How I Almost Fell Out of 2 Roller Coasters- Indiana Beach 7-5-04

The theme of today happened to be ride safety, because there surely wasn't much of it at Indiana Beach. I almost fell out of Cornball Express and Hoosier Hurricane.

Now before some of you CBuzz posters think I did something stupid and I was at fault for this mayhem please listen to what happened.

I get in the train of Hoosier Hurricane and buckle my seatbelt. The first problem arises here, the seatbelt is all twisted and entwined, so after I got it fastened it had enough slack to fit a man with a stomach sticking out 6 inches or less. That's not so bad because some riders may have weight problems. What is bad is when the belt won't tighten after having so much slack, because it is twisted together.

So I try and signal an employee from the front of the train, but these employees just happen to be sitting on chairs in a group of 3 talking, in the back of the station, not even watching the train be dispatched.

There is not even one employee looking at the front of the train where I am seated. So I am waving my hands in the air and yelling, and noone is even paying attention in the slightest way. Which really pissed me off! I didn't pay 30 bux for an all day ride and die pass, I paid 30 bux to ride the rollercoasters all day and live to tell about it. So I think its pretty sad these people don't even give the slightest care about whats going on, but instead talk with there friends about CD's and other things that can be done later that evening or the next day or whenever.

So anyway, with my seatbelt as loose as possible, we start climbing the lift of the Hurricane.

(While on the subject of Hurricane and Cornball, I should mention that throughout the day they were giving ejector air in every possible spot on both tracks, no matter where you sat.)

So we go down the first hill, and not even meaning too, I am standing with hardly any seatbelt tightness, so I automatically start thinking, if I had to die, I guess I would want to die on my favorite thing in the world, a rollercoaster.

Throughout the rest of the ride I am out of my seat on every drop, and pushed into my seat on every turn. I am glad however it was a short rollercoaster like Hurricane, that I couldn't get my seatbelt tightened on, instead of the Beast or Magnum or something.

But that is still no excuse for the poor attention I received, that, if I was a foot smaller, could of costed me my life.

So after this deadly ride, I try the new Air Crow things, and I really dno't see the point in these contraptions. I flung the tub each way, and didn't really get a thrill out of them.

After the Air Crow, I walk around for a little bit, and for the next few hours I do other attractions at IB that you have all heard reviews on before, and were mostly fun.

Then, I go on Cornball Express. My favorite wooden rollercoaster at IB. This ride was even more amazing, I was getting popped up, dropped down, and I thought it was the most fun wooden rollercoaster I have ever been on.

So as I am going on it again, midway through the ride, the seatbelt comes undone. I can honestly say, that I did not undo it. Especially after what happened on Hoosier.

It came undone just as we were going over the big turnaround hill right after the first drop.

I get amazing air on this hill and the hill after it, so I am fumbling around with the belt as the train goes over the third hill, I am thrown into the air, standing up once again, but not for as long as I was on Hoosier Hurricane.

By the time we got to the Helix I got the belt fastened again, and everything was alright.

But I was still freaked out that all of these things were happening Monday, and I am just glad I lived to tell you about them.

Hoosier-9/10 For a near deadly experience. Way too short however.

Cornball-10/10 For being a great all around experience.

TLCOSM-4/10 Boring and Jerky.

Tig'rr- 6/10 I loved the banked turns.

Galaxi- 8/10 for the amazing first 2 drops.

Choco Tacos- Best Taco's I have ever had. Best priced too, for an amusement park.

Does sound kind of scary. I would have probably complained about the Hoosier situation, or at least told the rideops so they could untwist it so that such a thing wouldn't happen again.

I have never had my belt come off on anything as exciting as Cornball. My belt does come undone on Mean Streak every now and again but that is not a real big deal since my butt never moves on that.

Glad you lived.

Scary, but honestly, you were probably never in any real danger with the bars down. Both those coasters run the good fixed-position "there's no question when it's down" bars, after all.

Still not a good experience, to be sure.

Do we finally have a resident drama queen (err, king)? ;)

At least I can live vicariously through Kyle's twisted adventures.

I think you need to check yourself, as well as the park, Kyle.

While I won't doubt that you almost flew out of two rollercoasters, I just have to wonder why you decided to "keep on riding" after you FIRST near death experience? Even if the ride operators were wearing headphones and looking the opposite direction, I can GUARANTEE you that they (and everyone else in the station) would hear me screaming if I felt that unsafe. Now let's fast forward to the end of your ride - did you say anything to anyone? Or did you just consider yourself lucky and head off to the next ride to risk your life?

Once again, I really don't want to doubt EITHER of your near death/seatbelts apparently don't like to work in Indiana experiences....but I just have to wonder how you can be so outraged by the lack of safety/concern of the park then go on to rate all the rides (and even compliment them)? Assuming you told us ALL of the story, you didn't even bother to stop and talk/complain to the ride operators OR park PR/management?????

Is there such a thing as dying vicariously? :)

There should be.

Rules and rules and if a coaster has seatbelts with a lap bar both must be used. That being said, if the seatbelt has too much slack or somehow opens mid-ride so long as your lap bar is locked you're in no danger.

And people thought I was a drama queen...SHEESH! ;)

You would not have come out of either train. Hoosier doesn't have ejector air, and although Cornball is more intense it would not have ejected you. The lapbar is designed to keep you in the train, the seatbelts are there to satisfy the GP and insurance companies. Of course if the train does have a seatbelt, you should use it properly.

I visited IB just before Coaster Con and found the employess to be very attentive and friendly. *** Edited 7/6/2004 6:07:31 PM UTC by Jeffrey Seifert***

I'm going to agree with MrSkyWhirl & Gonch here. If the first incident was that bad, I think that you wouldn't have went for a second.

Now... I was at IB yesterday as well. Yes, the seatbelts were twisted (I think that IB should start having untwistable seat belts). I untwisted them BEFORE I buckeled them and the bar came down, which forced the op to wait on me since he was checking the bar.

My question is this: Why would you buckle a twisted belt and pull the bar down before the belt was secured?

I will address the sitting ops in a TR if I get around to it. I'm busy looking up the word "vicariously."

^ I thought that the seat belt was the primary restraint?
*** Edited 7/6/2004 5:51:50 PM UTC by Neuski***

Well, at least the report wasn't as bad as the Cedar Point one. You sure have some damn interesting (yet really stupid) stories, though. You could make a book of these- I'd buy it, just for laughs.

^No, lap bars are the primary restraint, but the seat belts are backup, depending on which way you look at it, because you can have Buzz Bars by themselves.

PS: Are you a thespian? *** Edited 7/6/2004 6:02:00 PM UTC by coasterwiz***

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Neuski said:

^ I thought that the seat belt was the primary restraint?

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I'm not surprised you think that, as I've seen it posted many times on this board and others. Some even claim they've heard that from Tom Rebbie. Until this past year many parks operated their coasters without seatbelts, so how could it be the primary restraint?

BTW, the Phoenix, which is infamous for its airtime, still operates without seatbelts.

Which is why I never really bought the thought. I believe I have heard it the most during the events of last season.

You have two restraints because it is allmost stastically impossible that both will fail at the same time. Seatbelts failing are not as bad as bars failing, which I have experienced (Viper) and watched it happen to my dad (Texas Giant); it happens.

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Neuski said:
...I untwisted them BEFORE I buckeled them and the bar came down, which forced the op to wait on me since he was checking the bar.

My question is this: Why would you buckle a twisted belt and pull the bar down before the belt was secured?

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I totally agree with Neuski.

I tend to see many people pull down the lap bar first without doing the belts up. I personally like the station side of the cars so I can just stand there and stretch the belt and take out all of the kinks. After that, I sit down, buckle it, and tighten it as much as possible...and then the lap bar gets pulled down at the end. Sometimes, if I am near the back or front of the train, and the ride ops get to me after the belt, but before the lap bar, they push the lap bar down for me.

I agree that the ride ops should have been paying more attention, but trust me, your life means more to you than them. You need to make sure everything is secure and you are safe before the ride begins. Did you talk to management that day about the issue?

My seatbelt came undone on some night time ERT on Tremors and I probably rode 3 rides without it, unknowingly of course. Somewhat scared when I realized it was undone, but the lapbar seemed to hold me in pretty good. :)

Is every trip with you full of drama?

I agree, you weren't in any danger. Furthermore, rider responsibility starts with you. If you have a problem with the restraint, you hold on. Honestly, Viper at SFGAm doesn't even have belts (or at least it didn't last year) and that ride scares the hell out of me. I won't put my hands up because at no time will I ever 100% entrust my life to engineers and minimum wage employees, not at any park.

Kyle,

I will print out your report for the Beach. If ever you have a concern, you should go to the office so they can contact a ride supervisor.

Phoenix has ejector air all over the place and no seatbelts... no one has ever been tossed from that ride. I can understand your concern but I don't think you were in any danger whatsoever. Especially when it comes to Hoosier Hurricane- where is there any ejector air on that coaster? I wasn't able to find it.

What about the "hickey," Rob? Don't tell me you missed that!