5 cycles. Of couse, you know how the story ends, The boy gets on with his 3 friends and I, have to wait. I was pretty ticked off by then. Eventually I got my ride.

If you have a broken leg that's one thing, but a broken hand doesn't impair movement of your legs...

Its not primarily for people with temporary disabilities its for people with temporary and perminent disabilities. I don't see how a person with a broken arm or hand would or should be able to get a pass or booklet, isn't booklet and pass supposed to accomadate persons with disabilities resulting in them not being able to stand or enter queue lines due to their problems. I guess its just more proof of the abuse of the system and as long as people get away with it there going to abuse it.

It is time for the parks to crack down on these people. Most parks now have fastpass systems in place that allow you to "skip the line" as long as you wait an x amount of time, have handicap passes only work if you have obtained said ticket (in cases where this privilage comes with a cost it will be given away to disabled people for free). This way this person doesnt have to wait in line (which is the whole reason for the passes in the first place, to allow people who otherwise couldnt due to the waiting being to strenous for them) and still ride the ride.

No more annoying teenage fakers, no more troops of 20+ family members, no more people using their disablity (being deaf disables you from waiting in line, please!), no more problems.

Smaller parks obviously dont have any fast pass system but should implement a similar system if only for the handicaped.

Yeah, I really don't understand why someone with a broken arm or wrist would even need to bypass the line. I always was under the impression that the exit passes, etc. were for people who had disabilities that could not wait in line, such as people in wheelchairs just as one example.

I remember one boy got an exit pass because he had autism and freaked out when surrounded by a lot of people. He looked like your average eight year old, but couldn't wait in line because of his disability. (Good story, I know :) )

One last story. I used to work at a park and there was this girl who came up the exit on a very hot Saturday in a wheelchair with her friends. They were about 16. Well, we had to let them bypass the line, she was in a wheelchair! I thought something was weird though, so I watched her. When she got on the boat she was limping on her right foot, when she got off she was limping on her left. I was pretty disgusted. Since I was a supervisor, I was able to leave the location and follow them a ways, and when they got away from the ride they switched wheelchair riders. I was not very happy. We got security on them and they got the wheelchair taken away. One of the girls parents had rented the wheelchair so they wouldn't have to wait in line! Grrrrrrr....my blood was boiling that day.

Anyone who fakes any injury just to get on a ride is the lowest of the low, even lower than the scumbags who park in the handicap zone illegally.

Just don't do it. You never know......one day you could really end up in a wheel chair or get a broken leg or something else. You won't think it's so funny then.

-Tina