Dragster riders upset how CP treated them after coaster mishap

I maintain the incident was serious, because it could've been a lot worse had these pieces hit the riders in the eye.

However, these kids are being grandstanding attention whores about it.

No doubt. However, I think that is to be expected. The media gives such people every oppurtunity to do just that.

OK, but the Corkscrew incident back in 1999 could have been worse, but no one thought that was serious at time.

I do agree, though, with your assessment of the "victims."

*** This post was edited by Gemini 7/15/2004 11:18:22 AM ***

I fail to see how someone could be "dripping blood" from pinpricks?

Have you ever given blood? They do the iron test by sticking you with a pin... You drip blood... (shrug)

What were they expecting? The CMs to JUMP up, walk on people standing in the que, and, by some act of god, pry open their restraints and fly them to safety? I hope two of them never get on a coaster again, it's amazing the BS they put out.

You got that right. I like it at the end of the article where it said "The kinds are talking about a possible lawsuit against the amusement park." Hate "sue happy" people.

Metal shavings hurt like crazy. It is similar in feel to a cactus. I can't imagine the feeling if they entered the skin at high speeds.

I think we can blame the lawyers (and even judges in this country since they dole out the verdicts) for managing to read into the word unfortunate and misfortune and manage to pull out the word fortune for the victim in some cases.

I think Cedar Point should have done something else for the guest besides issueing front of the line passes for dragster. That sounds like something they would have done at SFWOA. I have gotten front of line passes at CP just for being stuck on a ride for 20 minutes.*** This post was edited by Danny1221 7/15/2004 12:40:27 PM ***

I wonder if they'll let riders wear glasses after this? ;)

(or even require them to wear safety goggles)

I was under the impression that only two went to the hospital and the others refused. So, first they refused to go to the hospital, then turn around and complain that they were not sent to the hospital. Although, I think CP should have given them some free tickets or season pass.

From the article:

“She was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ She just panicked. And I said, ‘What, what?’ Because I didn't even feel it because going that fast, it just goes in and you don't feel anything,” Jones said.

So on what grounds and why do you sue? This kid didn't even realize he was 'injured' until someone told him. (honest question for anyone who knows more about law than me)

Later in the article:

"It was their treatment after the accident that upset them most."

Oh, I see. Not enough freebies, we'll sue. It all makes so much sense now.

So anyone think TTD will open again before the end of this season?

I am not saying that the Corkscrew accident wasn't serious Gemini. But, that accident came without any cause to expect it. While I don't think anyone expected guests to be harmed by metal shards the park DID know they were having problems with the cables. Further, they found cable shards in places it should not have been...which they were suppose to be taking care of in the offseason.

That piece of metal in the one kids ear; what would have happened if it would have gone in his eye instead? Would THAT have made it serious?

I agree with Jeff. It does appear that these folks are milking their 15 minutes. But, I can guarantee you that if I had only been offered front of the line tickets after this was over I would be making a stink too. Maybe not in front of TV cameras but I would sure as hell be following up on this. If it were my child you could multiply my anger by 100.

I disagree. While they may have known it was an ongoing maintenance issue, I don't think anyone expected a cable fray or break to turn into a safety issue. Once they realized it was a safety issue, they shut down the ride and are now taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. There are a lot of "could haves" and "what ifs" every day.

What if they had been offered free admission to the park? Or how about a 2004 or 2005 season pass? Would that have made this less serious? Would everyone be happy? I agree with Lord Gonchar, sounds more like someone isn't happy with his/her amount of freebies.

And if this is such a serious safety concern, shouldn't these teens be applauded for grandstanding and bringing this important issue to the public through the media?

*** This post was edited by Gemini 7/15/2004 1:50:51 PM ***

Does anyone know what happend to the people in the front seat?

Quote from the article "“We all had our arms up and Joel said, ‘Tim, what's wrong with your arms?’ and he had blood dripping, he had cuts all over his arms,” said rider Whitney James. "

Well, looks like Cedar Point has some defense against this guy if he sues. They say do not put your arms up countless times through the queue and not to mention just before the launch. I know they arent gonna stop you but they do say dont put your arms up. And this guy did, so he broke a rule of the ride and unless he got cuts somewhere else other than his arms this guys done.

And I'm totally with Gemini. There are tons of "could've" and "what if" scenarios any time you get on a coaster.

What if a restraint releases and you fall to your death? After every ride, thank your lucky stars because the brakes could have failed causing an accident. What if a bird flew in front of the train and you killed it with your face? (I guess we'll just ask Fabio on that one) Should I consider myself lucky I've never been hurt on almost 200 different coaster because a nut or bolt could have come loose and hit me in the noggin? You get the idea.

I'm also of the mind that you assume the risk in anything you choose to do in life. Nothing is 100% safe and nothing ever will be. As ridiculously safe as coasters are, things still happen. It's up to the individual to assume the potential risk.

If you spend too much time worrying about what could have been, you miss out on enjoying what is.

...and what is happening here is a complete overreaction to a minor incident that (in my not so professional opinion) no one could have foreseen.

Are they milking this? Yes.However... Borrowing from two previous posts...

"[T]he park DID know they were having problems with the cables. they found cable shards in places it should not have been." (Wahoo Skipper)

Yes, sounds like a problem to me... and considering the power needed to launch the train at the needed speeds, I would consider it a big problem.

"Once they realized it was a safety issue, they shut down the ride and are now taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen again." (Gemini)

Again, considering the power needed to launch a train, I believe that the shards alone should have raised red flags, not the fact that the shards were sprayed on the people. I think the steps should have been taken as soon as they were aware of the problem, not AFTER the incident.

For what it is worth, (another usless comparrison) my 7 month old dog decided that an exention cord at the house was a chew toy (lucky for him it was not in use at the time). When cleaning up the frayed wire, a few pieces stuck into my hand. Believe me, it hurt like an s.o.b. and drew blood. And I withdrew my hand as soon as I felt it. I wasn't being pelted with these metal shards at high rates of speed for a few seconds. I can see how those cable pieces would do damage. As stated, lucky one of those shards of cable didn't go into an eye or do other serious injury.

(by the way, the dog checked out fine at the vet's... wich is more than I can say for the extention cord)

*** This post was edited by SLFAKE 7/15/2004 1:54:52 PM ***