Six Flags Over Texas (SFOT) Discussion Thread

[Blind Idiot God]

I don't think Markey knows what he's doing.

 

This has been Markey's baby for a while now. I want to say he has been pushing for this for at least the last decade. It's never gotten anywhere before, and I don't expect it to be different this time.

 

Yeah, Markey's been at this for a LONG time. I don't think anyone actually takes him seriously or views him as anything other than a windmill-chaser as far as the issue is concerned.

[singemfrc]

And the lawyer guy, did anybody hear him kind of slip up and pretty much flat-out say that the restraint failed on NTAG? As a lawyer you'd think he would be better at stating his case in a way that didn't make him look like a total douche.

 

But good job by Robb.

He also kept referring to the restraint as a "latch" which was making me cringe.

[AllenA07]

And the lawyer guy, did anybody hear him kind of slip up and pretty much flat-out say that the restraint failed on NTAG? As a lawyer you'd think he would be better at stating his case in a way that didn't make him look like a total douche.

 

It really shocks me how bad some lawyers are at doing that. However considering that the vast majority of attorney's never see the inside of a courtroom, it shouldn't be that surprising.

 

I'm at least a little interested to see who gets sued here. Somebody dies at a park, you know the suit is coming. If I had to guess it'll be Six Flags thrown under the bus (deepest pockets) but I wouldn't be at all surprised if one of the parties turns around and brings in some of the manufactures. It's always fun a spread the pain around a little.

[TXman308]

Did I miss something or did the word-filter go away? (click)

[Aceattack52]

I was flipping thought he channels and saw the theme park topic on HLN so I decided to stop and give it a chance. Thank god Robb was on there or else it would have been a horror show.

[ernierocker]

Did I miss something or did the word-filter go away? (click)

 

It was removed.

[Sir Clinksalot]

I don't think the manufacturer is going to get blamed for this.

 

My guess is it's going to be deemed "operator error" and that Six Flags will get dinged for it. What changes come out of this? At the very least stricter restrictions on "rider size/body type" than before. And they won't be shy about it.

[SharkTums]

^Agreed. And they shouldn't have to be 'shy' about it, just polite and friendly. They're certainly not shy telling someone they're too short or tall to ride something, so why not the other direction as well.

 

"I'm sorry, but due to your body proportions this particular ride is not safe for you, please enjoy YYY ride at this time instead or one of our other great attractions."

 

If anyone fights that or claims discrimination, that's obnoxious and they have a death wish!

[DougMJr]

^I think the issue is that people cannot control their height so they are generally OK with being told "no." But with weight they know that it is because of their lifestyle choices.

 

Not saying it is right, I'm just saying that is probably why these policies are not already in place. Don't want guests leaving crying, "Six Flags called me fat! "

[Sportsdude360]

Being overweight is not always a lifestyle choice. There are both medical and hereditary conditions which can result in a tendency to be overweight.

[eddie200330]

^Agreed. And they shouldn't have to be 'shy' about it, just polite and friendly. They're certainly not shy telling someone they're too short or tall to ride something, so why not the other direction as well.

 

"I'm sorry, but due to your body proportions this particular ride is not safe for you, please enjoy YYY ride at this time instead or one of our other great attractions."

 

If anyone fights that or claims discrimination, that's obnoxious and they have a death wish!

 

Wouldn't those signs that say "Guests of a larger size may not be permitted to ride due to the configuration of the safety restraints" aid in this issue? Quite frankly if you don't fit you must quit.

[GO MUFC!!!]

I was watching Bill O'Reilly on fox tonight

 

There's your problem

Exactly!

[robbalvey]

Being overweight is not always a lifestyle choice. There are both medical and hereditary conditions which can result in a tendency to be overweight.

So? Thank you captain obvious for that comment.

 

Doesn't change the fact that someone shouldn't ride.

Edited July 24, 2013 by robbalvey

[Tmcdllr]

Here is a good article: http://www.register-pajaronian.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=77&story_id=14874

 

Don’t condemn theme parks after freak accidents

Modified: Monday, Jul 22nd, 2013

BY: ERIK CHALHOUB

 

A freak accident, according to Webster’s dictionary, is defined as “oddly different from what is usual or normal.”

 

Examples include being struck by lightning, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant snapping his achilles heel during a routine move … and also, as we heard about Friday, a woman falling out of Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas to her death and a boat flipping over on Shoot the Rapids at Cedar Point, causing moderate injuries.

 

Before you pull out your pitchforks and call for the death of theme parks, remember this: These were freak accidents, both extremely rare and isolated incidents.

 

Roller coasters have come a long ways, especially safety-wise, since their birth. They’ve got lap bars, single, sometimes double seatbelts, over-the-shoulder restraints. Ride designers have learned to create a teardrop-shaped loop rather than a neck-snapping perfect circle.

 

But still, freak accidents do happen, although they are rare. The last fatality to happen on a roller coaster in the United States at a major theme park (excluding carnivals) was in July 2011, when a man, a U.S. Army veteran who had lost both of his legs in Iraq, was ejected from Ride of Steel at Darien Lake in New York, according to amusementsafety.org.

 

When an accident happens, it makes national news. Why? Because it is nearly unheard of. A freak accident, if you will.

 

And that is a testament to the safety of roller coasters.

 

We come to expect it — it’s a given — and they always deliver. When we hear that a ride’s safety mechanisms have failed, we are shocked.

 

As both Texas Giant and Shoot the Rapids are currently under inspection and closed, we don’t know for certain what truly caused the safeguards of these rides to fail. But that doesn’t stop the general public to become “experts” on the situation, just because they have a camera in front of them, or worse, a keyboard.

 

Among the many, many cringe-worthy comments posted on various news websites was this one posted by (surprise) an anonymous writer on CNN.com: “Blame goes to these adventure parks for glamorizing these risky rides.”

 

Are roller coasters risky? In a sense, yes. But so is everything else … driving, riding a bike, playing a sport.

 

People die or are injured in car crashes every day. You are more at risk of dying in a car crash on your way to a theme park than you are at the actual park itself. Where is the outrage after a fatal car accident? Because they are commonplace.

 

Rumors have been floating around about the Texas Giant incident, many of which claim that the woman was “too large” to fit on the ride (later reports show that the woman was indeed overweight), and that the restraints did not properly lock.

 

But again, this is all speculation. News reports have gone squarely on witness statements, which often contradict each other, and more often than not, are false. As has been pointed out before, the Dallas Morning News quoted a witness saying the lap bar did not “click” in place, and that the ride operator was “nonchalant.”

 

However, Texas Giant’s lap bars use a hydraulic restraint system, which do not “click” when secured. Also, green lights on the back of the train’s cars tell the ride operators that all lap bars are secured. If not, the train can not be dispatched.

 

Six Flags Over Texas wisely refused to speculate, instead doing the right thing and assuring guests that safety is their top priority, and a full investigation will reveal what really happened.

 

There’s no denying the fact that what happened Friday was tragic and cast a dark cloud over the amusement industry. But to disregard the stellar safety records of theme parks and roller coasters and instead condemn them as “death traps” after one freak accident is ignorant and foolish.

 

The lap bars don't "click"

 

The last paragraph of this is excellent.

[megametal]

Being overweight is not always a lifestyle choice. There are both medical and hereditary conditions which can result in a tendency to be overweight.

 

Neither is being too tall or too short. I don't get it what the problem is. If you can't fit, you can't fit, whether it's by lifestyle choice or medical/hereditary means.

[cfc]

^^How does one "snap an Achilles' heel"? I guess he means "Achilles' tendon."

[Tmcdllr]

^^How does one "snap an Achilles' heel"? I guess he means "Achilles' tendon."

 

[RoCo]

Being overweight is not always a lifestyle choice. There are both medical and hereditary conditions which can result in a tendency to be overweight.

 

Neither is being too tall or too short. I don't get it what the problem is. If you can't fit, you can't fit, whether it's by lifestyle choice or medical/hereditary means.

 

I don't have 20/20 vision, so I can't be a fighter pilot. I don't have the looks to be a Calvin Klein underwear model, so I can't be a Calvin Klein underwear model. Sometimes bad genes and/or lifestyle choices limit the things we get to do in life.

 

Years ago, a friend of mine and I were getting onto Colossus and he was told he couldn't ride because of his weight. It was a little humiliating and a drag, but he shrugged it off and that was that.

[Blind Idiot God]

Just because there's a sign stating that guests of larger proportions may not be able to ride doesn't mean that the employees will actually follow it or that a particularly angry walk-of-shame subject won't lawyer up anyways, and the language used IS vague enough that someone probably could argue over it in court without the case getting thrown into the trash.

 

And yes, weight is often from lifestyle choices, but there are plenty of other less choice-based causes as well (hereditary conditions, medication side-effects, certain diseases, lack of affordable/available healthy food within an area, complications from forced sedentary activity due to injury recovery, etc.), and while I am absolutely against fat shaming, I'm also against the ridiculous senses of entitlement and the "everything that cannot readily accommodate me is sizeist thin-privilege anti-fat bigotry" (no, I'm not stereotyping, there really are people like this out there, and I've met a depressing amount of them) mentality that fat activists and some of the angrier overweight individuals out there tend to have. Sure, our culture definitely discriminates against overweight individuals, but do you think that being a loudmouthed, abrasive, obnoxiously confrontational jackass is going to help your cause any?

[Dragon Khan]

Today, a train crash in Spain killed AT LEAST 35 people. (second in this country in two weeks) It may seem off topic (it IS) but trains will run everywhere in the world tomorrow. I can't help thinking about Irat being closed because of NTAG... I know, I digress. Just my feeling right now.

 

edit, some minutes after: I do realise trains are needed and you can't stop the life of a whole country, still, the Ntag / Irat thing is irritating if -like most of us practically know- there was absolutely no technical failure...

[robbalvey]

Today, a train crash in Spain killed AT LEAST 35 people. (second in this country in two weeks) It may seem off topic (it IS) but trains will run everywhere in the world tomorrow. I can't help thinking about Irat being closed because of NTAG...

You are 100% totally right. Just look at how devastating the photos from this crash are:

20 people are dead.

 

And guess what? Spain will still operate trains tomorrow.

 

I just don't understand why people FREAK OUT so much when there is a one in 750 million chance accident that happens at an amusement park. Just look around you. Open your eyes to the world. You'll find that riding roller coasters is one of the LEAST risky things you can do.

[jps294]

Here is some animation found on Youtube today!

[youtu_be]http://youtu.be/mVgbkKSoOYM[/youtu_be]

[GnastyGnoric7]

Good point Robb, even with me almost getting T-boned, I still drive my car. I do not understand some people these days

[Mechanic]

Here is some animation found on Youtube today!

[youtu_be]http://youtu.be/mVgbkKSoOYM[/youtu_be]

 

That video is inaccurate to the point of being irresponsible.

[rcjp]

^ ^It's just one of those sometimes irrational fears people have that you can't really do anything to stop and that people will annoyingly continue to have. Like flying, everyone knows it is safer than driving but if there is a minor accident everyone will panic. Sadly though, these people are the majority compared to informed coaster enthusiasts so there's not much we can do.