'Action Park' (YES that Action Park) is back for the summer

[coasterbill]

As a kid growing up in the New York area in the 90's, Action Park definitely had a reputation as an incredibly dangerous place and teenage kids would basically fall over each-other to tell you that they went there and share a bunch of crazy, probably exaggerated stories.

 

Unfortunately by the time I was old enough to go the park no longer existed so I have no concept of what was true and what was fiction but it was always viewed as some kind of weird "right of passage" and as time goes on I fully expect the stories to be blown more and more out of proportion.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

^^Very well put together. It seems everything today must be over sensationalized or people just don't care. It's like what we're accustomed to at this point.

 

^I don't think that's actually that rare, I mean, pretty much every time I'm at an amusement park I see someone injured or requiring medical attention. When you put that many people together in an unfamiliar setting stuff happens. We have a rule even just in our three person family that it's not a trip to the water park until someone's bleeding...and we're experienced park goers!

Someone could easily put together a shock piece about all the slide burns and bruises incurred at the City Museum and how it's a "rite of passage" and so dangerous, swaying sky bridges and rusty climbing bars, but we all know that would be ridiculous.

 

Obviously I grew up no where near Action Park in era or location, so people like me only have the stories to go off of. The sensation makes for interesting and captivating reading and watching—"the most dangerous theme park in the world." I think exclusivity plays a role too. Most of us can't go experience it as it was back then, so all we can do is hear the stories told by the people who take pride in the fact that they did get a chance to experience it in its raw intensity and "lived to tell the story."

[larrygator]

^Good point about City Museum

 

^I don't think that's actually that rare, I mean, pretty much every time I'm at an amusement park I see someone injured or requiring medical attention. When you put that many people together in an unfamiliar setting stuff happens. We have a rule even just in our three person family that it's not a trip to the water park until someone's bleeding...and we're experienced park goers!

 

I rarely see it at parks outside of heat exhaustion.

 

I just think of all the alpine slides I have been on. Outside of Scottish Steve and TP Dave at Mitsui Greenland I've never seen an accident. At Action Park there was an incident every 15 minutes on there alpine slides.

 

The cliff dive was crazy, once you got to the top of the 20 foot jump, there was no turning back you had to jump. Then you were lucky if the person after you had the patience to wait for you to clear the area, which they usually didn't.

 

Ride ops on the slides tried to stop by from going to soon to bunch up but it more like a suggestion. But at least on the water tube slides if someone stopped ahead of you had to only worry about the collision not worrying about road rash or flying out of the trough.

 

Don't get me wrong, I loved my visit but I also felt invincible in those days.

Edited September 26, 2019 by larrygator

[Canobie Coaster]

^Good point about City Museum

I rarely see it at parks outside of heat exhaustion.

 

I just think of all the alpine slides I have been on. Outside of Scottish Steve and TP Dave at Mitsui Greenland I've never seen an accident. At Action Park there was an incident every 15 minutes on there alpine slides.

 

Most of the injuries I see are heat related or kids tripping, which aren't really on the park.

 

I haven't personally seen anyone wipe out on an alpine slide, but my dad wiped out on the one at Attitash when he was younger. He pushed it a bit too hard and he has a scar on his leg as proof. I'm always a bit careful on those things because of that.

[Jason Maier]

While reports of the Action Park are generally sensationalized it was more dangerous than a typical outing to an amusement park. Just not from a life and death standpoint.

 

Everyone I know who went to Action Park has a story to tell of seeing someone getting hurt or injured. Granted many of those accidents were brought upon by the stupidity of someone not obeying the rules.

 

Yeah I recall reading many years ago a list of "You know you're from New Jersey when" and one of the items was "you or someone you know got hurt at Action Park"

[AmyUD06]

I just think of all the alpine slides I have been on. Outside of Scottish Steve and TP Dave at Mitsui Greenland I've never seen an accident. At Action Park there was an incident every 15 minutes on there alpine slides.

 

"Every 15 minutes" is the type of exaggeration and sensationalizing I was talking about. There was not.

 

The cliff dive was crazy, once you got to the top of the 20 foot jump, there was no turning back you had to jump. Then you were lucky if the person after you had the patience to wait for you to clear the area, which they usually didn't.

 

One was in fact able to walk away if unwilling to jump. You're right about them waiting for the pool to clear, though.

[anonymouscactus]

Well, "Class Action Park" has been released on HBO MAX and despite some things probably being exadurated there is a lot of actual video footage that backs up what people are saying. Go watch!

[Satans Hockey]

I thought Class Action Park was worth a watch even if it could have been cut down by about 20 mins or so. Some of the people they interviewed definitely seemed like they were trying to ham up to the cameras but there's a decent amount of footage and stuff I hadn't known about as I never had went to the park. They did focus quite a bit on how the owner was really not a good person and the messed up things he would do simply because he had the money and arrogance to do so and they touched on the deaths that happened there and even interviewed some family members of a young man who died there. I also thought it was a little bit too much member berries and reliving the glory days of how that generation thinks they had it so great and they were the best and blah blah blah.

 

Definitely worth a watch for anyone who likes theme parks enough to be on a message board for one though so I do recommend watching it lol

[AmyUD06]

I haven't seen it, and have no intention of watching it unless it comes on Netflix, but having actually been to the real Action Park in my youth, and been following the blog of a group of former employees, your review told me everything I needed to know: It's overly sensationalized, just like every modern article or video about the park is. What has been said has been said a hundred times before and by better people. Only one and a half of the six deaths could be in any way attributed to the park (the flipped kayak electrocution, the half being the cold-water-shock induced heart attack); the others were all due to the individuals inability to control their own experience, which was the entire purpose of Action Park, and honestly something the world needs a whole lot more of (personal responsibility) these days.

[JT325]

^Yeah, blah blah blah... we knew it would be sensationalized. It wouldn't have been made otherwise.

 

Despite all that, it was still the funniest, most entertaining thing I've seen in months. I'm going to watch it again to to see these characters in action. Excellent!

 

I didn't get to Action Park. But I was at other water parks, and amusement parks too in the 80s (and the tail end of the 70s!). A ride being safe or not is one thing, but my gosh have people become super wimps when it comes to rides.

[Jew]

Thoughts after watching the documentary:

 

1. Did they invent the mat racing and drop tower water slides?

 

2. That is gross negligence defined. The argument that “you need to take personal responsibility” while turning a blind eye to guests you know full well are not taking personal responsibility is something I am very glad is not part of the industry anymore.