Louise Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 A few random rambling thoughts: * The link that was posted pages back about a potential other drop tower accident turned out to be from a year ago, though that wasn't made clear on the news site who linked to Coasterbuzz, hence a few of us being rather confused. Just thought I'd clear that up in case anybody else had been curious about it. We're idiots for not noticing the dates on the posts. * I too thought it was a little odd that all the other towers (of different models and generations) had been closed, but I figure as much as "erring on the side of caution", it's also helpful to put the public's mind at rest, confirm to them that investigations are being taken into many of that type of ride. At the end of the day, your average member of the GP doesn't distinguish between manufacturers or anything, they just see a tower that goes up and comes down, and assumes they're all the same. Makes sense from a PR point of view and as comfort. * Eye-witness testimony is notoriously unreliable and even little things such as the way a reporter phrases a question (I'm not saying deliberately, even unconscious little encouragements) can have an effect. Eye-witnesses to car accidents will statistically estimate the speed of a travelling vehicle as faster if they are asked "what speed did the car CRASH into the wall" as opposed to "at what speed did the car make contact with the wall". It's a shame that so much stock is put into what people say. * In regards to the conversations about the number of cables, etc etc, this is how it was put to me on another board, though nothing about anything this technical, I'm clueless as to how correct this is: It's one cable, it just runs up and down three times through the series of pulleys. I'm not sure how this fits in with peoples' theories and am too tired to really figure out how this would work, whether this would mean the car would drop earlier than it should have done or whether a back-up system was in place or whether the ride DID drop early, but seeing as drop towers are meant to, well, drop, it's an irrelevant detail... I guess it all depends at what point the cable snapped. * I'm not particularly surprised that attendance was high today. I'd imagine a lot of people went along just to see if they could see anything or find out what was going on. Human nature really, just a different form of what we're doing here, speculating and theorising. * I'm glad that Fox were honest enough to tell Robb what kind of spin they wanted him to put on things. Would've been very awkward to not find that out until you were on the air and being made to feel uncomfortable because of your views. * Does anybody else find it odd that there has been NO news about the girl's condition yet?? I wasn't surprised that there was no news LAST night, but I am a little surprised that there hasn't been anything yet. I'm guessing this means that her parents aren't willing to release any information, but in my experience the hospital usually at least convince them to allow them to make some kind of generic "it's early days but she's stable" type statement. Don't know why, but I find the lack of confirmed facts quite unnerving. It is very early though. We'll see what the weekend brings. * Oh, and I had a great conversation with my mother today! She was like "I know nothing will ever happen to you, and I know that driving, flying, and even getting out of the shower are far more risky, but this still scares me so I don't want to hear anything about it". Long post. Sorry guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scaparri Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 But think about a ride-op. You're probably 18, 19, or 20 years old. All of a sudden, this happens. This, as most of us have said, is one of the last things you expect to see happening on a ride like this. Therefore, the one with the ability to stop would have been in shock, so even if e-stopping the ride at the top could have helped, it would probably have been very hard to do mentally. Eh, I don't know about that. I don't know how well SF trains their employees, but during my tenure at CP, we were taught to watch and listen for anything abnormal. Not to mention, we were taught to keep our hand on the stop button anytime the ride was in motion/leaving the station. I'm not saying you're wrong. I just figure, during my time, if I had seen anything break or something that didn't look right at all, it would have been an instant reaction. Who knows. We still aren't even sure how it happened. Just throwin' my bit in about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgathriller Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Here's an odd question. When something major like this happens in a park, does the park still operate? During this accident, did Six Flags still operate normally with rides going and shops open or did they shut down? If the park continued to operate it would keep the park patrons occupied but wouldn't you have a bunch of people running to the Ferris Wheel to get a glance of whats going on? Just a random question I had. Oh and here's another. On the Larson Drop Towers, is this type of accident possible? Those types of towers look like the cables are located on the inside of the structure. Just wondering because I have rode plenty of these drop towers. My prayers are with this girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterdude5 Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 ^ Apparently most people (including employees) in other areas in the park didn't even know what had happened. If I'm not mistaken, the park is separated by a rode, so the other side of the park probably did not know about the incident for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Gumball Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I do recall PGA (at the time that it was PGA) remained open during/after the Drop Zone accident, but had the Drop Zone perimeter all blocked off via tarps as it was not exactly the nicest thing to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
californiascreamer1 Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 This is amazing. I cant believe a persons feet can get severed on a ride. Dont they inspect it and make sure there is no problems in testing? Plus this place just opened! This is front page worthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robgraves Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 there is no reason NOT to operate the rest of the park. Just because one ride malfunctioned does not mean the rest of the park cannot function normally. I don't worry about six flags on this... it may be some bad press... but im sure they will land on their feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudvayneimn Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 The park had to remain open for atleast 30 min. after the accident. They had the area where STOP is blocked off (keeping people out/in depending on what side of the main gates they were on. Ride operators are trained for emergency situations, but from witness testimony (take with a grain of salt), the ride was near the top when the cable broke. I read one account from someone on the ride when it happened and said that all of the cars were at the top for a longer than usual time, so it is possible that the operators did hit e-stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCFreak Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 But think about a ride-op. You're probably 18, 19, or 20 years old. All of a sudden, this happens. This, as most of us have said, is one of the last things you expect to see happening on a ride like this. Therefore, the one with the ability to stop would have been in shock, so even if e-stopping the ride at the top could have helped, it would probably have been very hard to do mentally. Eh, I don't know about that. I don't know how well SF trains their employees, but during my tenure at CP, we were taught to watch and listen for anything abnormal. Not to mention, we were taught to keep our hand on the stop button anytime the ride was in motion/leaving the station. I'm not saying you're wrong. I just figure, during my time, if I had seen anything break or something that didn't look right at all, it would have been an instant reaction. Who knows. We still aren't even sure how it happened. Just throwin' my bit in about that. I've had a few things happen, no where near as bad as this, but even with awesome training and being a good ride-op for three years, stuff still happens that's not supposed to in the blink of an eye with no warning. I feel for everyone involved in this accident and Hope that people can recover as best they can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneygurlz2s Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 * The link that was posted pages back about a potential other drop tower accident turned out to be from a year ago, though that wasn't made clear on the news site who linked to Coasterbuzz, hence a few of us being rather confused. Just thought I'd clear that up in case anybody else had been curious about it. We're idiots for not noticing the dates on the posts. I think Lou's comment TOTALLY sums up the media aspect of this discussion. This morning, I went online to the Louisville, KY local media (newspaper and local tv affiliates) to see what the latest developments were, assuming that the local media would have more detailed and updated information than the national media. There, right with the story about yesterday's incident, was the CoasterBuzz link. It completely appeared to be a related (as in happened the same day) news story, and I was so stunned that something like this could happen twice in the same day (drop ride injuries) that I did not look at all at the dates on the posts. Why? Well, because why would the news media find it necessary to post a link to something that happened a YEAR ago! I agree that while many of us have our political reasons to be "for" or "against" a particular news outlet, in this situation, it's really about how the media wants to portray incidents like this. No one cares that across the US millions of people had safe, fun visits to theme parks, amusement parks and carnivals yesterday. The news is in the tragedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dailey Enterprizes Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I can't really believe that this actually happened. I guess I have so much trust in amusement rides that I don't even think about the risk of something happening, yet I guess that's bull because I drive a car everyday and accidents happen with those all the time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twister II Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Eh, I don't know about that. I don't know how well SF trains their employees, but during my tenure at CP, we were taught to watch and listen for anything abnormal. Not to mention, we were taught to keep our hand on the stop button anytime the ride was in motion/leaving the station. I'm not saying you're wrong. I just figure, during my time, if I had seen anything break or something that didn't look right at all, it would have been an instant reaction. Who knows. We still aren't even sure how it happened. Just throwin' my bit in about that. I noticed last time I rode Tower of Doom (when it was still Six Flags Elitch Gardens) all ride op's would watch their 'side' of the tower car (1, 2, or 3) go up. All three ride ops would have their hands on the e-stop buttons until the ride would be completely down, safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robgraves Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 The news was making a big deal tonight about how IOA did not have Dr. Dooms Fear Fall closed down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twister II Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 On the news: http://www.9news.com/video/player.aspx?aid=36509&bw= I like how the reporters say, "The parks are trying to get across this is extremely rare..." and they are not bashing the parks. They even got a girl who said she would still ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Plus this place just opened! Huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vjgx Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 The news was making a big deal tonight about how IOA did not have Dr. Dooms Fear Fall closed down.Haha, well that's their problem for not knowing that Fear Fall is a S&S Tower, not an Intamin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robgraves Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 The news was making a big deal tonight about how IOA did not have Dr. Dooms Fear Fall closed down.Haha, well that's their problem for not knowing that Fear Fall is a S&S Tower, not an Intamin. I know that, you know that... but the GP... they have no clue... apparently it was brought up on the later broadcast, but with that "it could still happen" tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCoaster Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Long post with a couple of different topics being addressed. I must say that I was slightly irritated at the coverage on Good Morning America today that also included stock footage of the Boomerang at SFDK/SFMW/MWAUSA stuck in the boomerang and the coaster at Magic Springs stuck at the top of the lift and listed them as accidents. It then went on to say how many people in each were hospitalized while neglecting to mention that it would have been for dehydration and dizziness. Regarding the accident, after looking at the footage in the news reports it seems that with the exception of the cable snapping, everything performed as planned. All of the hoist carriages are at the top of the tower so I think it rules out all of the cables snapping and the 1 cable looped 3 times theory because the hoist carriage would have fallen with the car. And based on the pictures of the frayed cable, I think the theory that the cable snapped on the way up and was left dangling and her leg caught on it on the way down seems the most plausible. As for updates on the girls condition. Earlier I found an article on yahoo or something saying she was in surgery but that was all they knew. The SF Channel 2 News (Fox) just did a fairly neutral story on it and how it has affected the closure of Drop Zone at Great America. They did interview a bunch of kids who were split on riding it when it reopened and a mother who essentially said "if it did this to one girl, they should just close all of these rides because it could happen again." They finished the story by saying that Great America was not sure when they would reopen Drop Zone, but that Cal OSHA has inspected the ride and cable system and found everything to be in perfect condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldogmom Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 What a bizarre and horrible accident. Hopefully, with the medical advances of today, the girl will be almost good as new soon. However, if she were my kid, I would be more worried about psychological scars, which are more difficult to heal. She has suffered a severe physical and emotional trauma and may suffer from PTSD in the future. Also, the other people on the ride, ride ops, and even witnesses may suffer, as they witnessed a traumatic event. I hope SF offers to pay for therapy for all of these people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robgraves Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 What a bizarre and horrible accident. Hopefully, with the medical advances of today, the girl will be almost good as new soon. However, if she were my kid, I would be more worried about psychological scars, which are more difficult to heal. She has suffered a severe physical and emotional trauma and may suffer from PTSD in the future. Also, the other people on the ride, ride ops, and even witnesses may suffer, as they witnessed a traumatic event. I hope SF offers to pay for therapy for all of these people. I can agree there.... PTSD is teh suck. been suffering from it for going on 4 years now. I can say easily no amount of physical injury is as crippling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmcdllr Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Of course Drop Zone is in perfect condition after osha inspected it, its Great America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TatsuXtreme Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 that sucks. but there is no way that the family can sue them, pretty much every park warns you "ride at your own risk" but we'll see what comes up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyber.Fiber Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 How could this happen as the cables are located above the ride caradge? At first I thought that this was a S&S tower but I guess not. That really horrible thought! I just can't belive this. From now on I guess we are all going to have to ride these with our legs crosssed on our seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcajun Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 See waht i was saying about placing blame and everyone trying to prove it was not them? Here is a statement from Intamin posted at ride accidents dot com Which if true certainly would take them out of the blame game so far. Of course that does not necesarily mean the cables have never been changed. Parts could have been bought from another vender but then that leads to the cable spec maybe not being correct Ect. We will certainly hear more on this in the coming days and weeks. Investigation focuses on cable(Saturday, June 23, 2007) - The manufacturer of the Superman Tower of Power says it did not supply the cable that sliced off a girl's feet at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom on Thursday. The ride's cables and wire ropes would have had the need for replacement at least several times since the ride opened in 1995. Intamin says it has not supplied parts for the ride for 13 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudvayneimn Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 The chances of the ever happening again is very slim. So I wouldn't worry about crossing your legs on the seat, besides, if the cable wants to getcha, it will and there's nothing you can do about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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