holidayworld08 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Oh my.. SANTA CLAUS, IN (WFIE) - A filter pump malfunction at Splashin' Safari at Holiday World sent 24 people to the hospital Saturday night. Officials at Holiday World said Sunday night the problem has been fixed. Will Koch, the president of the park, said when a filter pump at Splashin' Safari was turned on, a large amount of chlorine and acid was pumped into the water. Several people reported trouble breathing. They were taken by ambulance to Jasper Memorial Hospital. "Basically, what we had was some labored breathing and some nausea and basic, just generally not feeling well at all," Koch said. "For the people here at the time, they were not feeling well. The good news is there are no long-term affects from that and again, everyone was treated and released." The park was operating on a normal schedule Sunday. Statement from Holiday World & Splashin' Safari At approximately 6:25 pm on Saturday, June 20, a filter pump at the Bahari River at Splashin' Safari was discovered to be turned off; when it was turned back on, a stronger than usual concentration of liquid bleach and muriatic acid was pushed into the water. A number of guests in the river experienced trouble breathing and asked for first-aid treatment. Holiday World staff, including first aid personnel assisted by administering oxygen. Two-dozen persons were transported to Jasper Memorial Hospital for observation. All were alert and conscious throughout. Please note: Liquid bleach is very stable. Bleach is the sanitizer used in Splashin' Safari's pools. It takes pH up; muriatic acid is used to then lower the pH to proper levels. Explanation: An interlock system designed to prevent chemical feeders from pumping bleach and muriatic acid into the river when a pump is off did not function properly when one of the two pumps was off. Steps are being taken to remedy this. In no other pool in Splashin' Safari is the chemical feeder system set up in this way. Wow.. I can't believe this happened. I hope those people are going to be ok. But,I like how HW handled this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBru Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Interesting. It sounds like the park handled the incident, and the press, very well. What I find strange is that it happened with such a modern attraction...it seems like there would be a way to prevent this from happening by now (even though the other pools in the park aren't set up the same way). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRWP2005 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 What I find strange is that it happened with such a modern attraction...it seems like there would be a way to prevent this from happening by now (even though the other pools in the park aren't set up the same way). There is a way to prevent this from happening and I'm guessing that it failed...Filter Systems are usually designed with a pressure switch on the effluent side of the filter. The pressure switch is tied to the chemical feeders, so if there is no pressure on the switch (ex. pump turned off) then the feeders can't get electricity to feed because the switch is denying the power, even if the chemical controller is calling for chemical feed. So I'm guessing that the pressure switch failed and didn't stop the chemical feed, so once the pump was turned back on all the built up chemical in the pipe was instantly released into the pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsterfan99 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Sorry to hear it happened, but the park did a great job handling it. I love that they explained everything in detail, not just a bunch of BS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 ^ Yeah, it's annoying when you're reading about ride mishaps and it seems in every article about every park/carnival, the only quote from any representative is someone saying "Of course, safety is our top priority" or "This freak occurrence was obviously one in a million." Instead, here we have people who are straightforward, matter-of-fact, detailed, and who don't over-apologize for a minor incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawrtotheargh Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 ^ I was thinking the same exact thing. Personally I think it makes them look better. When they just say the regular one in a million thing it seems like they are simply making it all up and they don't really know what the problem is for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiroo Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 100% honesty...refreshing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 For a second, judging by the topic title and subtitle, I thought something really tragic happened at HW. Glad to see that wasn't the case and nothing too serious happened. The situation seemed well handled by all parties and I hope everybody is breathing easy right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Omg! I had those same symptoms after a trip to HH in NJ. I just felt like passing out right in the parking lot after I got out the park. You think it was the same thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsasamccormick Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Can anyone say law suit? Just kidding. Holiday world takes GOOD care of people even if they are involved in the smallest incidents. I love Holiday World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRapidsNerd Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 CTU_Agent said: This doesn't really seem like a big deal at all. Just a higher concentration of chemicals. It was good that they were treated, but it really was nothing serious. You hit the nail on the head and glad folks are ok. Poor Paula, Pat, and co. They had to be concerned too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsasamccormick Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I have to agree with everyone else, Holiday World did an Awesome job handling the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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