Six Flags announces restraint changes to Superman coasters

Does anyone think this will affect other Intamin rides such as Millennium Force? Aren't the restraints similar, if not the same or was a modified system used like TTD.

I wonder if this will this result in a retrofit for all Intamin hypers with the older restraints.

Millennium Force is...well, wierd.

The seat geometry has been redesigned, but I think the seats are still the same size as the Superman seats, and it has the old style lap bars. So if Superman is the starting point and Dragster is the finish point, Millennium Force is somewhere in the middle.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I would assume then that xcelerator is the same as TTD?

And when the same type accident happens a year from now? Then what? Lets not forget the rider on Hydro was deemed normal sized.

Chuck, who clearly sees where lack of side bracing played a role here in keeping helping the rider maintain a upright and under the restraints possition. If you passed out, Could you stay upright?

^ Yes, the seats are.

Anyways, I'm glad that they are doing this. It has to be done in order to enusre and safe and fun ride for the guests at the park. I'm hoping that this will be an industry-wide thing, not just the Six Flags ones.

The seats, to me, seem like the biggest problem. They do not do anything to protect you from falling out, as the B&M Hyper seats kind of fold around you.

I share your concerns, Charles. I'm glad that Supermen are getting train upgrades (even though it does only seem to be bringing them up to the same standard as the newer Mega Coasters).

But a normal-sized rider has fallen out of the new-style restraints, with no apparent cause identified yet. Hydro is still closed, police are still asking for evidence (photos, films etc) and the investigation is, so far, inconclusive.

Whilst I maintain that Intamin restraints are safe, there does seem to be a slimmer margin for error which simply doesn't protect against situations that are 'out of the ordinary' - most of these occassions are down to improperly secured riders, but I don't think we should forget that the modifications may not protect against whatever made the poor girl fall out of Hydro.

Charles: I'm curious as to what you mean by side bracing? Do you mean OTSRs? Or do you want the cars to go up higher? Is there an example you are thinking of?

I really like the changes Six Flags is implementing. They are adding additional safety while not changing the experience of the ride itself.

The results of the Hydro investigation have not been released. Just because the girl was "of normal size" doesn't mean the restraints were necessarily to blame. There may very well be more to this than meets the eye, so let's not put our cart before the horse.

You are required to sit upright for these restraints to work. Not only that, the knees must be even with or above the bar height and the pad resting firmly on the upper thigh.

The seats on these trains using my own terminology here are like lawn chairs with no sides. There is a bit of a side to the seat but in reality the seatbelt itself is the only latteral support and it's too reliant that the rider will maintain his possition.

Basically what Im saying is that if you passed out or didn't have total ability to stay upright, Would you come back? Just my opinion but I think it adds a ton to the likelyhood that something like this could happen.

If the rider somehow got possitioned slightly sideways that makes the restraints almost mundane and would allow a rider to laterally submarine from under them.

My solution would be some side support, (Hip hugger or sides to the train) To help maintain a upright possition along with the afore mentioned shorter belt (It's only about a inch difference) and the extended seat and modified floors Im not sure what people are saying about the TTD bar as I haven't seen it but if it's safer, Im all for it.

I truelly believe they can modify this ride and provide a much higher level of safety without totally ruining it or adding OTSR's

Chuck

The best restraint and car on a coaster, in my opinion, is the Phantom's Revenge. It has high sides, a seatbelt that is adjustable, and a very confortable lap bar that drops from the side of the car. It also allows many types of riders ride. I think that if the Intamin's trains were a little deeper and had higher car sides some of the fatalities that happened might have been prevented (the Hydro incident). If your body was to leave the upright position, you'd still be protected from falling out because of the high car sides.

Just my opinion.

Of course, Greg, you're right with regards to horses and carts. I wasn't specifically laying blame on the restraints, more just reflecting on the fact that if the invetigation in Wales is non-conclusive, we don't know how to protect against what happened there. You're right, though, blame may simply not lie with restraints.

rtdreaming says: <<I really like the changes Six Flags is implementing. They are adding additional safety while not changing the experience of the ride itself.>>

Don't count on it, rt.... the seats were never that comfortable to begin with, but now they sound like they're going to be downright painful. And I wouldn't be surprised if we could kiss a large percentage of that wonderful airtime goodbye... :(

I'm a bigger guy (thought not huge) who has ridden Superman many times over the last few years and I have never felt in the least bit insecure with that T-bar lap restraint system. But then again, I've never ridden with the lapbar halfway up, far away from me, as it apparently was allowed to remain for Mr. Mordarsky. I *have* ridden where the seatbelt became unfastened by itself during the ride, but a properly secured T-bar kept me safely in the seat even so. Bigger riders fit more tightly in the SROS seats, anyway, and I would think, properly restrained, they'd have LESS chance of flying off the train than a skinny kid would. Of course, if your lapbar is left 6 inches or more away from your body, I don't care WHAT size you are - you're a prime candidate for ejection.

As for the question on Millennium Force, that ride does *not* currently have longer seatbelts in the front seat of every car to accommodate larger riders, and MANY bigger guests are turned away on that ride. I'm not sure if they intend to reconfigure the T-bar restraints on MF but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they did.

Now if you wanna talk COMFORT - how 'bout those great beltless restraints on Apollo's Chariot, with tons of legroom .... AC has loads of airtime, but I wonder if that type of vehicle would ever fly on the Superman & MF -type Intamin coasters??

I really need to comment on this accident I work at a Six Flags Park and I have also ridden on the Superman Coaster many times. I am 5'8 and weigh 250lbs I have never felt as if I was going to fall out of the seat. When the gentleman fell from out of the coaster at SFDL he was well over 400lbs at from what I was told the gentleman stood up on the ride as it was coming into the station house. As for the fact that the operators should of known the gentleman had a disability and there are many older people that have motorized carts that are not disabled but are allowed to come through the exit to ride we are not allowed to ask what the there disability is and as long as the they can sit up on there own and have two arms and two legs they are allowed to ride. If the operators didn't check the restraints properly then they should have part of the blame but with some of these restraints it is very hard to tell whether they are down all the way they only have to push down and pull up on the restraints and pull on the seat belts but it is a fact that some people to unbuckle there seatbelts so they can get more air time while on the ride and has for the fact of the bars having to be down all the way to the thighs I have never heard of this..

"...the seats were never that comfortable to begin with, but now they sound like they're going to be downright painful."

How so? It sounds like they're going to make the seats more like Dragster. I've never heard complaints about those seats. Or have you somehow found a way to transport yourself into the future and ride the new seats?

Just curious ;)

Not comfortable? How so?

I found that even the times they actually pushed the bar down tighter on my thighs that S:ROS and MF seats were extremely comfortable. If we are talking about the bruises from the airtime well them are love taps IMHO

Chuck

Here's your new seats/restraints.

I also find the Intamin seats/restraints to be very comfortable, whether it be the older style mega's or the new, deeper seats like TTD's.

Indeed, the Dragster seats feel obviously more secure, but aren't any less comfortable. No shortage of air over the top either.

After reading boston.com (the boston globe) it makes it seem SFNE will change the length of the belts (shorter) and thats about it. It blames both the SF employee for not checking the restraints prior to departure BUT also blames the victim for not telling park employees of his medical condition! If you have a gut...you might not be allowed to ride. Check it out:

link*** This post was edited by Jeff 5/8/2004 9:51:59 PM ***

Sorry...I didn't see before I posted the link above that there is a entire topic on the seat belts...