Police will charge supervisor in Lotte worker death

Some things of interest:

How are employees going to make sure everyone is sober? That being said, I can't believe they didn't check his restraints. That being said, why does the ride even allow the vehicle to dispatch with open restraints?

Seems like there is plenty of blame to go around.

Oh, and it circles around three times? Huh?

If you choose to drink, you choose to take the consequences. Why do other people need to look out for you?

Acoustic Viscosity said:
"If you choose to drink, you choose to take the consequences. Why do other people need to look out for you?"

You must be joking! While the rider certainly shares a large portion of the blame, just because he was drinking/ was drunk, does not give the ride operators the right to not check his restraints.

I agree...it clearly states in the article they operator did not check to see if the restraints were engaged.

So much for the Intamin bashing from the previous news release. This is not the fault of Intamin, but the fault of the operators of the ride and the rider himself.

If this had occured in the US, it wouldn't suprise me if someone tried to sue Intamin.

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That being said, why does the ride even allow the vehicle to dispatch with open restraints?

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As far as I know, there is just one company that constructs their rides such that they cannot dispatch unless the restraints are pushed to a safe level. This is actually not uncommon.

-Nate

In fact, even B&M, the "safest" manufactures, only their speedcoaster model has electric "contacts" that monitor the restraints position and will not let the train leave without all the restraints down to a certain level. Every other model you can send out the train with the restraints fully open.

Like Nate said, not uncommon at all.

jc

While it wasn't smart to be intoxicated the way this guy was, the park is at fault on two ends: 1) I'm sorry, but it's typically not too hard to spot someone who's had a bit too much to drink. 2) The restraints weren't checked.

I know no ride operator is going to send me out on a coaster without checking the restaints...I want that certainty that everything is locked down correctly from them.

I hope this isn't too out of place, but...As I was looking at this parks coasters on RCDB I came across this picture from their "Atlantis Adventure" water coaster. Look how close this thing cmes to the water!

Sorry, I wasn't commenting on the lap bar part; was just making a general statement about situations like this when other people are held responsible for allowing drunks to hurt themselves/others.
*** This post was edited by Acoustic Viscosity 3/8/2006 4:16:41 PM ***

I believe some of the newer B&M's other than the speed coasters (Silver Bullet) won't go without the restraints down to a certain level. Still, such a system would not be needed at all if everyone had common sense.

The flying coasters are like that (I think Joe forgot that one ;) ) but I'm not sure about any others. I haven't ridden Silver Bullet, so I really don't know, but I doubt they really saw any reason to change it.

-Nate

The ride ops are at fault for not checking restraints

But these two employee's Choice to ride without belting in caused this.His fellow employee was also not belted in.

These two idiots were probably standing load area and riding in any empty row.So this may not have been their first ride without restraints.The ride ops probably assumed that they would close their own restraints(they may have even been ride ops)

I think the ride op should be fired but charging him with a crime is taking this to far.The local officials are bowing to pressure to charge this as a crime .

Kevin

The other employee riding without restraints should also be fired.

It was already noted that both the riders involved in the incident were employees. Don't assume that the restraints were carelessly left unchecked. This may be yet another example of the shenanigans that probably go on at parks where people who have the means to do so will take unreasonable risks just because they can.

I think most of us know that one of the English phrases most likely to result in someone visiting an emergency room is, "Hey, guys, watch this!". Add "Hold my beer a minute" and you have a recipe for disaster.

I think there is a non-zero probability that this was not the first time these particular riders had ridden the ride without the "safety gadgets" in place.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
"The minute these things don't scare you, that's when you're in trouble." --J.W.

The article said the accident happened at 5:20 and that the guy had been drinking at lunch. He either had a late lunch or an super-sized liquid lunch if he was still loaded after 5 PM. I guess I'm saying that "drinking" and being "noticeably drunk" are not the same thing.

One of the restraints in question is a seat belt. We all know those things have never, ever been opened by a rider after the train leaves the station. But since it appears the ops admitted to not checking the restraints, I guess that becomes a moot point.