Kentucky Kingdom (SFKK, KK) Discussion Thread

[Bob O]

Does anyone know if they have closed any of the TOT rides in disney parks???

 

Are the mechanics similar for TOT or are they that different so they wouldn't close down these rides like other parks have closed there drop rides.?

[MarkP8]

That poor little girl. This horrible news brought tears to my eyes.

 

I may be Captain Bringdown when it comes to tragedies like this, but I cannot, for the life of me, find anything humorous whatsoever in this abject horror.

 

I hope that we will eventually be informed where we may be able to send this little girl our best wishes to her, and let her know that we care.

 

That poor little girl.

[SharkTums]

^^Bob,

 

While I haven't heard for sure, I cannot imagine ToT being shut down as it is VERY VERY different from the Intamin Drop Towers.

[blacknite2oo7]

On Friday, inspectors from the North Carolina Department of Labor arrived to inspect the ride. A decision was made to keep the ride closed until several cables on one gondola ride could be replaced.

 

A park official said the cables were replaced because they stretched .014 of an inch.

 

No one was hurt at the Carowinds park. The decision to close the ride was agreed upon by both state officials and the theme park's management

 

http://www.wbtv.com/8138797.html

 

Local news said that last night on the 11 news, I heard it as I was leaving work.

[Alpenguy]

I can't believe they can even measure .014in over an entire tower cable, that's just amazing...

 

I remember seeing Drop Tower at PGA get re-cabled midseason in 2001, it took about 10 days including testing. Not a huge deal, though it'll be interesting to hear how old the cables at SFKK are.

[CHROMEDOME]

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.

 

The family will sue, even if SF had them sign a paper that said "if my legs get cut off I won't sue" they would still sue.

[KGA29]

Does anyone know if they have closed any of the TOT rides in disney parks???

 

Are the mechanics similar for TOT or are they that different so they wouldn't close down these rides like other parks have closed there drop rides.?

 

No. For one thing, riders in the ToT rides are enclosed and don't have their legs dangling in the open. Secondly, the rides are made by different companies and have a completely different ride system. ToT's drops aren't even freefalls. They fall at a controlled speed.

[gk]

I can't believe they can even measure .014in over an entire tower cable, that's just amazing...

 

I remember seeing Drop Tower at PGA get re-cabled midseason in 2001, it took about 10 days including testing. Not a huge deal, though it'll be interesting to hear how old the cables at SFKK are.

 

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706230462

 

The only mention of the ride's cables in state records was a note that some cables were due for replacement in 2005, but the park had already replaced them in 2003.

[Bob O]

Thanks for the info, I wasnt sure how TOT operated or who installed the ride mechanism.

[cfc]

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.

 

The family will sue, even if SF had them sign a paper that said "if my legs get cut off I won't sue" they would still sue.

 

Such a warning most likely wouldn't protect the park if the accident occurred due to willful negligence or poor maintenance--but all this remains to be seen.

[Xxhershey818xX]

The craziest thing I herd about this whole accident was while I was on vacation like 6 hours ago. I just came back. My cousins mom told us someones legs got cut off on the Spiderman ride at Islands of Adventure cause she saw it on the news and told my cousin not to ride. My whole family thought this was very unrealistic and stupid. Now see I was vacationing in Florida at that time this story came up and was at the park the day before and nothing seemed wrong with the ride. So we all decided my cousins mom was just mad about not being able to come and trying to ruin our trip. (Cause she actually is crazy). Later the next day my mom comes out and tells all of us it happened at Kentucky Kingdom and on the Superman ride. Anywhos just goes to show oh well somepeople listen or just how much people just can be mean!

 

 

 

Plus i feel very sorry for this girl. I hope shes ok!

[waterviper]

I hope shes ok!

 

Oh ya she is fine! Just two of her feet got completely severed off, no biggy. It is just a mere flesh wound.

[Louise]

^ C'mon now Mike, you know what he means. I'm still wondering how she's doing, I do hope they managed to reattach her feet, though I actually don't know which is more difficult: learning to walk with prosthetics (assuming they were suitable), or learning to walk after an amputation and re-amputation.

 

This article concerning the beginning of the investigation actually has a few random interesting tidbits, but nothing we didn't already know really I don't think.

 

Inquiry begun into Six Flags accident

 

PARKS CLOSE SIMILAR RIDES AFTER GIRL'S FEET SEVERED

By Barbara Isaacs

 

The Superman Tower of Power was the ride on which the girl was injured. It was shut down Friday but Six Flags was open and its other rides were in operation. Photo by Ed Reinke | Associated Press

 

A loose cable severed the feet of a 13-year-old girl on the Superman Tower of Power ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, inspectors said yesterday. The incident prompted other amusement parks to shut down similar rides.

 

"We know what caused the injury," said Bill Clary, spokesman for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. "But we don't know the reason it happened."

 

Yesterday, four workers from Kentucky's Division of Regulation and Inspection were investigating the incident at the Louisville amusement park.

 

The ride remained closed yesterday, but the rest of Kentucky Kingdom was operating as usual.

 

The Superman Tower of Power lifts passengers 177 feet straight up, then drops 154 feet, reaching a speed of 54 mph, according to the park's Web site.

 

The accident happened about 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Six Flags spokeswoman Wendy Goldberg said. It was unclear at what point during the ride the girl was injured, she said. The girl's feet were severed just above the ankles.

 

The girl's identity was not released and her condition was not known.

 

All amusement rides in Kentucky are inspected at least once yearly by state law, both at permanent amusement parks and traveling carnivals, Clary said.

 

The most recent inspection of the Superman Tower of Power was probably in March, before Kentucky Kingdom opened for the season, Clary said, but state workers were still looking for those records.

 

"This is extremely unusual," Clary said of the grievous injury the girl received.

 

There has not been a fatality on any amusement ride in Kentucky in more than 20 years, Clary said, and he wasn't aware of any similarly serious injuries in Kentucky Kingdom's history.

 

Carolyn McLean, a spokeswoman for Kentucky Kingdom, said the ride has been operated since 1995 without any major incidents or injuries.

 

"The staff has been amazing," McLean said of the park workers' response to the emergency. "We've provided them with guidance counselors for as long as needed, 24 hours a day," she said. The park's EMTs responded immediately.

 

McLean said park officials have been in contact with the girl's family.

 

Clary said he didn't know when the investigation would conclude or how quickly investigators would determine why the cable came loose.

 

"We're conducting an investigation now," Goldberg said. "Millions of people have safely ridden this ride in our parks."

 

Amusement park operators acted swiftly to shut down and inspect similar rides.

 

Six Flags shut down free-fall rides at parks in St. Louis; Gurnee, Ill.; and near Washington, D.C., Goldberg said.

 

Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which operates Kings Island near Cincinnati, closed its popular Drop Zone, which sends riders plunging 264 feet at 67 mph and is the tallest ride of its kind in the world.

 

Drop Zone was made by Intamin AG, the same manufacturer as Kentucky Kingdom's Superman Tower of Power, although the Kings Island ride is newer, taller and uses a different seating configuration. It hasn't had any safety problems since opening in 1999, Kings Island spokesman Craig Ross said.

 

"From a precautionary standpoint, we want to remain safe," Ross said. "We've shut down the ride until we understand a little bit more about what has occurred."

 

Cedar Fair also closed free-fall rides at Canada's Wonderland in Toronto; Kings Dominion in Doswell, Va.; Carowinds in Charlotte, N.C.; and Great America in Santa Clara, Calif.

 

Company spokeswoman Stacy Frole said the company spoke with the maker of its Kentucky Kingdom ride and then decided to inspect similar rides as a precaution.

 

Ross said nearly 100 workers at Kings Island begin testing and inspecting rides every day starting at 4 a.m. and that all the park's rides are certified by Ohio's Department of Agriculture.

 

There's no plan yet for when Drop Zone will reopen, Ross said.

 

"We don't want to hold anything back from our guests, but we want to make sure everything is safe," Ross said. "We felt like that was very much the right thing to do."

 

http://www.kentucky.com/454/story/105717.html

 

Edited to add a few emboldened parts.

[dougr]

^^Bob,

 

While I haven't heard for sure, I cannot imagine ToT being shut down as it is VERY VERY different from the Intamin Drop Towers.

 

Can anyone explain the engineering differences between the Intamin towers and the S&S towers?

[cfc]

Interesting that the Ohio Department of Agriculture would have jurisdiction over ride safety at KI--or is this typical of other states and theme-park rides? Maybe this rose out of having to regulate country fairs?

[almightyfire]

THIS WAS A FREAK ACCIDENT. This ride isnt that old and no one and I mean no one would ever image this happening. This isnt neglect on Six Flags at all. The cable snapped. Plain and simple. Six Flags and Imtamin are gonna have to compensate them but not necessarily their fault. Everyone is gonna be sued. That is how it is done. I have some stock in Six Flags and I am sure the shares are gonna decrease, but not enough for me to pull out. I still have faith that the stock is gonna rise in the future.

[cfc]

^You might be right here, but it seems a bit early in the investigation to say that "neglect" on Six Flags' part isn't the cause.

[coasterfreak101]

^^^

 

The Intamin drop towers use cables to pull the car to the top of the tower, while the S&S towers use compressed air to launch the car either upwards or downwards.

 

I might not be right here, but I don't think that the S&S towers use cables whatsoever, just tubes and air...someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

The ToT system is completely different from either of these methods, however. If you need any information on it, you can find some here:

 

http://towerofterror.org/howitworks.html

 

Hopefully, all that answers your question!

[coastrfreak2000]

I might not be right here, but I don't think that the S&S towers use cables whatsoever, just tubes and air...someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Actually the S&S towers do use cables. There are cables on the bottom and top of the cars to pull them up and down.

[calcajun]

Actually the S&S towers do use cables to move the ride units. The cables are attached to the pistons which pull them up or down. The cables are also exposed.

[Calvin]

Here is how Space Shots work.

[almightyfire]

Whatever the circumstance is it was an accident and yes people have to pay but this still is a rare ACCIDENT. This isnt the last accident that will happen at a park. It is truly horrible and my heart goes out to the girl and her family but come on now there are thousands of freak accidents in the world, meaning these accidents are rare and unexplainable, we all see Six Flags testing their rides everyday and if they thought there was a remote chance of this happening these types of rides would be closed down.. It is horrible that an accident makes us more aware but that's life and yes someone should pay but I doubt it is down right neglect.

[AT0527]

^ yeah thats exactly what i was trying to say in my other post, a few pages back...it was a freak accident..no one is really at fault. Like SFKK knew the cable was gonna snap? I think not..I feel bad for the girl and it should still be investigated, but i seriously dont think there will be an explanation as to WHY it snapped. If the rides are truly inspected everyday like they claim, then they wont find a reason why it broke.

[stormrider]

This all seems surreal. I'd imagine a restraint opening, two coaster trains crashing, but a cable on a drop tower snapping and chopping/pulling off a person's feet? I could never come up with that on my own. And if she uses prosthetics, when she grows up she would have to replace them as she grows, which adds financial concerns. This really is a freak accident.

[sixflagsguy5]

This is very unfortunate and I hope that the girl will be ok.

 

I think that it's ridiculous how parks try to pass the blame whenever an accident happens. People have fallen out of roller coasters at many parks and the parks always try to pass the blame. Usually they'll say that someone stood up or used the restraint in an unsafe way. In this case SF can't pass the blame to anyone. I already see that they're trying to pass it to Intamin and I think that's ridiculous. Even if Intamin told them never to inspect the cables, I think it's common sense to inspect the cables to make sure that they haven't worn.

Edited April 30, 2011 by sixflagsguy5