Three-year-old tossed from Houston Rodeo ride

While I think the "with a responsible adult" rule should have been there in the first place, I also squarely blame the parents. I don't understand how you blindly strap your child into a machine without considering how they'll react. I took Simon on his first roller coaster (at Silverwood) at 18 months, and I was on the fence even though I'd be with him, in what was essentially a low-speed box he couldn't get out of. At 36" now, he could technically ride CP's Scrambler with me, but he's 2, and I don't think he can handle it.

Mother is to blame. Some people should not be allowed to reproduce.

Lots of blame to go around. Don't know where the parents were but at the same time it seems ridiculous that a 3 year old was able to ride this. Even if the kid was tall enough, why was she on the outer part of the seat? You don't need to be a math whiz to understand the forces of that ride. Largest passenger should have been on the outside.

Thank goodness it was no worse.

It also seems like the ride didn't get E-stopped very quick either.

Hey Jeff, do you realize that at 36", Simon can ride Jack Rabbit at Kennywood?

And the Whizzer at Great America (with an adult, of course).

Not to mention you'll never know how the child reacts until they try it. I thought Alex was going to be scared crapless on Jack Rabbit. Even at two years old (at the time), he loved it and wanted to keep riding it.

However, I would never put my kids on any major thrill ride without me beside them until they are old enough to understand why we must stay in our seats at all times.

~Rob

I did not know that, Lori. I wouldn't take him on it. He doesn't even have enough vocabulary yet to tell me if he likes it!

I don't think he has to have enough vocabulary to communicate if he likes it or not ;-).

HeyIsntThatRob? said:
However, I would never put my kids on any major thrill ride without me beside them until they are old enough to understand why we must stay in our seats at all times.

Yes. This.

My kids have ridden things as soon as they hit the height requirement since forever (my story is taking my daughter on Millennium Force when she was 5 - she loved it...lated did TTD at age 8), but they're always with mom or dad.

It was only in the last season or two that they've really gotten to ride by themselves (or each other).

Although, under the current standards, this girl was allowed to ride. Parenting to some degree, sure. But clearly it wasn't necessarily a safe situation. Might be a discussion point.

You want discussion on this topic? I can tell you that "the industry" has been arguing over the whole concept of a "supervising companion" for *years*. The bottom line is that there is too much variability in kids growth patterns, and kids don't carry ID. So we get height limits set for a 35 %ile 6 year old and that means big 3 year olds are allowed on board. We can't decide how to define a supervising companion so it continues to go undefined.

The parents have to do a better job of filtering ride experiences for their kids, and operators have got to do a better job of communicating that requirement to parents. I know it is something that is actively being worked on, but progress comes slowly.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I still want to know why the largest passenger wasn't on the outside. Even on the old Musik Express ride (not elevated off the ground like this ride) we always put the bigger passenger on the outside if for no other reason than they did not sustain a "crush" injury.

If the story is accurate that this girl basically landed, bounced up and then ran off looking for her parents then where the heck were they? Even if my 3 year old was tall enough to ride, and even if I didn't ride with him myself, I'd have been right there next to the ride. It woudl have never got to that point though.

I don't think it matters. They're not bench seats, they have dividers.

Lord Gonchar said:

HeyIsntThatRob? said:
However, I would never put my kids on any major thrill ride without me beside them until they are old enough to understand why we must stay in our seats at all times.

Yes. This.

My kids have ridden things as soon as they hit the height requirement since forever (my story is taking my daughter on Millennium Force when she was 5 - she loved it...lated did TTD at age 8), but they're always with mom or dad.

Yep, we have put Jordan on rides as soon as she made the height requirement, with either Steve or I at her side (usually Steve). Our rule is ride it once, if you don't like it, you don't have to ride it again. She rode Jack Rabbit at 3, MF at 6 and TTD at 9. Needless to say there is nothing she won't at least try and it's made our trips easier.

We also made sure she learned to put her seat belt on tight and pulled the bar down as far as possible so as she has gotten older, we have felt comfortable letting her ride with other people.

My son was able to get on Jack Rabbit when he was 2. Did his first looping coaster (Scorpion) when he was 4. (Then made us go on it over and over and over...)

It's definitely a YMMV thing. You have to know what your kid can handle, and be there as they're experiencing new stuff. Hell, even if I thought he was okay to go on a ride by himself, I'd still want to ride with him just so we can experience it together.

The discussion has gotten me thinking, though. I always held off taking him to CP because I know he'd be disappointed in the amount of stuff he can go on. He just passed 48" and can get on 12 coasters there now. I see a trip to the point coming this summer!

loriu said:
We also made sure she learned to put her seat belt on tight and pulled the bar down as far as possible so as she has gotten older, we have felt comfortable letting her ride with other people.

Yes. This too.

It gives a chance to teach respect for the rides and responsibility.

This topic is making me wish I had kids.

wahoo skipper said:
If the story is accurate that this girl basically landed, bounced up and then ran off looking for her parents then where the heck were they?

According to the story, one was filming it.

You have two kids, two parents. How about putting the g****** phone down for 3 minutes and actually ride with your kid, not film them riding all day long? I'm sure you being next to them on the ride would make a better memory for them than watching a video of them going across the screen every 10 seconds.

And if anyone would bother reading the story, the mother was booted off because she didn't fit, and the kid was left with her older brother.