gk Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 After reading the thread on Coasterbuzz it seems to me that she has something of a case (the park should have liability for the medical costs, IMO - it sounds like the girl got at least a concussion and needed 23 stitches) but the mom wasn't there and even she doesn't seem to know what really happened. Without knowing how much she's suing for it's hard to tell if she's seeing dollar signs or if Six Flags is being unreasonable. However since fairly minor incidents like this happen all the time at parks without generating lawsuits I'm inclined to think she's being unreasonable. A couple points: - The 4 person rafts are fairly bulky and heavy - I find it hard to believe a 10 and 11 year kids carried one to the top by themselves. At Great Escape they don't have 2 person rafts on the Tornado so I have no experience with those. But since four person rafts can be used by 2 or more I don't see why there'd be a "safety rule" about using 2 person rafts. - one kid may have panicked and let go, falling off the raft and either causing the raft to tip or causing the other child and the raft to land on top of her. It's hard to know for sure but stuff happens sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasquatch Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 I thought this type of water slide had a inward-curving lip around the top to prevent falling out? IMO the kids probably moved while entering the bowl, fell off the raft, and landed awkwardly in the pool at the bottom (probably head-first by the sound of it) and hence the injuries. And if she is going by what her kids say, they could have totally exaggerated it and she will end up looking a pr1ck. And anyway, the manufacturer of the ride will have made the rafts to a certain weight to that they can go down on their own (which i am sure is how the ride is tested) and not over shoot on the bowl section. Hmmmm..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterdude5 Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 Did the ride close at all after the accident? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spokker Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 I think she has a case but she should only get the medical bills paid and two free tickets. Sorry lady, your kids didn't die or lose a limb and there are inherent risks in riding these rides anyway. Go away already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SigENeaT Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 I'm from Australia so things are a little more laid back for us, but here's two stories to help give some perspective ('against' the mother being discussed).. I went to highschool with a guy who scalped himself at a laser-tag place in year 8 at a birthday party (~13). He did a decent job of it as well; stiches from ear to ear over the top of his skull. He was hiding under a staircase and then stood up after being shot by someone else and hit an exposed bolt which was holding one of the steps in place. This bolt caused a tear in the skin on his head and as part of his reaction of jumping back/sideways/wherever the rest of the skin was torn/ripped sideways towards his ears as the bolt slid across his skull. Our health system in Aus is free to everyone so there was no call for the centre to cover any medical bills or similar. Infact from memory i think the only thing that happened in the aftermath was the money for the laser tag games was refunded and the section under the staircase blocked off so you couldnt hide under there to stop it happening again. Why couldnt the mother in this instance take a similar approach? I also have a similar story. At one of the few water parks we have in Western Australia there is a long speed slide that accommodates 1 person at a time. From 8 or so years ago and prior the slide used to have a typical vinyl lining in it which allowed people to go down without a mat/tube/etc. You just crossed your legs and away you went! In the heat and weather though, over time the vinyl began to ripple on the sides. Think of the slide as a large "U" shape. One season i went down this slide (as thousands had done before) with my legs crossed and one of the vinyl ripples caught my foot and spun me around so that i was heading backwards. Ended up tearing some muscles through my groin (stop giggling!!) and hobbling ensued for a week or so later. The lifeguard saw the event and shut down the ride immediately. As it was nearing the end of summer they ended up leaving the ride shut down. Next season it was opened again with no vinyl lining. Instead they had put an extra layer of smooth fibreglass or plastic or whatever and you went down on a mat. Problem solved! Surely people have to accept that when you ride/partake these sorts of rides or similar that you do so at your own risk. Sure the operators have to take some responsibility but there are clear guidelines set on how to ride/use rides/slides, if you go out of these guidelines and something bad happens as a result only you are to blame. I guess insurance companies in America must do it hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Gumball Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 Not holding on to the handles could contribute to the kids falling out of the raft. I don't see how the physics of the ride could be affected much by two small children. I can totally vouch for that. I rode the Big Kahuna at Water World Concord (It's a Family Raft type slide) and was riding w/o hanging onto the handles. I was holding our belongings as I got some major wall time. Not once, but twice, I flew up in the air but I did land back on the raft in the middle of it. No, I didn't file a lawsuit as it was all my fault and I actually found it hilarious and thrilling. But again, I'm not one of those cheap people out there trying to scrounge up money every possible way I could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airtime&Gravity Posted July 7, 2007 Author Share Posted July 7, 2007 Surely people have to accept that when you ride/partake these sorts of rides or similar that you do so at your own risk. Sure the operators have to take some responsibility but there are clear guidelines set on how to ride/use rides/slides, if you go out of these guidelines and something bad happens as a result only you are to blame. Sorry, this made me laugh because while it should be true, for some reason it isn't in America. Hopefully society will stop acting so immature, and Americans won't act like idiots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Jack Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 Something about this situation doesn't sound right...maybe Tigger punched the kid in the face and caused the raft to tip. A lawsuit, in America, has become a way to legally steal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRWP2005 Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 Ok so like I said yesterday I'm guessing this accident was due to rider error/not following rules. I don't think it was a good idea for this lady to post on a message board telling everyone that their wrong and this is all 6 Flags fault. I mean come on, on average like what probably something around 2000 probably ride that ride in one day. Just think of how many people ride before a serious accident occurs. If these rides weren't safe the park wouldn't be installing them. And secondly, I wanna touch on something in that ladys post...the fact that they waited 26 minutes to call 911. Believe me calling 911 is a very last resort in amusement park injuries. I can't speak for 6 Flags, but we have multiple EMT's on staff each and every day in the event of an injury, and if the injury is serious enough 911 is called. Most of the time the person who is injured is fine, its the family who want's 911 called immediately, when an all reality the same person looking at them at the park is the same person coming off the ambulance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoaster Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 Just a few things: 1. If you are even thinking about filing a law suit, don't post anything on a web board (or even send emails for that matter). They are wonderful pieces of evidence and can likely be used to impeach your testimony quickly. 2. This is an odd situation. On one hand, I agree that there is a proper way to ride. However, as noted, there is a significant risk that someone may lose their grip on a handle or that two small children would ride alone. Therefore, whether it is ProSlide or SF's policy, these are foreseeable events. For a child to suffer stitches-worthy injuries while riding the slide normally or even without holding on, that goes beyond expectation. I do think there may be some products liability issues with that. Oddly, though, it seems the case (from the info provided) is centering on negligence by the operators. Odd to say the least, and I will be interested to see how it comes out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gk Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 For a child to suffer stitches-worthy injuries while riding the slide normally or even without holding on, that goes beyond expectation. It's hard for me to imagine how someone could get hurt like that on a Tornado even if they fell off the raft. The kids bonking their heads together as they slid down seems to be a likely scenerio. To me, this falls under the "stuff happens" category, and while Six Flags should make nice to them (pay medical bills and offer free season passes for the family or something), which should be the end of it. Very unlike the situation at SFKK, IMO. That poor girl should be well compensated by Six Flags and possibly by Intamin, since she's now debilitated for life. She certainly had a reasonable expectation not to be in that situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoaster Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 While I agree in theory, "stuff happens" is a bit different when you've invited someone to use something and an accident like that happens in normal course of riding. I am a bit puzzled as to how it happened, too, but 23 stitches is a bit beyond what one would normally encounter. I am waiting on my opinion until we get some more facts. Also, just to qualm a bit of fear people are throwing out, the outcome of this will likely be settlement because the legal fees for this will be much greater than any damages the family could receive. This isn't horrendous conduct; it is at most negligence. So, all they would likely get would be medical expenses and maybe a little bit for pain and suffering (but very minor since kids get bonked and banged all the time - and they have no lost income or down time over the summer). Don't worry. This almost certainly will not be some multi-thousand dollar case unless some pretty strong facts emerge. I would expect it gets settled soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreatOne Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 - The 4 person rafts are fairly bulky and heavy - I find it hard to believe a 10 and 11 year kids carried one to the top by themselves. Actually, ProSlide tornadoes have escalator-style conveyors that pull rafts up to the top of the slide as shown in the picture in the link below: http://freizeitparkweb.de/dcf/User_files/44fc7adc2c59e96a.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterdude5 Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 ^ Six Flags Great America does not use that system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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