Worst Coaster Crash?
*** This post was edited by NITROman on 4/15/2002. ***
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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
I know to what you refer Dave. It was a wooden coaster and it happened many MANY years ago. There is news footage of it and a keen (but sadistic)eye can find periodicals with really gruesome pictures if they so desire.
The trains were essentially shattered and people smashed and tossed all over.
I recall the news footage interviewing children that survived it. They were in horrible shock.
The thought of such possibilities is what makes me a fan of safety systems, and overly cautios parks.
Shaggy
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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.
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Army Rangers lead the way
*** This post was edited by supermandl on 4/15/2002. ***
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Bob Hansen
Bolliger/Mabillard for President/VP 2004
CPLady said:
I don't remember the name of the coaster...but the crash I've heard the most about was the coaster at the Mall of America. Maybe someone else with a better memory can provide more details
Ripsaw at the Mall of America has never crashed and has a perfect safety record. A while back the on the log ride at the Mall of America someone decided it'd be smart to try and jump out of the log just before one of the drops and ended up killing himself (This is why you'll see ride ops all over the actual flume ride now)
Mindbender at the West Edmonton mall in Canada did have a fatal accident however where, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, someone fell out of the coaster while it was going through one of its loops. Perhaps that's the one you're thinking about CPLady.
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Excalibur Crew for 2002!
Valleyfair is right, I do believe it was the Mindbender at the Edmonton Mall. There was a forum on here a while ago where there was a picture showing the train half way up the loop with the last car coming off the track and a body covered with a sheet on the floor. it was really sad.
I am all for safety. I love coasters, but I am not willing to die for them.
As far as the worst coaster crash ever goes, I am sure it is one of the earlier ones when they were still expierenmenting with the idea of a roller coaster.
- The mall did not follow a government order to physically check the cars, they only used visual inspections
- Because of the hands-off approach the mall used, several of the bolts were loose when the trains began operation, so it was only a matter of time before an accident happened
- The operations manual was never translated from German to English
For additional information regarding this particular incident, consult http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/ and http://schwarzkopf.coaster.net/ which has a little info, as well as a great deal of information about Schwarzkopf. This incident was truly saddening, especially because it could have been prevented. I don't have a picture of it, but I would think you wouldn't need one. Hope that helps
-BB
*** This post was edited by BBSpeed26 on 4/15/2002. ***
The Mindbender accident was the worst in North America in the last 30 years. The anti-rollback failure on a mouse at the Jersey shore resulting in 2 deaths in '99 was the only rollercoaster accident in the US with more than one fatality in the last 30 years.
Before that the records aren't as complete. I would think that there were probably some bad ones in the 20's when 1000+ roller coasters were running, many of them built by very inexperienced designers and manufacturers. Of course, in some parts of the world, it is difficult to get information about even recent accidents. Last year's crash in Iran is a good example.
The first two are supposed to be the biggest:
"13 people were injured when a roller coaster car derailed, apparently from mechanical failure at an amusement park. One boy struck his head and neck against a harness."
Kansas City, MO, 1999
-"Between 30 and 35 people at an amusement park were injured when a train roller coaster struck another train. None of the injuries were life-threatening."
Pittsburgh, PA, 1999
"A bounce-type amusement ride was picked up off the ground by a gust of wind or dust devil and carried through the air for about 35-50 feet. Several children who were in the ride suffered injuries when it landed back on the ground."
Scottsdale, AZ, 1998
"A girl, age 17, was hospitalized for a fractured tailbone, and 13 others were injured when a roller coaster came to an abrupt halt during operation."
Wildwood, NJ, 1998
"A 20-foot-high inflatable air slide lifted up and rolled over when one of two ropes tied to the air slide broke. Eleven children ages 4-11, and the 23-year-old male operator, were injured when they were thrown or fell off the air slide...The operator was treated and released. The 8-year-old male was hospitalized..."
Sacramento, CA, 1997
"A mechanical swing amusement ride malfunctioned and toppled over at a local county festival. A 37-year-old male was hospitalized w/injuries. Females ages 5, 8, 12, and 13 were treated/released w/cuts and bruises. One possibly for a broken elbow."
Hollywood, FL, 1997
"A boy, age 12, was one of three victims injured when a roller coaster car wheel jumped the track at an amusement park."
Suffolk, NY, 1997
"A 14-year-old male was killed and 6 others injured when the ride car they were in, at the bottom of an incline of a local amusement park's roller coaster, was slammed by a descending car from the top of the incline after its anti-rollback mechanism failed."
Tulsa, OK, 1997
"A girl, age 8, and her mother, age 39, were both killed and 2 other people were injured when they were apparently thrown from a roller coaster while riding in the car that slipped backward and crashed into another car being loaded to begin the ride."
Ocean City, NJ, 1999
"An amusement park ride's coupling broke between two cars. 17-year-old female was thrown out of the ride. She died of head and internal injuries. 8 others injured."
New York, NY, 1999
"A woman, age 28, drowned during a water ride at an amusement park when her raft tipped over. 11 people were injured. Victims may have had difficulty getting their seat belts off."
Arlington, TX, 1999
"Bolts of amusement ride sheared off from the primary lock mechanism. 3 people were thrown from the ride to the pavement. They were hospitalized."
Jennings, MO, 1999
These are only some of the more recent major amusement park accidents, according to stats, the most victims of amusement park accident have been in New Jersey in the past 10 years, following behind are Pennsylvania, Illinois, and California. For the ratio between amount of parks compared to accidents, Florida has been the safest state.
*** This post was edited by Vertigo on 4/15/2002. ***
*** This post was edited by bigboy on 4/15/2002. ***
here is that picture of the crash on mindbender, remember, you can see a dead body in this picture, so dont look at it if you dont like that kinda stuff:
The UK incident was as Battersea Amusement park (London) in (I think) 1971. The lift mechanism untilised a cable which snapped and sent the train crashing back down into the station.
There were several fatalities, and I don't think the ride ever operated again.
The Battersea Park accident was on the Big Dipper, and it resulted in the parks closure.
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Then there was the UK one.
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