Restraint opens halfway through ride on LaRonde Boomerang

I blame intamin.;)

As Ride Man pointed out - If gravity and G forces kept them seated then wouldn't it also keep the harnesses down?

This all seems sketchy. If a harness had popped open in the middle of a looping coaster the other two passengers in the car wouldn't have just wandered off without talking to anyone.

I'm speculating that the manual pedal was tripped somehow as the train came back into the station and the kids pushed their harness up. Depending on where they were sitting the harnesses could have popped a bit during incline before the train returns and parks in the station. Disturbing, but doesn't sound like anyone was dangling helpless over the midway as the story plays up.

It doesn't seem unlikely to me. I find myself pulling and pushing on restraints, especially on Boomerangs since the backward dynamic is so strange.

What I was thinking, Jeff. Just because the restraints don't pop up on their own does not mean I'm not pushing and pulling on them throughout the ride trying to stabilize myself.

The train on Boomerang is still the original 1984 Arrow train that was supplied with the ride. It was repainted once, got the leather covers on the restraints and now has the wackiest of the Six Flags train wrap.... cow print, since the ride is sponsored by the Milk farmer union!

Mechanically, the train is like all other Arrow trains. Only thing to note is that like old Arrow loopers, there is no automatic release in the station. Employees got to kick each car pedal to release the restraints.

The report I saw in french mentions maintenance was called and had to fix something on the faulty car before reopening the car. Six Flags also said they would request that the ride manufacturer inspect the car. Would it be S&S or Vekoma in this case? Pure speculation on my part, but due to the facts reported, the problem could be with the pedal itself?

^This, Aww that explains it. I have seen Arrow Cars with that system fail before. Which is probably why they have since added seat belts to those Arrow Loopers.

I have an issue with the "writing" in this story. With the facts we know, exactly where was the kid "left dangling" 35 meters off the ground? The story is bad enough without sensationalizing.

He fell up to the tippy-top of the lift and was hanging from the track. C'mon man, read.

Does this coaster run the Vekoma train or a Arrow train????????
I had a very well known PR person that used to be in the cincy, tell me he had SFKK's T2 pop on him and the belt was the only thing kept him in.

I've personally had PTC individual ratchets fail on me on several occations and sat behind a guy riding in a fold down ptc lapbar fail. Never had it happen myself on a OTSR although I believe a couple might have released a click or two.

I believe I've mentioned more than once my white knuckle, terrifying ride on KI's Vortex about eleven years ago.

I rode Screamin Deamon at KI (many years back) with my cousin next to me. During the loop she found it unlocked and pulled hard to keep it down. When we got to other side, we told op and it was locked then.

Hi all;
Not to stir the pot. I was riding a related corkscrew coaster, and while ascending the lift hill, the restraints in the front car opened. I don't know if it was my friend sitting next to me or the mechanism itself, but his harness opened up, we then tested all of ours and they were open. Trust me we were all scared. He had stuffed himself into the space where your feet go in the front car and I had wrapped myself through both harnesses. O.K. We all survived. The safety mechanism worked and the ride ops were able to relock the train. Now, after having this experience and hearing the recent news, maybe I am willing to accept that there might be a slight design flaw. I know that, due to the amount of riders without an incident, this statistic might be a aberration, but I believe that this style of ride has worn its welcome. I understand that parks need capital to replace the boomerang or corkscrew rides with others, but I feel that a Max-Air or 200'+ drop ride could fit without much investment. There are many options for rides and landscaping which would be cheaper than the maintenance alone on the problematic rollercoasters.

Sorry. This happened in 1985. This was before the addition of seatbelts. I felt that at the time it was ride op error and have not been back to the park since. Time to give the park another try. Too bad they only have one good coaster.

Tekwardo said:
I wasn't aware that boomerang restraints could just come undone on those Arrow trains?

Wait, the trains on the Vekoma Boomerangs are Arrow trains? I've been a coaster dork for over 15 years and haven't noticed this yet?

The earliest Vekoma loopers run Arrow trains. Eventually Vekoma started building their own, but initially they just licensed Arrow's patents and bought their trains.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

The first Vekoma looping trains opened in 1989 if I remember correctly. Those are the ones used on Hersheypark Sidewinder and the Mind Eraser when it was at Geauga Lake. They look similar to the Arrow trains, but with a more plastic feel to them.

1997 brought the Vekoma looping trains we are most familiar with. The ones with the very rounded design and tall seat backs. I think Goudurix in France (which opened with Arrow trains) got those trains or Boomerang at Great Escape got the first Vekoma "2nd generation looping train".

2000 brought the 3rd generation looping train. Used on 3 coasters only, those trains are a big change from the rest! http://www.rcdb.com/1357.htm?p=18456 .