The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[Superbatboy]

Heard on the radio, the state wants to enforce more strict safety systems on Timber Mountain Log Ride because of that ridiculous lawsuit??

[fpsphil]

Heard on the radio, the state wants to enforce more strict safety systems on Timber Mountain Log Ride because of that ridiculous lawsuit??

 

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/11/29/knotts-berry-farm-told-by-state-to-improve-safeguards-on-log-ride-after-boys-family-says-he-was-hurt/

[AmyUD06]

CA-OSHA issued a number of requirements for the ride to be completed by Jan. 29, including: enhancing safety instructions with signs, videos or audio recordings, and inspecting the ride’s padding, floorboards and restraints to ensure the logs are safe and secure for smaller riders.

 

Coming soon, OSTRs on all log flumes. Bill, your life is over.

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

Well I for one am stoked. I don't want to automatically flood Knotts' projects with negativity out of the gate. I think they've done pretty well with capital improvements given their incredibly limited space and city's unwillingness to let them build over public roads.

 

I've been (no pun intended) out of the loop for most amusement news but after looking at the POV, I've gotta say that I'm impressed with this project and can't wait to check it out.

 

I haven't been to the park since I stopped working there in 2012 but I think it's about time I go back, most likely after this opens up.

[Canobie Coaster]

CA-OSHA issued a number of requirements for the ride to be completed by Jan. 29, including: enhancing safety instructions with signs, videos or audio recordings, and inspecting the ride’s padding, floorboards and restraints to ensure the logs are safe and secure for smaller riders.

 

Coming soon, OSTRs on all log flumes. Bill, your life is over.

 

And this is why we'll never get those amazing fun houses in Europe. Too many chances for injury.

 

Lap bars on single file flumes are extremely awkward. Anyone who has been on Ripsaw Falls knows this. I feel like I need to do the limbo to get in and out of that thing.

[thrillseeker4552]

I wonder if they could just insert more dividers/individual seats so there is no lap sitting? Isn’t Splash Mountain like that?

[coasterbill]

I fully expect them to add redundant water-level monitoring, add obnoxious safety videos throughout the queue and station and call it a day. I could also see them raising the height requirement a bit.

 

I hate people, but I don't see anything major happening here.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

You're probably right, but wouldn't it be totally badass if they just added a sign like you would put on a tree fort as a kid that said "Enter at Your Own Risk" and nothing else?

[coasterbill]

It's so absurd that the ride is almost 50 years old but in 2017 people are suddenly too stupid to ride it without injuring themselves.

[scottiemon]

Maybe for the next election, someone will run under the slogan of "Make America SMART Again". That is a campaign I could get behind.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

It's so absurd that the ride is almost 50 years old but in 2017 people are suddenly too stupid to ride it without injuring themselves.

Oh totally. Remember, though, this is California logic. It's a lot like regular logic, except with less reason and more huffing paint fumes.

 

Maybe for the next election, someone will run under the slogan of "Make America SMART Again". That is a campaign I could get behind.

 

This guy's already got you covered.

 

[VegasBaby]

It's so absurd that the ride is almost 50 years old but in 2017 people are suddenly too stupid to ride it without injuring themselves.

 

I couldn't agree more. People have been riding TMLR longer than I've been alive with no issues whatsoever. It's a shame that people don't take more personal responsibility and just end up making things worse for everyone else (see the new shin guards on Coast Rider).

[Manic Monte]

Was it a child or adult that was injured?

[CaptainUnknown]

^ After re-reading the article that was posted a couple pages back, Survey says:

 

a 5-year-old boy

[coasterbill]

Was it a child or adult that was injured?

 

A child. I'm not blaming the child, but the parents should be smart enough to know that a boat is going to slow down suddenly when it runs into a pool of water and hold onto their 5 year old child while going down the drop since log flumes have no restraints to speak of. Stanley Falls at Busch Gardens Tampa constantly plays recordings throughout the ride telling riders to "brace for a sudden slowdown at the bottom of the hill". I always thought that recording was unnecessary to anyone with any common sense, but I guess I know why it exists now.

 

That article cites a lot of instances where the ride "suddenly decelerated after the final drop" and honest-to-god adults were completely unprepared for it. It's a boat slamming into a pool of water. What the hell is wrong with people?

[Canobie Coaster]

^ Valhalla at Blackpool played the same recording on loop right before one of the drops. The shame with Valhalla is that I think the second drop is intended to be a surprise. It takes place in total darkness and there's no warning it's coming other than the safety spiel.

[MayTheGForceBeWithYou]

[SoCalJasonland]

Was it a child or adult that was injured?

 

A child. I'm not blaming the child, but the parents should be smart enough to know that a boat is going to slow down suddenly when it runs into a pool of water and hold onto their 5 year old child while going down the drop since log flumes have no restraints to speak of. Stanley Falls at Busch Gardens Tampa constantly plays recordings throughout the ride telling riders to "brace for a sudden slowdown at the bottom of the hill". I always thought that recording was unnecessary to anyone with any common sense, but I guess I know why it exists now.

 

That article cites a lot of instances where the ride "suddenly decelerated after the final drop" and honest-to-god adults were completely unprepared for it. It's a boat slamming into a pool of water. What the hell is wrong with people?

 

I guess that there are two issues here. One that there is no warning to hold on when suddenly braking with no seatbelt; and, the second that somebody was injured when the water level wasn't properly maintained to brake the log. I don't see any of the corrections required as being unreasonable. You should make sure that your guests know that there will be sudden deceleration and you should make sure that your brake system works all the time. I have never flown forward on Splash Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean. Hopefully, they will be required to install a bathroom on Sky Cabin in case it breaks down again

[Rill'o'beily]

Don't a lot of log flumes have those "landing strips" that keep the boat a bit above the water and more stable for the exact reason of preventing the whole bam sudden throw forward stoppage?

[WestCoasterKing]

In other news, HangTime is really taking shape and it looks wicked. I know I complained about the drop height but I was wrong. That drop looks effing bad-A.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

[laqueefa]

In other news, HangTime is really taking shape and it looks wicked. I know I complained about the drop height but I was wrong. That drop looks effing bad-A.

[coasterbill]

I guess that there are two issues here. One that there is no warning to hold on when suddenly braking with no seatbelt; and, the second that somebody was injured when the water level wasn't properly maintained to brake the log. I don't see any of the corrections required as being unreasonable.

 

The ride is half a century old and this only just became an issue recently because people are much dumber and have far less personal responsibility than they used to.

 

You shouldn't need a warning to tell you that a boat is going to slow down quickly when rolling down a huge hill and slamming into a pool of water. I can only think of one log flume anywhere in America that has a recorded warning having to tell people this and it's obnoxious and annoying to anyone with common sense.

 

As for the water level thing, nobody else seemed to be injured that day. Water levels change on flumes all the time. I highly doubt this made any notable difference (since this is the only story from that day), but they need to make it seem like the park's fault if they want to get a settlement even though it's clearly their fault for being stupid. If you're properly seated in a log flume and don't do anything stupid there's no way you're going to get injured. I would bet anything that this kid wasn't properly seated. I'd also bet anything that there was a sign posted at the ride entrance explaining that they needed to be properly seated and that they should be prepared for sudden stops that they didn't read.

 

People all over the world are riding log flumes without issue and don't need safety warnings. It's not the park's fault that our country has gotten a lot dumber since this ride opened.

[Jew]

To be fair to the injured party, water levels do fluctuate on every water ride---but all have an acceptable range. The question really becomes who is at fault for the sensor not functioning as intended. Was Knott's following all their protocols and it's just a bad design? Did Knott's ignore a problem?

[WestCoasterKing]

I'm not surprised this lawsuit BS is happening in California. Nor am I surprised people are targeting Knott's. Sure Disney is bigger and has more money but that's the point. They have more money. Unless someone died or had a major traumatic injury Disney isn't going to settle and they'd bury the claimants in court. Disney isn't going to settle over a minor contusion or ankle scrape.

 

Speaking of ankle scrape, I wonder how much longer Coast Rider lasts now that they have those stupid skin guards. And do any other Cedar Fair wild mouse coasters have them or if it just Knott's?