SOB Accident at Kings Island

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Brian Noble said:

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I am also pissed off with crap like this.

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Remember how you feel right now, and think about it EVERY TIME you read a newspaper, or watch the news on television. Reporters are wrong in unimportant details all the time, and wrong in important details surprisingly often. One of the most enlightening courses I took in college was a history of journalism course. I never read a newspaper the same way again. Muckrakers. Yellow journalism. Sensationalism. None of this is new, but it's all garbage.

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I'll have to check into that class at my school, sounds interesting. And forgive me if my rant sounded a bit chilidsh, because as you seem to be well aware, this kind of treatment is omnipresent in journalism. *** Edited 7/11/2006 12:32:56 AM UTC by Willh51***

I took a class like that in college. The Media tries to sway public opinion. IF the Media thinks rollercoasters are dangerous, then they will try to get the general public to belive that was well. I would not doubt that soon they will have a special on TV if they do nto already on how rollercoasters were once fun but now they are death machines just waiting for its next victim.

The difference with WG's Cyclone though is it's actually *FUN* to ride while you feel as if it's about to fall apart. SOB is not fun to ride, and I wouldn't miss it if it was gone tonight. On Mitch's poll I remember ranking it in last place.

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DorneyDante said:
If they tear it down, I think the wood should all be donated to Habit for Humanity. Put the material to good use.

Dante, the humanitarian

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You can't use pressure treated acid washed wood for building houses or any indoor used. If you physically touch SOB's wood it will burn your skin. Look at how bunndled up and gloved the maintence guys who work on it are when they come in in the morning. Oh, You'd have to be on a photo shoot to see that.

Case closed.

Chuck

???

I touched a part of SOB's structure on the SOB tour at BeastBuzz this year, it just felt like wood.

Well the wood has a acid wash that it was dipped in for 30 days, who knows if all the wood was or not.

I don't find Sonnys first drop painful at all, It's developed a washboard at times that they seemed to chase down pretty quickly but the two best drops on it were the straight drops. Im just wondering if out and backing it and tearing the helics and loop out and then putting some apropriate restraints on it would save 50% of this coaster.

If not, Taer it down.

Chuck, who says there may be some suits filled but I bet every single one are handled out of court with a confidentiality statment on the settlement.

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matt. said:

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jimmybob said:
elitism

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I was kinda sorta with you until this word. Care to discuss exactly how the media's coverage of this is elitist? Maybe I'm missing something really obvious.

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That was referring mostly to this bit:

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Blurb: "Despite the mishap, the park stayed open and ended the night in fireworks."
How DARE they?!

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At least to me, the "despite the mishap" that they lead that line off with seems to indicate that they (the media) think the park should have closed.
Perhaps "know-it-all-ism" may be a little more appropriate. The media seem to think that THEY know better than anyone else on how to run a business, live your life, etc...kind of a "We'll tell you what to think" mentality.
Just watch Channel 6 news here in Columbus - you'll get the picture :)

Fox 8 in cleveland said it had 3 loops, geeze, keeps adding one each day!

I won't pretend to know everything about everything, but I road SoB once, was pumped to, and I can say that is the first coaster I've ever been on that I wanted to get off of ASAP. Even I liked Annaconda and Hypersonic, and other "rough" rides.

Let me speak up here...

First off, newspapers, news reporters and the whole damn media are a bunch of idiots (but we all know that)

Secondly, I think if there was any hope for that ride, I would put 3 7-car PTC trains on it, take out the loop and either straighten the bank on top of the second hill, or lower it about 20 feet.

After Holiwood Nights, we can all vouch for seeing PCT trains hit over 70 MPH without bouncing, so I don't belive for a minute that high speed and record breaking height can make a wood coaster bad.

Those Permier trains have been nothing but trouble for this ride all along

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The Mole said:
Fox 8 in cleveland said it had 3 loops, geeze, keeps adding one each day!

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Good god, they're multiplying! Head for the hills! (Just not the ones on SoB itself)

I dated a former reporter turned tech writer. Talk about an eye-opener. When I asked her why she'd switched from reporting to writing stuffy computer manuals, her reply was "I'm working easier hours for far more money, with an easier time getting the facts together and less chance of having my ass sued if I make a mistake. What's not to like?"

Every news story I seen had some ironious fact or total bogus claim.

1. The train didn't stop or come to a sudden halt anywhere. It did impact or jolt the riders and train.

2. it didn't happen on the first drop.
3. It didn't happen in the brakes either midcourse or ending.

4. 27 riders were not hospitalized. In fact only two stayed the night. The rest were treated, checked out and released.

5. The other rides never shut down because there was something wrong with the other rides.

And another handfull of missinformation or semi facts.

The fact is, All the news orginations were kept off park property in the drop off area, It was quite a site last night to see all them and people trying to get picked up and busses ect. The park only gave them a statement, the rest is either hearsay, semi factual or actual rider recounts. Id take the recounts over any of it. The park is going to give as little information as they have to to the press. They will however totaly cooperate with investigations and you may or may not be able to get total facts at a later date.

Chuck

Ok, it's time everyone stops ripping the media. They are regular people, who as in this case were sent to a scene with no information and had to report on it as soon as they got there. They had nothing to go on except what people were telling them.

I follow several enthusiast forums and everytime the news reports on a subject minutes after it happens someone is complaining about wrong information. I hate to say it, but 95% of people watching don't know the details. They don't know Son of Beast doesn't have 3 loops. The reporter doesn't know that either if they don't follow the industry as closely as you guys do. Give them breaks, they work on tight deadlines and especially with breaking news.

Maybe I'm biased since I am in the media industry (thank God I only take photos) but you have to realize the person sent to the scene isn't going to be an enthusiast and won't know everything; they go by what people tell them. Their job is to inform the public, which they did and ever if they were wrong in a few areas (which only the enthusiasts pick up on) they did their job. *** Edited 7/11/2006 3:59:38 AM UTC by Tanner_J***

Why? your part of the problem.

There was a time I can remember that if facts weren't present News was reported as a sidebar. and not a 20 minute of a hour newscast in which 99 percent of it's not factual.

Breaking news, 27 sent to hospital on SOB rollercoaster, More details as we recieve them.

Now they take everyones opinion, viewpoint ect. ect.

Sorry, 27 sent to the hospital with non life threating injuries is still not bigger than two shot and killed downtown today but what gets the attention?

Chuck, who says the media will have you believing the wars in Iraq and everythings bad with 2500 dead in three years. THE US has 2500 homicides a year but nobody raises a fuss.

Two people being shot and killed in downtown Cincinnati isn't news, it's an everyday part of life. 27 (or however many) people being sent to the hospital at such a large area attraction is news, just because you don't agree with it does not mean others will not want to know.

The war in Iraq is news and is very controversial so it will be talked about, but this isn't the place to talk about it.

Ah geez, where do I start...

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Tanner_J said:
They don't know Son of Beast doesn't have 3 loops. The reporter doesn't know that either...

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Simple research. A quick type-in of "Son of Beast" into Google by someone at the station yields massive results. Heck, they were quoting KI's website in almost every article and newscast, which specifically mentions a loop, not 3.
Speaking for myself, this goes far beyond coasters. You're only hearing about it here because many of the people here know a lot more about the subject matter than Joe Six-Pack. What about all of the things we don't know much about? I'm willing to bet the same "complaining" goes on at other subject-specific forums when news reports screw up on things that they hold dear.

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Their job is to inform the public, which they did and even if they were wrong in a few areas...they did their job.

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Pardon my profanity, but WTF?! It seems that in your world, it's OK if the media gets the FACTS wrong, so long as the audience doesn't know it. Being wrongly informed is FAR WORSE than being uninformed. The New Orleans Convention Center after Katrina is a prime example of people being wrongly informed, and you saw what happened.

[Jim steps off his rarely-used soapbox and prays that Mr.Johnson never teaches a journalism class]

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Tanner_J said: They are regular people, who as in this case were sent to a scene with no information and had to report on it as soon as they got there. They had nothing to go on except what people were telling them.

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That's only their fault, from my chair. Again, it's been said many many many times, but the fact is, facts are what are important, especially in a delicate issue of human life. Who gives 2 cubic craps how many loops the thing has, just imagine if a relative of yours died in an incident like this, and the media didn't get their facts straight about it. Again, that's what really counts in this type of matter.

I'm not sure if this was mentioned before, but I think the "loops" that were being referred to in some of the reports were actually the giant helixes before the drop into the steel loop. I'm not positive where the problem was, but it seems like the track issue was on the drop entering the steel loop after the 2nd huge helix. Again, there have been many conflicting reports, and it will probably take many weeks of inspection to know for sure, so please excuse my ignorance if I'm wrong.

Honestly, when I experienced Son Of Beast in 2003, I absolutely loved it - but I was also terrified the entire time... possibly more than any other coaster I've experienced. The concept of transitioning from the wooden frame to the steel frame disturbed me. I just couldn't wrap my head around how this transition could be safely built; especially knowing how sensitive wood can be to cold and heat. Case in point: the perpetually, seasonally mis-aligned back door on my apartment.

Now I'll admit that megawoodies like "The Voyage" and "El Toro" look like vastly superior rides (I have yet to experience either), but SOB was a real thrill for me, and far from the roughest woodie I've ridden. Does it compare to gems like "Hades", "Avalanche", or even papa "Beast"? Not really - but I'd put it in a category all it's own. It's a unique coaster experience, but like many one-of-a-kind rides ("G-Force/Flashback" or "Volcano: The Blast Coaster") the unique nature of the ride is possibly also indicative of its flaws.

Regardless, this is an unfortunate and terrible accident, and I sincerely hope that everyone makes a full and speedy recovery.

Sorry if I'm rambling, but I've been up all night working on projects, so I suppose I should get some rest...

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timmyk said:
It was cracked wood on the track! Here's the link.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/07/09/kings_island_ax.htm

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That headline is hilarious! Is that like the ultimate oxymoronic statement or what? Official: Cracked Wood May Have Caused Coaster Accident. How many things do you know of that are official that might have happened ... or not have happened? LOL!

*** Edited 7/11/2006 11:30:39 AM UTC by cyberdman***

^

"Official: Cracked Wood May Have Caused Coaster Accident"

I took that to mean that according to some "official" with the investigation or some other spokesperson, Cracked wood may have caused the accident.

I could be wrong.

Believe me, as a card carrying member of the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy", I certainly have no love or real trust for the "main stream media"... however... Let's not nail them to the wall because they are not a bunch of bolt counters like many "enthusiasts".

As with any story, there is some sensationalism here. However, in the last page or so of this thread it seems that the focus has shifted that the real "accident" here has been the media's coverage of the incident, rather than that what has been arguably one of the roughest coasters built in modern times, and one that actually involved a law suit over its construction, has had an accident and all indicators point to the fact that "something broke" (namely, a piece of track).

The "official" in this headline refers to the fact that an inspection official made such a statement; it is not saying that the they have deemed an "official" cause.

As for some of your harsh comments about the media work surrounding this incident, I have a couple of things to say. First, have any of you noticed that even the stories coming from the riders themselves have been varying from one to the next? All these reporters can do is talk to the closest sources they have and go with it. If they are wrong, they'll correct themselves with updated info as soon as it becomes available. With the park not talking, other than the official statement, everyone is playing the guessing game; that forces reporters to rely upon witness accounts until something concrete becomes available. If they didn't do that, there would be no coverage whatsoever and people would be crying foul about that. Remember, reporters can only go on what they have.