Kentucky Kingdom (SFKK, KK) Discussion Thread

[RaptorBoyASU]

Here's the depositions from the family. Sounds like someone is going to be writing a HUGE check.

 

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080130/NEWS01/80130056/1008

[DBru]

Wow, that really makes you think...

[Blink]

I could barely read that, it's so tragic. I couldn't imagine how the parents felt about this. Thank god she is still alive.

[Louise]

Yeah, I found that really hard to read. I'm usually pretty cynical about this and tend to think that people will exaggerate emotions and facts when they might get money out of it, but I really feel for the girl and her family here. I haven't read about the last ten pages of this thread, I really need to catch up as I have no idea where I stand on the legal case, not sure if blame was ever safely placed somewhere. Irregardless of that, I really feel terrible for this girl and found her account (and her mother's) pretty upsetting.

[SharkTums]

Yes this is pretty hard to read, but at the same time we're only hearing one side of the story.

 

Also, from these statements it seems like the family has a pretty good case against that first hospital along with Six Flags.

 

The thing that really scares me is if all of these cables and stuff were falling and people screaming only 20 feet off the ground on the way up, why was the e-stop not pressed? Was there a problem? Were ops not paying attention? Or perhaps is this dramatized a bit?

 

Like always these few additional details will only raise more questions.

[gotdane]

What exactly do these cables do if the ride was apparently able to finish it's cycle from 20 feet (or so) of the ground?

 

How terrifying.

[SharkTums]

^Part of my point...

 

I can see maybe if one or two cables fail the other still lifting the car, but I do wonder if the kid is exaggerating/misremembering some of the details.

[Scaparri]

^Part of my point...

 

I can see maybe if one or two cables fail the other still lifting the car, but I do wonder if the kid is exaggerating/misremembering some of the details.

 

Yeah, I hate to sound insensitive, but I have no doubt that most of this was written with their lawyer, and some of the stuff seems just a little far-fetched, or like they are just selectively remembering things.

 

I'm sorry, I know Six Flags hasn't always been known for having the most attentive workers, but there are ride ops who have to push buttons at the base of the tower. If there were literally cables falling everywhere just twenty feet above the ground, then they would have been getting hit or at least seen the cables as well. And any moron would have known to hit the e-stop had this truly happened.

 

Then it's just funny how she so vividly recalls the park's pediatrician wearing a baseball hat, t-shirt, swim trunks, and sandals. It's almost as if the lawyer is trying to get her to make the park look as unprofessional as possible. She later mentions how they were grabbing her by the legs when she had a broken femur, as if she's, again, trying to make the park look unprofessional.

 

I know that this was an awful incident that was terrible for her, her family and her friends. I'm not insensitive to that. But I'm sure they are being selective in their memory to better help their case.

[ginzo]

I know that this was an awful incident that was terrible for her, her family and her friends. I'm not insensitive to that. But I'm sure they are being selective in their memory to better help their case.

 

I don't think this case needs any help. This is getting settled out of court. If Six Flags has any sense at all, that is. But lawyers can't help oozing slime all over their cases. It's in their blood.

[Angry_Gumball]

Yes this is pretty hard to read, but at the same time we're only hearing one side of the story.

 

Also, from these statements it seems like the family has a pretty good case against that first hospital along with Six Flags.

 

The thing that really scares me is if all of these cables and stuff were falling and people screaming only 20 feet off the ground on the way up, why was the e-stop not pressed? Was there a problem? Were ops not paying attention? Or perhaps is this dramatized a bit?

 

Like always these few additional details will only raise more questions.

 

That's what I was wondering...Can't the drop towers be killed at any given time or do the ops have to wait until the ride feels like it could stop? (Kind of like when you tell a computer to stop a particular function, and it still continues a good 30 seconds after until it registers that command? Couldn't the ops hear excessive/abnormal screaming not to mention abnormal mechanical noises? I'm not trying to push the blame to the park, so please don't take me that way. Reading this article was quite difficult and almost brought a slight tear and could only imagine actually being on the ride with them...not to mention the other article from the parent's pov. I hope everything works out for everyone, and would be interesting to read the park's point of view on this.

[gnewton34]

^^^Do parks even have "pediatricians" on staff? Do they even have a doctor for that matter? I would think that at most there would be a nurse staffed or paramedics.

 

I also don't see how a ride operator wouldn't be able to see cables falling or smell something burning as was reported.

[browntggrr]

The thing that really scares me is if all of these cables and stuff were falling and people screaming only 20 feet off the ground on the way up, why was the e-stop not pressed? Was there a problem? Were ops not paying attention? Or perhaps is this dramatized a bit?

 

Ride OP heard snapping, but could not reach E-Stop:

 

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080111/NEWS01/80111033/1008

[PURE]

That's what I was wondering...Can't the drop towers be killed at any given time or do the ops have to wait until the ride feels like it could stop?

 

The drop towers can be lowered at any time, but only from the dispatch booths, along with the e-stop. The people on the ground watching the cars go up can only dispatch the ride and lock/unlock the gates.

 

If the cable snapped when they were only 20 feet up, there's no reason a ride op in the dispatch booth or at the base of the tower shouldn't have stopped the ride, that's for damn sure. For 1 tower to be open, there are to be 3 pairs of eyes at to see completely around the tower at all times. Someone wasn't doing their job and watching the tower, and this girls legs are gone because of it.

 

For some reason from reading the excerpts it seems like the cable snapped somewhere near the top of the tower, and fell down to the car. That could cause some injurys alone, the cable is heavy and can get very sharp.

 

And then since nobody was paying attention to stop the ride and drop the car, I'm sure as it got to the top and started to fall it got snagged on the tower, and yanked and scraped the riders body parts. And of course, a girls legs are now gone.

 

Six Flags will definitely be the ones paying for this, and they're writing these stories to milk them for all they've got. What a horrible sight.

[Angry_Gumball]

^So that explains those odd angled mirrors around the perimeter of Drop Zone (CGA). From the top of the tower looking down, I could see the ride op "looking up" as he gazes into the mirror.

[DenDen]

Another aspect of this, I can see the ride ops also filing a suit. These are kids that had to experience this, and now, they have to go through depositions and testimony and relive this. Over what, a $5.15 an hour summer job that they no longer have? Six Flags or plaintiff lawyers trying to lay blame on these kids? This is just sheer neglect on Six Flags part, that destroyed not only the injured on the ride, but these ride ops as well.

 

As a former amusement park employee, I can feel for these kids too.

[Tmcdllr]

"Ride op heard snapping and could not reach E-stop" Why? That sounds odd. Arent they supposed to be at least near that button at all times during the ride cycle just in case something like this happens? If the op wasnt near it and could not reach it then where was he/she? Could not reach it or not paying attention?

[browntggrr]

The way the article is written, it is difficult to determine if it was a training issue on SF's part, or if the ride operator was just not paying attention.

 

Perhaps during her training, there was not enough detail into what the E-Stop is for and how important it is -or- did she just take things for granted and not pay enough attention. It really is a tough call with the amount of information given.

 

But there is one thing that is certain to me. No matter how much the victim's attorney tries to spin things (if that is what you want to call it- and honestly I don't think he is), this girl did absolutely nothing to cause this accident. SF is going to be taken to the cleaners even if it settled out of court.

[Moose]

To me, it does not seem like she is exaggerating for the purpose of a bigger law suit. Going through such events can be hugely traumatic and do things to the mind, making some parts very vivid, while others fade away. It is the minds way of protecting itself, that is probably why she does not actually remember much of the drop but remembers the events on the ground.

 

I am guessing the whole "20 feet" is just a misperception. They were probably much higher but the events from the cable snap to the drop seemed like they took much longer than they actually did.

 

I feel very badly for this girl. No one should have to go through what she did.

[cfc]

^^^Do parks even have "pediatricians" on staff? Do they even have a doctor for that matter? I would think that at most there would be a nurse staffed or paramedics.

 

I also don't see how a ride operator wouldn't be able to see cables falling or smell something burning as was reported.

 

From her description of the doctor's attire, I'm thinking park guest who happened to be a pediatrician.

[Moose]

I thoughjt it could have been a paramedic from the waterpark that she just called a pediatrician by mistake.

[ginzo]

SF is going to be taken to the cleaners even if it settled out of court.

 

Settling out of court avoids the publicity of a trial and keeps the terms of the agreement private. Six Flags wouldn't necessarily pay less, but they would reduce the press coverage of the ordeal and avoid having headlines that say:

 

Six Flags Settles For $10 Million

The cokeheads on Wall Street tend to bitchslap a stock when that happens.

 

SIX really needs to do the honorable thing and just pay up and not put this poor girl and her family through any more grief with a trial.

[AllenA07]

With Six Flags claiming that the ride was not designed correctly, it makes me wonder if they will implead Intamin into the suit. What that basically means is that you'd have the girl who was hurt suing Six Flags. Six Flags then would turn around and say that "yeah this happened and we feel horrible, but it's not our fault, it is Intamin's." Six Flags then would use impleader to bring Intamin in as a defendant liable to Six Flags.

 

Now to be fair I don't feel like putting much more thought into this, but there could be some jurisdiction problems to doing this, I'm not actually sure what kind of presence Intamin has within the United States. Furthermore I have no idea what the laws of Kentucky look like, however if Six Flags brings Intamin is they could possibly be able to get the case removed to a federal court.

 

Just some thoughts, but my guess is that Six Flags will settle and then possibly file a separate suit against Intamin for the incident.

 

As far as the ride op suing Six Flags, I just can't really think of any good cause of action they would have against the company. If I was the attorney for Six Flags I would file in my pleading that the plaintiff failed to submit a claim upon which relief can be granted. I think that would take care of the ride op's claim.

[raptorcrew2002]

I smell bs on that story of events.

 

Like Pure had said and I fully agree this issue took place at the top of the tower. If the car was only 20’ feet from the ground and they saw cables falling, they would have smacked the ground most likely and def. gotten everyone’s attention minus the snap sound alone plus the sound of the cable wipe back sound inside the metal tower cylinder and the sound traveling thought the structure.

 

Also cables under load make a hell of a sound when they snap. I cannot believe this happen anything less then the last fractional seconds before release. I knew one person who was on load at MF when the lift snapped, and man he said it was the loudest thing he ever heard in his life as they all took to the ground as the cable wiped into the station. (Morning test lucky no guests)

 

Controls should be monitoring the ride though cycle so I am very unsure what to make of the worker saying they could not get to e stop quick enough, other then the lift cart was just about to release upon hearing the ride failure, or the cables did all reach ground level and everyone was dodging for cover which would be expected.

 

As for the mirrors they are more for controls seeing the loading/unloading platform then up the tower to insure the platform is clear. Once the cars elevate you have virtually no visibility, unless this one had cameras mounted at top which none I know of have?

 

Not to be morbid but I would love to see the crime scene photos.

 

Ride ops know the sounds of their rides; they know the good, the bad, and the funny. When you work a coaster, flats, etc. you really carry a very in-depth sense of the ride and its sounds, vibrations, and habits. (Yes rides have personalities, and coaster trains each has there own also.)

 

These models of free falls estop will only work in cycle before the lift cart release since this is a real guided only free fall, where as S&S for example the cars are always connected to the cables and upon estop at any point of the ride will quickly decelerate the car and very, very, very slowly bring it back down.

This kind of accident could still happen even on an S&S model after saying that. Reason being when you e-stop an S&S model the car goes into a slow decent, and if the rider had a cable around his/her leg you cannot stop the car once e-stop is triggered, it’s coming down due to the valve release.

 

Either way someone got hurt and that sucks. And yes the ride design is a very big factor in this event. The cables have no shields, guards and should have been built into more of a recess into the tower structure, hurray cost controls. This issue needs to fall on all parties including the rides name plate mostly who designed the ride. In my book the safety systems worked, but design is what injured.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

That's what I was wondering...Can't the drop towers be killed at any given time or do the ops have to wait until the ride feels like it could stop?

 

The drop towers can be lowered at any time, but only from the dispatch booths, along with the e-stop. The people on the ground watching the cars go up can only dispatch the ride and lock/unlock the gates.

 

If the cable snapped when they were only 20 feet up, there's no reason a ride op in the dispatch booth or at the base of the tower shouldn't have stopped the ride, that's for damn sure. For 1 tower to be open, there are to be 3 pairs of eyes at to see completely around the tower at all times. Someone wasn't doing their job and watching the tower, and this girls legs are gone because of it.

 

For some reason from reading the excerpts it seems like the cable snapped somewhere near the top of the tower, and fell down to the car. That could cause some injurys alone, the cable is heavy and can get very sharp.

 

And then since nobody was paying attention to stop the ride and drop the car, I'm sure as it got to the top and started to fall it got snagged on the tower, and yanked and scraped the riders body parts. And of course, a girls legs are now gone.

 

Six Flags will definitely be the ones paying for this, and they're writing these stories to milk them for all they've got. What a horrible sight.

 

That's not how SFA does things,on average they'll only have ONE operator working controls/checking seats etc. so they can't see around the tower perimeter as a result.

 

 

Now perhaps what needs to be done is to design an auto release systtem that will drop the cars in case of a cable break in the future.

[Scaparri]

That's not how SFA does things,on average they'll only have ONE operator working controls/checking seats etc. so they can't see around the tower perimeter as a result.

 

Are you sure about that? Does this one person that checks the seats work the 'controls' at the base of the tower, or walk into the actual control booth and work controls? Most, if not all, Intamin second gen towers have a control at the bottom in which one of the workers checking the restraints has to push. Then, there's a worker in an actual booth that has overall control of the ride, but has to wait until both he and the restraint checker have pushed the button in unison before the ride can be dispatched.

 

Every Intamin tower (post first gen) and coaster I've seen requires at least two people to run, unless the ride is switched into manual mode. And no park would allow a ride op to run a ride in manual mode while people are on it, let alone on a regular basis.