Do you know someone who's saved a life at a theme park?

[frozenflames]

I know there are accidents in theme parks, sometimes even fatal ones. Have you ever known anyone who's managed to potentially save a life that wasn't a memeber of park staff? My mom actually managed to save about 9 people's lives in 1984 at SFGA. She was with a whole group of friends, including my dad, and my aunt and uncle, and all of them wanted to go to the funhouse. On the way to the ride, my mom got really hungry, and suggested that the group go after eating dinner. While they were eating, people began running and screaming that the funhouse was on fire and was completely engulfed in flames. If my mom hadn't been hungry, her whole group of friends would have been INSIDE the funhouse at the time of the fire, which really would not have been good because every other person who was in the funhouse when it cought fire died. So thanks to my mom's growling stomach, she potentially decreased the death toll by half.

[CoasterFanatic]

^ Very interesting. i don't know anybody personally, but if the man at Lakemont Park hadn't reacted fast and put a tourniquette on the ride ops' leg, he would have most likely died.

 

// Rescue 911 episode

[CoasterEricHP]

^^ Growing up with Rescue 911 really scarred me for life! I remember one where a kid's coat got stuck in the escalator and he was being crushed. Ruined my fun at malls forever.

 

We save lives at Dragons all the time when people decide to jump off the back of the station to go get a hat they lost on the brakes! No, thats rare. We've had our share of issues but none I would say have been life saving.

 

However back to the Escalator.. my friend and I cut off a little girls shoelace once because is got stuck in the stairs going up the escalator.. so we're heroes. haha.

 

Eric

[coasters 4 me]

isnt brain annyurism (how do you spell it?) very rare on coasters, or is it quite common?

[Angry_Gumball]

My friend saved me and 2 of our other friends on Drop Zone @ PGA. The ride was seconds away from being dispatched as my friend screamed out "Hey....We're not secure....You forgot to check our restraints" and it was a good thing he did. That would have been 4 of us to die in unison. This was pre-adding the extra safety belt. Unfortunately, that ride took a death in order to have those added into the restraints (which had happened the next day)

[Homer]

Well, technically mine was similar to frozenflames' incident, fast forward around 20 years later to 2001 to BGT when one of Rhino Rally's Land Rover's flipped.

 

Anyways, I was not there since I was at a summer camp, but my family was picking up my cousin from Tampa International and since BGT was nearby, they decided to go to BGT for the rest of the day. Since Rhino Rally was new at the time, the ride had a 2 hour plus wait. After about an hour later, they were tired of waiting and decided to move out. It was until about an hour later when Rhino Rally had to close due to the incident and my family would have been in that car.

[palmerleeberry]

Well, this incident wouldn't have killed the riders, but it would have send them into a living nightmare. Forturnately, I was there to prevent such a catastrophe.

 

I was waiting in line to ride The Ninja at Six Flags St. Louis. The uncoming train pulls into the station and stops to let the riders out and let the uncoming riders board. In the row I was waiting in, a man and woman got out. As I was about to board, I saw laying on one of the seats a set of keys. I picked up the keys and stopped that couple to see if these were their keys. It were their keys and they were very grateful that I found and returned them. Imagine the horrors they would have gone through when they realized their keys were missing and they had to backtrack throughout the park in order to located them? But because I found and return their keys to them, that senario was avoided. As I got back into my seat to ride The Ninja, I was feeling really good about myself and believing that I may have saved a life. I don't worry about losing my keys because I keep them tied to the drawstrings of my swimming trucks.

 

By the way, it's been more than eight years since this thread received a post, so I'm taking it out of the closet, dusting it off, and bring it back to new life. And yes, I like my cookie to be peanut butter!

[ernierocker]

I thought you were going to say you talked them out of riding Ninja, thus saving their life...

[Dinnwitted]

I thought you were going to say you talked them out of riding Ninja, thus saving their life...

They might have needed a colonoscopy!

 

Back to business, giving parched people water from my own water bottle could be counted as an example.

[BigBomer]

I thought you were going to say you talked them out of riding Ninja, thus saving their life...

I was thinking the same thing.

[palmerleeberry]

^ Very amusing.

 

Well, I could've talked them out of riding Ninja, but by the time I got to the station, they already have ridden the ride and was ready to move to another ride. Besides, I'd never try to talk to anyone whether they should ride or not to ride: I might save their life anyhow.

 

Here's another story that happened at Kings Dominion and how I managed to save this -hole's life even though he ruined my ride. I was at the Rebel Yell and managed to get to the front seat when this -hole wanted to join me. He was a single rider just like I was and since the line was way long and I was doing the golden rule and all that jazz I decided to let him join me. This was way back in the day when the Rebel Yell used the old restraint system ( no seat dividers, no seat belts, and not indivual lap bar - just one big bar). The way this -hole was talking I guess he must have been a rider from H, E, double hockey sticks.

 

"You got that right; he was my type of rider!"

 

Anyhow, the ride begins and just as the train begins to go down the first hill, this -hole begins to STAND UP!!! "What are you doing?" I yelled as I grabbed that -hole by the belt of his pants and held him down into his seat. "Naw, it's okay," the -hole replied as he tries to get up again. "Are you trying to kill yourself?" I screamed as I pulled him down into his seat.

 

In the end, that -hole didn't fall off the coaster and I was [BEEP] ing mad by the time we arrived back at the station. I should have reported his to the ride attendants, but why I didn't do it I'll never know. At least I know why I didn't push him off, so he can go off himself at another coaster at another time.

 

Ancient Chinese Proverb - Those that break rules will break their bones!

[Dinnwitted]

^ Very amusing.

 

Well, I could've talked them out of riding Ninja, but by the time I got to the station, they already have ridden the ride and was ready to move to another ride. Besides, I'd never try to talk to anyone whether they should ride or not to ride: I might save their life anyhow.

 

Here's another story that happened at Kings Dominion and how I managed to save this -hole's life even though he ruined my ride. I was at the Rebel Yell and managed to get to the front seat when this -hole wanted to join me. He was a single rider just like I was and since the line was way long and I was doing the golden rule and all that jazz I decided to let him join me. This was way back in the day when the Rebel Yell used the old restraint system ( no seat dividers, no seat belts, and not indivual lap bar - just one big bar). The way this -hole was talking I guess he must have been a rider from H, E, double hockey sticks.

 

"You got that right; he was my type of rider!"

 

Anyhow, the ride begins and just as the train begins to go down the first hill, this -hole begins to STAND UP!!! "What are you doing?" I yelled as I grabbed that -hole by the belt of his pants and held him down into his seat. "Naw, it's okay," the -hole replied as he tries to get up again. "Are you trying to kill yourself?" I screamed as I pulled him down into his seat.

 

In the end, that -hole didn't fall off the coaster and I was [BEEP] ing mad by the time we arrived back at the station. I should have reported his to the ride attendants, but why I didn't do it I'll never know. At least I know why I didn't push him off, so he can go off himself at another coaster at another time.

 

Ancient Chinese Proverb - Those that break rules will break their bones!

 

You're a good citizen regardless. Anyway the only possible explanation, if possible, for his actions is that he confused Rebel Yell with Shockwave. Otherwise, he is a .

[palmerleeberry]

Dinnwitted wrote concerning my most recent post:

You're a good citizen regardless. Anyway the only possible explanation, if possible, for his actions is that he confused Rebel Yell with Shockwave. Otherwise, he is a .

 

This happened long before Kings Dominion had Shockwave. But no arguement there: he was a !

 

Another Ancient Chinese Saying - Those that forfits rules forfits own life

[Jew]

I have friends who are EMT's for theme parks, so yes, I know people who have regularly saved lives at theme parks and water parks. You name, they've seen it.

[Dinnwitted]

Dinnwitted wrote concerning my most recent post:

You're a good citizen regardless. Anyway the only possible explanation, if possible, for his actions is that he confused Rebel Yell with Shockwave. Otherwise, he is a .

 

This happened long before Kings Dominion had Shockwave. But no arguement there: he was a !

 

Another Ancient Chinese Saying - Those that forfits rules forfits own life

I thought it was recent, since a similar accident happened on the Raven 10 years ago.

[supkarma]

...I quickstopped Wicked Twister once in 2006 because some idiot was jumping into the low-zone for a one dollar bill...

 

Did I really save anyone? haha

[Dinnwitted]

...I quickstopped Wicked Twister once in 2006 because some idiot was jumping into the low-zone for a one dollar bill...

 

Did I really save anyone? haha

Pun time: That didn't make any cents.

Back to the subject, there are all sorts of YouTube videos of this occurrence. I can think of the video where some idiot jumps on the Jurassic Park Water ride track, trying to retrieve his hat.

[Aceattack52]

At least I know why I didn't push him off, so he can go off himself at another coaster at another time.

If Darwin is right, he has probably been eliminated from the gene pool by now.

[John_RN]

In my best Sofia Petrillo voice, "picture it, Austin, 2011"

 

At one of those crappy little parking lot fairs, so not really a themepark but play along, it was my second semester of nursing school and the coincidence could not have been more bizarre. I was with two friends celebrating my "A" on a recent exam covering the cardiac system. In line for a crazy dance flat ride when the guy in front of us starting complaining to his wife that he was feeling ill. He was sweating profusely, not uncommon in Texas, but then he started complaining of left shoulder/neck pain and tightness in his chest. I was nosey and butted in asking if he had a history of angina, and he said no. We started to leave the line and I asked his wife if she had any aspirin and miraculously she did because later I found out she had suffered a heart attack 3 years prior. So I gave him chewable aspirin and we sat down at a picnic bench. When his pain did not subside I remember my exact words to his wife "I'm just a second semester nursing student but I think he is having a heart attack". She looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested calling 911. She kept comparing her experience with her heart attack with what he was experiencing. I told her men and women can experience different syptoms and it is better to be safe than sorry.

 

So she gets on her cell phone and tells the 911 operator : "I have a nursing student telling me my husband is having a heart attack" and finally her husband yelled at her to send an ambulance! Thank goodness the EMS crew got there quickly because once they loaded him up and hooked him up to EKG they could see for themselves he was in serious crap. The wife took down my name and cell phone number before the ambulance took him.

 

Found out later when she called me that he had a massive heart attack just as he arrived to the Heart Hospital here and ended up having a quadruple bypass. Proud to say he is still alive and kicking! Had lunch (low sodium of course) with him and his wife a couple of months ago.

[GayCoasterGuy]

I warned a friend to NOT ride Iron Wolf a couple years ago, does that count?

[palmerleeberry]

GayCoasterGuy wrote -

I warned a friend to NOT ride Iron Wolf a couple years ago, does that count?

 

All I can say to that is that if your friend is still alive, breathing, and still talking to you, then I guess it does count. Otherwise, I guess we'll never know.

 

Ancient Chinese Saying: "He who jumps line will jump no more."