Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 51
Notable incident: In June, a space shuttle simulator ride in a popular amusement park in south China fell to the ground, killing six people and injuring 10. Survivors of the accident reported hearing a loud explosion moments before the ride plunged 50 feet to the ground. The precise cause of the accident wasn’t immediately evident, but reports indicate that one of 11 spinning cabins came loose and crashed into surrounding cabins before falling to the ground.
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 51
Notable incident: A 12-year-old girl from Ohio was visiting a go-kart track near Niagara Falls in 2006 when her hair became entangled in the vehicle’s axle. Police Sgt. Jim Moody told the Toronto Star that she, “had her scalp removed from her skull, from the eyebrow area, right back." She had to be airlifted to a Rochester hospital.
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 54
Notable incident: Disneyland closed the Space Mountain ride in 2000 after a malfunction caused nine people to sustain minor injuries. A wheel on one of the ride’s cars separated from the track, causing the ride to stop suddenly. The most seriously injured in the accident was a German woman, who was taken to the hospital for multiple bruises. It could have been worse, however, as Disney spokesman Ray Gomez
told the Los Angeles Times at the time, “All normal ride safety control systems worked as designed and brought the system to a halt.”
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 57
Notable incident: Near the end of the summer season in 2003, a malfunction at Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad killed one man and injured 10 others. As the ride approached a tunnel with a sharp turn, part of the train became disconnected and caused the rear of the train to plow into the front car where 22-year-old Marcello Torres was seated. He was killed on impact.
Disney CEO Michael Eisner appeared at the park the next day to reassure park-goers, saying, “We are working very closely with local and state authorities to gather the facts and determine the cause of this accident as early as possible.”
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 60
Notable incident: At Texas’ Six Flags park in 1999, one woman was killed and another 10 were injured when their raft flipped over on the Roaring Rapids water ride. The boat, which was carrying 12 passengers, capsized while going through a rough area near the end of the ride. The seatbelt-wearing riders were trapped upside-down, but while most were able to struggle out of their harnesses, a 28-year-old woman from Arkansas drowned after being unable to free herself.
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 60
Notable incident: In 2005, an accident at a merry-go-round in the south of Spain at the Guillena Zoo injured 18 people. The central axle of the ride broke apart and the whole ride collapsed. Two children were seriously injured and another sustained minor injuries after being caught under debris.
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 69
In 1998, a 19-year-old New Jersey man was killed when he went down a 20-foot-high, 62-foot long slide hours after park employees had closed the ride. He struck his abdomen on a chain that was hooked across the bottom of the slide, suffering a lacerated liver and blood loss. New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs shut down the park as a result of the accident and found three rides in operation without state permits.
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 72
Notable incident: Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park in California is home to the Perilous Plunge ride, which is billed as the tallest and steepest water ride in the world. In 2002, Lori Mason-Larez, 40, was seated next to her children and nieces on the ride when she flew out and fell to her death. Passengers on the ride tumble down a 115-foot, 75-degree drop at nearly 50 mph. Investigators pointed to Mason-Larez’s size as a contributing factor, as she weighed 292 pounds, as well as an inadequate restraint system. “We think they need to go over everything one more time,"
said Len Welsh, California’s special counsel for regulatory development, at the time. "We're not convinced this is just an issue for a person larger than the average human being.”
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 72
Notable incident: Three-year-old Nadia Laberge was riding a vintage-style car ride in 2001 at La Ronde amusement park in Montreal. After the second loop on the track, she exited and was standing in front of the car when it started to move again, knocking Nadia down and rolling over her. She was taken to the local hospital for bruises on her face and body.
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 72
Notable incident: Naomi Estolas was riding the Quicksilver Alpine Slide in Utah Olympic Park in 2007 with her daughter when, as she claims, the toboggan they were on stalled on the track and was rear-ended by another toboggan manned by a park employee. The collision caused permanent injuries which left Estolas unable to work.
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 84
Notable incident: Last summer, a British teen was looking for his goggles at the bottom of one of the pools in a Thai water park when he became trapped in the pumping system after removing a grate. His father dove into the water to try to save him but could not find any trace of his son, Nathan Clark. Reportedly, staff at the park was reluctant to help because they didn’t believe it would be possible for a person to remove the grille. Engineers recovered the 14-year-old’s body in the pipe connected to the pool’s pump room.
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 87
Notable incident: In 2005, a teen riding the Timber Wolf wooden roller coaster at Kansas City’s Worlds of Fun was killed from a fall after being ejected from her seat. Ashley Fenzel, the 14-year-old who was sharing the seat with Ryan Bielby, claimed that the seat belt and lap bar came loose as the ride went over a hill, ejecting Bielby into the air. Subsequent tests using crash test dummies caused experts to doubt that restraint malfunction caused the accident. “The tragedy could not have occurred as has been reported by the remaining passengers in that car," John Hudacek, general manager of the amusement park, told reporters at a news conference.
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 93
Notable incident: Seven-year-old Jo- Kely Cassara was visiting New York’s Playland Amusement Park in 2005 with his mother and 4-year-old sister when he hopped aboard Ye Old Mill boat ride. He fell from the boat and became trapped beneath a conveyor belt under more than two feet of water for 40 minutes until authorities found him. A medical examiner later determined cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head. As part of a 2009 settlement, the family received $1.25 million and a scholarship in his name. “I'm thankful that every year people will be reminded of my son and that some positive change will be occurring because of the sacrifice of his life,” his mother told the Asbury Park Press.
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 438
Notable incident: A graduation celebration turned fatal in 1997 when a crew of 33 high school seniors crowded onto a water slide at Waterworld USA in California. The slide collapsed under their weight. One 17-year-old died from a crushed chest and 30 others were taken to hospitals in the area. At the graduation ceremonies later that month, 17 students accepted diplomas in wheelchairs.
Estimated U.S. incidents, 2009: 495
Notable incident: A South Carolina teen who entered a restricted area at Six Flags over Georgia lost his life in 2008. Seventeen-year-old Asia Leeshawn Ferguson hopped over two fences to retrieve a hat he lost while on the Batman ride. The ride was careening at 50 mph hour when it struck Ferguson, decapitating him. “He was my oldest son. He was named after me. It’s tragic,” the boy’s father
Asia Ferguson told reporters.
