jab123 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) Just ran across this. Looks like it may have been the Hi Miler that RCS owns. Their calendar shows them in Houston for the Livestock Show. www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/03/21/20110321houston-roller-coaster-death.html Edited March 21, 2011 by larrygator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the ghost Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Although I am assuming the rider was at fault this kinda scares me. The Hi Miler has been at my local fair for as long as I can remember, and I have ridden it a good number of times. This is a very unfortunate accident, and I wonder whether this will effect the Hi Miler at fairs in the future? This is a pretty major attraction at RCS fairs as it is one of 2 "Adult" coasters besides the wild mouse, and it often has long lines... so if this leaves they will likely need to invest in a newer coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 ^Agreed. I've wanted to ride this for quite some time. I've been to an RCS fair a couple times, but that's the closest I've gotten. Hopefully it will be like many rides and quickly return to operation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveRides Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Rideaccidents.com confirms it is the Hi-Miler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcsteve Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 It seems these always come in waves. There's this story, then the one about the kiddie train. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jab123 Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 Although I am assuming the rider was at fault this kinda scares me. The Hi Miler has been at my local fair for as long as I can remember, and I have ridden it a good number of times. This is a very unfortunate accident, and I wonder whether this will effect the Hi Miler at fairs in the future? This is a pretty major attraction at RCS fairs as it is one of 2 "Adult" coasters besides the wild mouse, and it often has long lines... so if this leaves they will likely need to invest in a newer coaster. I rode this at the AZ State fair about 4 or 5 years ago. I don't remember what the restraints are like other than a lap bar. Does it even have seat dividers? I just remember how much fun it was to get ripped around those tight turns, especially in the back. I do remember that while there is an out of control feeling, that I never felt that I would some how get ejected. RCS seems to be a pretty good operator. Their ride ops seemed ok and not at all "carny" like. It will be interesting to see how this happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike robinson Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 According to witnesses the rider got out of the restraints trying to retrieve a lost item. The coaster has a lap bar that also has a seat belt attached to the lap bar with the restraints secured on the back of the car. It's hard enough to get out of the car once your ride is over. It is a wild coaster but not dangerous as long as you follow the rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBrown Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I have ridden this thing many times and have never felt unsafe or like the restraints were not adequate It will be very interesting to find out what happened here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKULLY Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I hate to come in here and buck the trend but I certainly didn't feel the safest on this coaster. Sure, it probably would have taken a bit of effort to have flung myself out of it but I can see somebody else eventually making it. It's a fun coaster but definitely something I couldn't ever see CF or SF setting up on their property for a variety of reasons similar to this. It makes an occasional stop at the CA State Fair, not sure if it's every year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValleyfairFan Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 According to witnesses the rider got out of the restraints trying to retrieve a lost item. The coaster has a lap bar that also has a seat belt attached to the lap bar with the restraints secured on the back of the car. It's hard enough to get out of the car once your ride is over. It is a wild coaster but not dangerous as long as you follow the rules. Sadly, this doesn't surprise me if true. I've seen far too many guests jump into restricted areas to retrieve hats or other items that they pull out of their pockets after a ride operator had asked them to put it away. For some reason people don't use common sense when it comes to this stuff, and I can't fathom why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I do not feel safe on coasters at carnivals and fairs and will rarely ride them. I made an exception for Olympia Looping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Sadly, it wasn't at the California State Fair in 2009. However, I did get to ride the wonderful, elusive Olympic Bobsled! Incidentally, it wasn't the safest ride I've ever encountered... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBrown Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 It wont be at the Cal State Fair again for a while RCS no longer does the fair =( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 ^Yeah, I wish they'd do a northern show again sometime. I'll have to stalk them in SoCal. I love Butler, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBrown Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 ^ Yeah So cal is your only option as far as I have heard Butler has a 10 year contract for the State Fair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almightyfire Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 When a carnival of ANYTIME came to Houston, my mother WOULD NOT let me ride ANY ride there because her reasoning was, they put together and take apart those rides too often and they WILL NOT always be done right. Now she had NO PROBLEM with my riding rides at Six Flags Astroworld, but not at hit and go carnivals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBrown Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 The funny thing is I would bet that Carnival rides go through rigorous inspections much more frequently than your average amusement park ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skramp Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I loved the fact that the guy got into the car afterwards and didn't find any issues with the restraints! Um....isn't that going to really skew your defense in the "wrongful death" lawsuit that you know will happen in "Sue Happy America"? I have never had a chance to ride this, but I always gauge carnival rides on how the supports look on the ground. Like if they shake a lot or are braced by plywood, it's a no go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBrown Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Oh then you would never get near this thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcdude Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I've ridden the Hi-Miler a number of times at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, California, as it shows up here almost every year and is better than the spinning mouse. I will say that the thing looks extremely unsafe. The whole structure sways and rattles each time a train passes by, and the entire ride is kept level by wooden blocks placed under specific points on the ride base. That being said, although it looks unsafe, I've never felt unsafe on the thing. To my knowledge, carnival rides (especially newer ones) are just as safe as attractions at permanent amusement parks. The Hi-Miler is an older attraction that appears to be mostly (or completely) controlled by manual controls. I don't know how someone died on it, but given how the restraint functions it seems as if they would have had to undo it themselves mid-ride in order to get ejected. My guess is that this was one of those "dumb guest" cases, but we'll have to wait for the official investigation to know for sure. I'm still looking forward to riding Hi-Miler this July/August if it shows up again. If not, then maybe RCS will finally get another decent coaster to replace it. Their current spinning coaster is incredibly weak and doesn't spin much at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCForce Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) I rode the Hi Miler numerous times 4 years in a row at the AZ state fair and once at the temporary Santa's Theme Park they had a couple of years just south of Phoenix. The last time I rode was in January of 2007. The restraint is a manual lap bar with a taut fitting canvas lap belt that is attached to the lap bar. It's very tight and they always lowered it as far as it would go every time I rode it. I have long arms and could never reach the restraint release upon returning to the station. That being said, the airtime was still incredible ejector in the back seat. You got little pops in the front, but certainly not in the front car and seat as you went down drops. It was also one of those coasters I had always wanted to try out, so imagine my excitement when I went to the Arizona State Fair and there it was. It is a fun ride, but not quite as crazy as it looks, but it does have some good moments! It is totally worth riding because it is so unique. Okay, with that being said, I'd speculate that the tragic accident was do to rider behavior. It does go pretty slow on the flat straight aways, and if he fell out where I think he may have from the reports I read and saw, I have doubts that it was due to any ride mechanical failure. In addition this ride has been around for quite some time with no accidents involving anyone dying. Regardless of what caused it, it is tragic, someone lost their life. My condolences to his fiance and family. Edited March 23, 2011 by KCForce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayfarer Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Woah! I pity the family of the man! This is like in the movie Final Destination. Who would have thought that a 46-year old man, enjoying a roller coaster ride, would experience such a terrible accident. Indeed, it is tragic! Condolence to the man's family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texcoaster Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Let's see... rodeo time, guy in his 40's falls out of a coaster that gets inspected afterward and found to be in working order. Whatcha wanna bet alcohol was involved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almightyfire Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 but WHO inspected it and was it fixed right before the inspection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texcoaster Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 ^I have been on the ride many times. The restraints keep you well back in the seat and the sides of the car are HIGH. If something failed badly enough for the man to have fallen out without any sort of rider responsibility, then it would've been really major. Even if the lap restraint hadn't been put down at all, leaving the man completely free in his seat, he'd have still stayed in the car if he was in the proper riding position. From my understanding, he fell out on a turn, so that even rules out airtime as a cause. Dude had to be outside the restraint and standing up enough to raise his center of gravity higher than the side of the car. It's still speculation, but I'll go ahead and claim that there is no way he wasn't at least partly at fault here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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