Jon Sabo Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Ionia - A boy is dead following a trip to the Ionia County Fair. Blake Miller, an 8-year-old from Greenville, died after going on a ride Saturday night. The sheriff's department and family say it appears to be of natural causes, but it has had an impact on those running, and attending the fair. In the background is a swirling tower of amusement, a ride called the "Fireball." It's one of the most popular at the Ionia Fair. But in the foreground, a family that's trying to deal with the pain of losing a child, is staring at the one thing that reminds them most of their loss. Rest of story-Credit Link: http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=58354 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixflagsmagicmountain Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 ^ That's too bad. There seem to be a lot more health related deaths on rides lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Sabo Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 More than I ever remember too. It is quite odd indeed. But, it no doubt will be Senator Markey's mission to "police" themeparks more aggressively and reintroduce his bills before Congress as he has done the past 3+ yrs. It really isn't the parks fault for these related deaths recently and who is to say that park managers can do anything about it if the conditions (as in the past 4 or 5 recent cases have stated/concluded) are undetectable. Next thing that will happen is that each guest will be required to show ID that we have a clean bill of health. There would be some major lawsuits coming then for sure (just look how dysfunctional our society is in suing people). Park managers have their hands tied no matter what happens. It's quite unfortunate from a park perspective (and a public relations). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingScooter Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Another 8 yr old? My thoughts go to his family as this is any parents worst nightmare. There does seem to be an increase in these events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okinawaboy11 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Are the people in the pictures like protesting not to ride the ride? I mean, thats just stupid. It's rarely the ride, it's usually the person. But my prayers and thoughts do go out to the family. Thats so tradgic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kk_slider11290 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 "His cardiologist had seen him 2-3 months ago and said he didn't need to see him again because he was doing so good," Tiffany Miller says. This part makes me wonder, wouldn't you think he had some sort of heart problem they knew about before hand if he was seeing a cardiologist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneygurlz2s Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Are the people in the pictures like protesting not to ride the ride? No, if you read the article, it said the family went to raise money to pay for the boy's funeral...very sad. His cardiologist had seen him 2-3 months ago and said he didn't need to see him again because he was doing so good," Tiffany Miller says. This part makes me wonder, wouldn't you think he had some sort of heart problem they knew about before hand if he was seeing a cardiologist You know... there are few things I can speak intelligently about here on TPR (lol!!) but this is the one thing I can. I was born with mitral valve regurgitation, a really icky sounding medical term that means my heart valve does not close all the way. When I was born, there were no surgeries that were safe enough to do on a baby/little kid to correct it, so the doctors basically told my parents to take me home, love me, and hope for the best. That will be 40 years ago this October! My family always liked amusement parks...back then, we had Old Coney out here on the Ohio River, Americana and Fantasy Farm. A far cry from the thrill rides of today, but enough to scare the crap out of my mother every single time I rode something new or bigger or faster. But, she let me do it. And I fell in love with rides and amusement parks. Every time I hear one of these stories it really impacts me (you can tell that if you have read any of my posts) because I always think "That could have been me" or "That could happen to me". As a result, I have made the decision to choose wisely what I ride. I am going to Disney next month, and as much as it is making me crazy to pass on the "orange line", I will choose the "green line" for M:S. It's just not worth it to me. However, I can't wait to ride RnRC and ToT. Been there and done those before. Does that mean that I am guaranteed not to have something happen on those rides? No. Does it worry me a little? Sure. Especially since part of my trip I will be by myself with my 8 year old. But, I am also realistic enough to accept that I am taking risks with my life everyday by driving a car, etc. It makes me crazy that the media always portrays this as it being the amusement park/fair/ride manufacturers, etc fault somehow. No one would put that kind of spin on it if the kid died on a swing set or whatever. The reality is that whether or not you know you have a health condition, and regardless of whether you are 4 or 40 or 80, amusement rides have risks and you are accepting those risks when you board one, or allow your child to. I feel very sorry for this family, as clearly they thought this child was "cured" of his heart problem, and obviously he was not. Shari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okinawaboy11 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Are the people in the pictures like protesting not to ride the ride? No, if you read the article, it said the family went to raise money to pay for the boy's funeral...very sad. Ohp, thanks for the clarifier. I agree that is really really say though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haux Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 "I hope this trend doesn't continue this year!" It's not a trend. Since I've been visiting roller coaster and amusement park websites, I've noticed that every year a number of people get injured or die at amusement parks. But every year, planes crash and people die. Cars get in accidents. People die. Those are never seen as trends. It's not the "in thing" to get hurt on a ride. It's not a trend. It's just something that happens. We're in the middle of the year and in the peak of amusement park business. County and state fairs are starting up and will run through the fall. Accidents will happen. They will be reported. It's nothing new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingScooter Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 ^You're right, it's nothing new. It just seems like there are more accidents and more fatalities. ( I can't remember a season that had at least 3 kids under the age of ten die of pre-existing conditions.) http://www.rideaccidents.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisted_propaganda Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 "Times have not become more violent, just more televised." Would you believe Marilyn Manson said that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneygurlz2s Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 ^^ Wow! Now that's a hell of a good quote. I have a new-found respect for Marilyn Manson. And you know what? It's a 110% true. Shari "For a scary guy, that was a really deep thought" Shoufler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisted_propaganda Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 You can find more Manson quotes here: http://www.quotationspage.com/search.php3?homesearch=marilyn+manson&startsearch=Search Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Sabo Posted July 26, 2006 Author Share Posted July 26, 2006 In response to the post about "trend", I was referring to the apparent amount of bad luck it has been this year. Essentially, I was stating that the recent rash of deaths and injuries has occured more frequently this year than in past seasons and I was merely stating that I hope it doesn't continue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisted_propaganda Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 ^ I say that it isn't happening more frequently, I just think that's the first thing the press looks for when it looks for a story. Manson's right [: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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