NEWS: Volcano a death machine

[Jon Sabo]

New ride for 07....PKD.

 

"REVENGE OF SMURFS!".

[Worm]

^ i was think more in line of Smurf: The RESSURECTION

 

(yay for evil devils)

[benzo41190]

Rescuers dodged heavy rains and lightning that drenched the area just south of the park.

 

The coaster will remain closed while park officials investigate what caused the roller coaster to malfunction.

 

^Its called a roll-back!

 

I'm thinking it might have stalled on the second launch. Maybe the second launch wasn't powerful and just kind of slowed it down and stopped there. Because if there was a rollback, it couldn't really get stuck on the turn. It would just roll down the the first launch area.

[Jon Sabo]

I received a response from the park and the only statement that was issued is similar to the newspaper reports.

 

"There appeared to be a technical problem with the Volcano rollercoaster attraction. There were reports of several injuries, but cannot comment any further on the release as to the extent of those injuries. We have our maintenance and engineers inspecting the ride for the cause of the incident and hope to have it open as soon as possible. Safety is our main priority and we would like to take the time to find out the cause of the malfunction. Thank-you for your concern in this matter."

 

 

*Perhaps it was a mechanical and/or computer error/glitch. As far as the injuries, perhaps the rollback caused those incidents (especially the person with facial injury as he may have been wearing glasses).

[Jon Sabo]

*Sorry for the double-post, but another newspaper reported an update as well.

 

Credit link: http://www.bgescape.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=65

 

Story:

BY BILL WASSON

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jun 25, 2006

 

 

Virginia Commonwealth University student Amanda Zumbrun got more excitement than she bargained for on Paramount's Kings Dominion's Volcano roller coaster.

 

"We all thought we were going to die," the 21-year-old from Yorktown said last night. "I really feared for my life."

 

Zumbrun and a friend, also a VCU student, were among 15 riders stranded when the roller coaster at the Hanover County theme park malfunctioned about 5:15 p.m. Friday. The friend asked not to be identified.

 

A rider injured in the incident remained hospitalized yesterday, according to Kings Dominion public relations manager Susie Storey.

 

Zumbrun said the car she and her friend were in was ascending the Volcano when the car suddenly began to travel backward very fast. They came to a stop in a spray of sparks and debris as the car's brakes took hold, the students said.

 

Zumbrun estimated the car was traveling more than 60 mph as it rolled backward. Her friend said she was afraid their car would collide with another car.

 

The students said a first set of brakes failed and the car was stopped by a second set of brakes. They said they and other riders were hit with debris as the car came to a stop.

 

Zumbrun said she received a small cut on her left arm. Her friend said she got a small burn on her neck when she was hit by what she described as a hot piece of copper. The injuries were minor and the young women did not seek medical attention, they said.

 

However, they said they heard a man riding behind them cry out that he had been blinded.

 

Storey said she could not comment on the two students' accounts of what happened and said she did not how fast the car was traveling as it went backward.

 

Storey said last night that the roller coaster experienced what is termed a roll back.

 

She said a rider from Utah was cut above the right eye in the incident and remained hospitalized yesterday at VCU Medical Center. She said she did not know the extent of his injury.

 

A 12-year-old boy from North Carolina who complained of a sore leg was treated Friday night at St. Mary's Hospital and released, Storey said.

 

She said a state inspector and a representative of the ride's manufacturer were at the park yesterday to determine what caused the malfunction. The ride will remain closed until the cause has been identified.

 

More than 2 million people have ridden the Volcano since it went into operation in 1998, according to Storey.

 

Hanover firefighters and Kings Dominion workers took about two hours to bring the 15 stranded riders to safety.

 

Zumbrun and her friend said they were the last to be brought down.

[benzo41190]

More than 2 million people have ridden the Volcano since it went into operation in 1998, according to Storey.

 

Wow...I thought it would be alot more then that

[BeemerBoy]

Thanks for the update, Kumba. If this is all true about the extent of the injuries, then some of us can take our feet out of our mouths now.

 

^ And I'd say 2 million is a pretty large amount for only 8 years of seasonal operation. But of course, I could be wrong on that too.

[Jon Sabo]

The 2 million figure was off of the actuall press release. For some odd reason, I would have thought that figure would be quite a bit higher (say around 3-3.5M). But perhaps their ride capacity is quite weak and factoring in downtimes, seasonal operations and hourly capacity-that figure could make sense (smack to management/operations for not boosting those PPH-Capacity).

[coaster1]

Well don't forget for the first year or two, it didn't run at full capacity and the trains only ran 4 cars per train .. now they run 8 cars.

[asr]

Thanks for the update, Kumba. If this is all true about the extent of the injuries, then some of us can take our feet out of our mouths now.

 

^ And I'd say 2 million is a pretty large amount for only 8 years of seasonal operation. But of course, I could be wrong on that too.

 

It isn't. in all of Raptor at Cedar Point's years of operation sence 1996, only 2005 and 1997 did less then 2 million people ride it in a year.

[BeemerBoy]

Well, like I said, I could be wrong. Either way, this has got me curious about yearly ride numbers. I'm certainly no expert on the topic, but I'd say that comparing Raptor to Volcano may be a bit unfair and disproportionate. Raptor, being a people-eating B&M at Cedar Point doesn't quite match up right with Volcano, you know? Then again, is there really anything we can compare Volcano too? It's fairly unique in it's class.

 

Anyway, back on topic. I suppose it'll be tough for anyone other than maintenance to have a good view of what's happening, huh? I can't recall there being any good views, as the place in question is fairly well hidden from GP view, right?

[Astat]

Where would all the debris even come from? It's not like there's a bunch of protruding brake fins for the coaster to eat, like KK...

 

And yeah, the brakes failed...I think she's referring to the 2nd set of LIMs right before the blast out the top of the volcano, which aren't even brakes at all.

[SharkTums]

Interesting...

 

I'd love to get a full update or real details on this story. Is the ride back open yet? Did it suffer as big of a problem as the media is making it out to be or is this just another sensationalist article?

[pkdcoaster]

Well this is getting interesting, the more info that is leaked out. of course more stupid comments like the brakes failing! but the copper comment is interesting given that the fins on the train are copper (or look like copper)

 

*my theory*- fin got misaligned somehow and scraped the magnets and caused the sparks and pieces flying, but I wonder if this happened during the launch or when it was rolling back. From the injuries and nature of what happened (rollback) I am pretty sure this happened during the launch.

 

we will see when PKD says what really happened (if ever)

 

PKDs website has a note on its thrill ride page that Volcano is Closed today

 

JEFF

[erinys]

I think with the article using quotes like '"We all thought we were going to die," the 21-year-old from Yorktown said last night. "I really feared for my life."' it's being presented in a sensational manner. Since someone was hospitalized for at least one night it does sound like something significant happened. I'm guessing the trip we've got planned in 3 weeks should probably be postponed.

[Jon Sabo]

Yes. The news article interview sure made it sound more serious than an "average" failed-launch. I could guess a similar incident about the brake fin having a mis-alignment, but if that was the case, there would certainly be more injuries and extensive train & chassis damage.

 

The quotes I had posted were directly from the newspaper (and an earlier post before that was a message from PKD-rep herself; I had left a message regarding the incident and they actually called back-albeit having a 6hr time variation from Hawaii-to-East coast).

 

I think/believe maintenance/engineering will have a better feel on the cause(s) on the incident perhaps by Tuesday. (Going off a general rule in gathering information, looking over maintenance logs, interviews, parts history, etc.).

[ahecht]

Another article is at http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/062006/06242006/201740

 

Two people were injured yesterday in a roller-coaster accident at Paramount's Kings Dominion that left some passengers sitting on the ride for more than two hours.

 

Susan L. Storey, spokeswoman for the amusement park in Doswell, said the accident on the Volcano: The Blast Coaster is under investigation. Officials don't know why a car carrying 15 passengers malfunctioned. It was one of two cars that run along 2,700 feet of track.

 

"One guest had some kind of laceration on his leg," Storey said, and was sent to VCU Medical Center in Richmond. A 12-year-old boy complaining of pain in his foot also was taken to the VCU hospital. Their conditions were not available last night. Passengers also described seeing a man with cuts on his face.

 

Robert Tesseneer, 26, of Charlotte, N.C., his wife, Regina, 25, and his 12-year-old nephew, Antonio Ramero, were among those on the car.

 

The three got in and everything seemed normal, Tesseneer said, until the car entered the point where it is launched up through the "mountain."

 

"I heard a loud pop and there was stuff flying. I got hit with something on the chin and forehead," Tesseneer said.

 

The car slowed, then stopped and, fortunately for the riders, ended upright. That section of track is more than 20 feet off the ground.

 

Tesseneer said his nephew was complaining of pain in his leg.

 

"This is not cool," he said.

 

...

 

I love the part where they said "The car slowed, then stopped and, fortunately for the riders, ended upright." Brilliant!

[DPdragon]

The link to that article has already been posted in this topic, ahecht.

[erinys]

The injured man was in the hospital five nights. http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149188816294

 

'A man injured Friday when a Paramount's Kings Dominion roller coaster malfunctioned was released yesterday from VCU Medical Center.

 

The man, a Utah resident whose name has not been released, suffered what Kings Dominion spokeswoman Susie Storey described as a laceration over his right eye.

 

"We don't have any more information about the guest's injury," Storey said yesterday in an e-mail. "We're all so glad that he has been released from the hospital."'

 

If the response is by email, I wonder if the park is returning the reporter's phone calls. I have trouble believing the park doesn't know what happened, just that they aren't sharing it. Since it's suspended, are the LIMs above the ride - is there much shielding on Volcano between the fins & the train below?

[ahecht]

I don't know, even with a severe lasceration, I have a hard time believing that a 5-day stay would be necessary. Maybe stitches and overnight observation at the most, but it sounds like this guy's milking it a bit.

[Corkscrewed]

"Hey doc, while I'm here, could you give me laser surgery to correct my vision? Oh, and some plastic surgery so I can get some chicks. Thanks bud."

[erinys]

Even if pieces from the fins hit him in the eye I'd think it would have to be pretty darn deep to require 5 days - I don't get it. If to keep him quiet the park gave him an all-expense paid VIP trip to Busch Tampa, wouldn't they announce it rather than have him in the hospital for a day, sneak out, and sneak back into the hospital days later to be released?

 

I don't know about your experiences, but I've never seen a hospital let anyone milk anything more than a day or so extra. Would you want to be in a hospital when Busch could be giving you that trip to Tampa?

[Jon Sabo]

I believe I posted this earlier in the topic, but I will say it again. I would be curious on PKD policy on wearing glasses (in a response from a Tatsu thread on wearing glasses on-ride).

 

But, assuming the rider could have been wearing some sort-of wire frame glasses, that could have easily caused those injuries either from the rollback (and vibrations) and/or the possibility that if sparks were reported; if any debris was coming from the braking system or upper-portion of the chassis and just happen to fall in near his eye-causing the laceration(s).

 

Another note is-the park may honestly not know his condition, because the paramedic team may have placed bandages over the entire eye as a precautionary measure so other contaminants or infection could occur-until they were transported to the hospital.

[Canobie Fan]

I was at the park 2 days ago.. VTBCs trains were on the ground in the station.. NOT on the track.. On the ground.

[Jon Sabo]

^Was part of the train actually in pieces? If you go to the park on a regular basis, is there a way you can get some close-up pics? (Especially of the trains and/or perhaps the LIMs-area-if any damage is noticable). I seen a report that witnesses said "sparks" were flying.