Death at San Bernardino County Fair Free Drop Attraction

[Superbatboy]

Terrible news, definitely feel for the family of the victim

[rcjp]

^^That's the idea I got from the description.

[Philrad71]

^ Hence why there are no longer diving boards and deep ends of pools at most hotels and resorts these days.

 

It's a tragic story and my condolences go out to the family.

 

But on the subject of fail-safes, I see it all the time in my place of employment. There is a customer defect and when it's deemed to be caused by operator error, everyone expects a fail-safe to be implemented to basically eliminate that human error aspect.

 

But what happens when they install something of this nature? The operators still figure out a way to bypass it or trick it somehow!

[JJLehto]

Very sad. Regardless of anything else, very tragic and what a truly horrible way to go, on an amusement ride.

[berryfarm]

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150602/NEWS/150609931

 

 

Posted Jun. 2, 2015 at 2:53 PM

Updated at 5:14 PM

 

VICTORVILLE — The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health is inspecting whether workplace safety rules were violated at the FreeDrop USA attraction, where 31-year-old Sabrina Gordon fell 28 feet Thursday night and later died.

The Daily Press has learned that Cal/OSHA's inspection started Monday in direct response to Gordon's death at the San Bernardino County Fair, Department of Industrial Relations spokeswoman Julia Bernstein said.

Falling under the state Department of Industrial Relations umbrella, Cal/OSHA oversees almost every workplace in California, including amusement rides and attractions.

The inspection could take six months to complete and will examine possible safety hazards for workers of Phoenix-based FD Event Co. LLC, which operates the attraction.

"We are looking into ... any potential fall hazards that those employees may have been subjected to," Bernstein said.

While Cal/OSHA can review the workplace setting for FreeDrop USA, the agency did not have regulatory jurisdiction over the attraction itself.

"It doesn't meet the definition of a ride that we permit or inspect" because it was inflatable and non-mechanical, she said.

There is no other state regulatory body to govern that type of attraction.

When asked why the inspection had not occurred previously, Bernstein said it would be impossible to inspect every workplace prior to a serious accident.

"It's not reasonable for Cal/OSHA to inspect every workplace without reason," she said. "Prior to the accident, I don't think there was any reason to inspect."

Cal/OSHA's inspection will be specific to the safety of the workers, or so-called jump masters, and not Gordon, who was a participant and not an employee. The San Bernardino County Sheriff''s Department is investigating Gordon's death.

The agency's inspection could result in a variety of resolutions depending on their findings. Speaking generally, the agency has the authority to issue notices of violation, citations and civil and criminal penalties.

Inspections normally entail taking photographs, collecting samples and interviewing employees and management, Bernstein said.

FreeDrop USA had been making its California debut at the fair when Gordon fell from one of three platforms Thursday night and was found by county firefighters and paramedics lodged between the attraction's scaffolding and airbag with life-threatening injuries.

She was flown to a county hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after midnight. A GoFundMe page set up by a close family friend states that Gordon suffered a few skull fractures and a broken T spine (thoracic), but those details had not been confirmed by authorities.

The FreeDrop USA attraction was closed immediately and did not reopen for the remaining three days of the fair. The fair opened May 23 and closed Sunday.

Shea Johnson may be reached at 760-955-5368 or SJohnson@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.

[LuminousAphid]

Robb, while I totally agree with what you are saying, society today is all about protecting people (mostly from themselves) even at the cost of completely adulterating a fun experience. Hence you have the bleeding hearts here who have been trained to think just that way, claiming that there should have been more safety measures to keep this lady from f***ing up that jump.

 

I personally wish that there were fewer safety measures in life, because you are correct: there will always be a bigger idiot, so why not just let them kill themselves off and leave the rest of society better for it? There are way too many stupid people as it is, and adding "extra safety" to everything is just going to mean those stupid people continue having more stupid kids together. When did one of society's main functions become "make sure stupid idiots don't kill themselves"? Natural selection of the best individuals, the main reason we humans have become so awesome, has been thrown out the window.

 

As for "engineering responsibility," that's bullshit- almost anything can be dangerous if you don't use it properly, and trying to design away every conceivable danger will lead to a shit product. For god's sake, I could fall off this stool next to me and hurt myself; should we design a tip-proof stool with leg restraints so that it's perfectly safe? Ridiculous.

 

And yes, I am fully aware this is "disrespectful" to the "victim," and I don't care because it's the truth, and she ain't here to be offended by it anyway. The only positive thing I can say with the info I know is that I respect that she served in the armed forces.

[Bag_O_Laughs]

This was a horrible accident.

[King of Ka]

While I'm still bothered by what seems to be a common view that people who die in accidents they help cause are idiots who deserved to die, I will say that I think we actually all agree on the importance of engineering economy.

 

It's absolutely true: we can't, and shouldn't, design for every conceivable failure or freak accident. But to me, this doesn't look like a bizarre freak accident; this looks like a totally predictable human error which the ride could not safely handle, and one which a small change would have likely neutralized. One death in 50,000 riders is just not an acceptable safety record for an amusement park ride (to put it in perspective, at that rate if every guest to Six Flags parks rode it, roughly one and a half people would die per day on average).

 

To me, the reactions to this accident are like a skyscraper in Florida getting knocked down by a category 2 hurricane, and everybody shrugging and saying "Oh well, can't design for everything!"

[berryfarm]

Here news article from victorville daily press

 

http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150803/NEWS/150809936

 

FreeDrop attraction fined $8,500 after death at Victorville fairgrounds

 

Posted Aug. 3, 2015 at 5:28 PM

 

VICTORVILLE — Following the death of a 31-year-old Hesperia woman who fell 28 feet off an attraction known as FreeDrop USA in late May, the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health has fined the attraction's operator $8,500 for workplace safety violations, the Daily Press has learned.

Sabrina Gordon fell from one of the attraction's three platforms May 28 as FreeDrop USA was making its California debut at the San Bernardino County Fair. Gordon was found by county firefighters and paramedics lodged between the attraction's scaffolding and airbag with life-threatening injuries.

She was flown to a county hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after midnight May 29.

The attraction allowed participants to free-fall jump from a scaffolding-type structure — from one of three tiers as high as 36 feet — onto a large air pillow. Cal/OSHA launched an inspection shortly after the incident into whether workplace safety rules were violated.

On July 6, the state agency sent a notice of two citations to Phoenix-based FD Event Co. LLC, which operates the attraction. According to copies of the citations obtained Monday by the Daily Press, Cal/OSHA found three general, one regulatory and one serious violation during their inspection.

The serious violation involved the attraction's five employees, also called jump masters, who were tasked with aiding participants in their falls.

"Prior to and during the course of the investigation, including, but not limited to, May 28, 2015, the employer had not protected an employee (jump master) from falling from the unprotected ends of the mid-level scaffold platform of freely falling jump sport attraction, located at an elevation of 28.5 (feet) above ground during assisting patrons to perform free jumps on an inflated air bag," the notice said.

A message left Monday for the attraction's owner, Aspen Decker, was not immediately returned.

Four other violations that were grouped under another citation involved the company's alleged failures to establish and implement an effective heat illness prevention plan; to train employees on the plan; to establish and implement and effective injury and illness prevention program; and to obtain a permit for the construction of the 45-foot metal scaffold.

FD Event Co. had 15 working days to file an appeal after receiving the notices, but it was not immediately clear if they did.

The attraction was not regulated by any California agency. The state does regulate mechanical rides, but FreeDrop USA was non-mechanical.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department launched an investigation shortly after Gordon's death, and spokeswoman Jodi Miller on Monday said there was nothing new to report regarding the ongoing probe.

"She was the brightest, most beautiful woman I've ever known," said Gordon's husband, C.J. Gordon, following her memorial service. "She had hundreds of friends — like real friends, not (just) Facebook friends — and they all loved her. She touched everybody's life that she ever met."

The attraction officially opened on the first day of the fair May 23, then shut down after the incident. While any official safety record for FreeDrop USA appears to be nonexistent and Decker has not responded to multiple messages since the incident, the Daily Press has learned of at least two prior injuries suffered on the attraction.

Four days before Gordon's fall, a participant hurt their ankle after jumping, spurring a private EMS crew already at the fairgrounds to respond to the report. The airbag had to be deflated momentarily so the participant, who was not transported to a hospital, could be assisted off.

More than two months prior to that incident, a Phoenix woman broke her leg jumping from the attraction during the Ostrich Festival in Chandler, Arizona, her attorney said last month. The woman reportedly suffered a fractured bone in her leg along with multiple fractures in her ankle and one in the bottom of her foot.

"We have had over 50,000 successful jumps across multiple states during a recent 36-city tour," Decker said in a statement released immediately after Gordon's death.

The Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo later dropped the attraction from its plan of July scheduled events.

Shea Johnson may be reached at 760-955-5368 or SJohnson@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.

[berryfarm]

update news article from victorville daily press

 

www.vvdailypress.com/news/20160527/year-after-woman-died-on-free-drop-experience-attraction-at-county-fair-familys-lawsuit-still-playing-out-in-court

 

A year after woman died on 'Free Drop Experience' attraction at County Fair, family's lawsuit still playing out in court

 

SAN BERNARDINO — A year after a 31-year-old Hesperia woman fell to her death from a free-fall-style attraction at the San Bernardino County Fair, a wrongful death lawsuit brought by her family continues to play out in court.

Sabrina Gordon's husband and parents filed the complaint Feb. 11 in San Bernardino County Superior Court, naming as defendants the county, the 28th District Agricultural Association (a.k.a. the County Fair), attraction operator FD Event Co., LLC and Bag Jump Action Sports, Inc.

The suit came after claims for unspecified amounts of money with the county and County Fair were rejected Dec. 14 and Jan. 21, according to court records.

At its core, the lawsuit claims the attraction "Free Drop Experience" — which allowed participants to free-fall jump onto a large air pillow from one of three tiers on a scaffolding-type structure as high as 36 feet — failed on several fronts: necessary equipment to ensure safe entrance and exit; adequate restraining device; lack of tripping hazards; operation by an authorized person; and safe walking surface.

The attraction, the lawsuit says, also "had an unsafe gap between the structure where users are supposed to jump off ... and the airbag mattress ... (and) exposed users to concrete and other hard structures without any head protection."

Gordon fell from the 28-foot platform on May 28, 2015, and was found by county firefighters and paramedics lodged between the attraction's scaffolding and airbag with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. She was flown to a county hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on May 29, 2015.

The suit says she fell "approximately 35 to 45 feet onto a(n) unprotected concrete surface and died," although she "initially survived the fall and suffered a massive head trauma with multiple skull fractures with hemorrhage which required hospitalization."

The suit seeks an unspecified amount in damages, adding that the defendants are responsible for medical costs accrued by the family. Gordon's family is being represented by Sherman Oaks-based The Homampour Law Firm.

On March 1, the county denied any allegations of wrong-doing, saying that Gordon "failed to exercise ordinary care under the circumstances" and "knew of the risks of injury and damage involved" with participating in the attraction. Phoenix-based FD Event Co. echoed that sentiment, suggesting Gordon was negligent and also had signed a waiver.

Attorneys for Gordon's family, however, say any release Gordon signed is unenforceable.

The County Fair filed a demurrer March 22, pointing to how fair attractions are independently owned and operated, describing the complaint as "vague and ambiguous."

The Fair "is left guessing what exactly Plaintiffs contend are the actions for which the 28th District is liable for," the legal filing said.

Meanwhile, Bag Jump Action Sports, which the family's lawsuit contends were the manufacturer and designer of the air bag, sought April 25 to strike portions of the complaint that called for punitive damages, saying the allegations don't meet the standard and also lack specificity.

A hearing on the motion to strike is slated for June 15, while a trial setting conference is tentatively scheduled for August, court records show.

Adding some complexity to the legal wrangle, FD Event Co. was insured on a policy that also included the Fair and county by Essex Insurance Co. Essex filed a complaint in federal court April 4 to suggest that it "has no duty to defend or indemnify" the insureds in the Gordon lawsuit because the claims asserted in the suit are excluded from the insurer's coverage.

"Free Drop Experience," also referred to as "FreeDrop USA," had been making its California debut at the Fair last year. It opened on the Fair's first day, May 23, 2015, and then shut down following the incident.

In a statement after the incident, the attraction's owner, Aspen Decker, said there had been more than 50,000 successful jumps across multiple states during a tour of 36 cities. However, the Daily Press learned of at least two prior minor-to-moderate injuries suffered on the attraction — one that occurred four days before Gordon's fall.

Shea Johnson may be reached at 760-955-5368 or SJohnson@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.

[laqueefa]

Can I imagine Robb's description of the accident, somehow like that?

 

This is pretty much what happened, and you don't see high divers sueing pools.

[DoinItForTheFame]

...This is pretty much what happened, and you don't see high divers sueing pools.

 

You must have forgotten how sue happy America is. . .

 

Give it a few years and I'm sure we will see it happen.

[MayTheGForceBeWithYou]

^^There's a reason only a few places have the full Olympic platforms in this country. Even then, a couple of them won't open the higher platforms to the public.