the stinger report

15/10/06

“Health Warning for Attraction Riding!” (#509)

Stinger REPORT Skinny!

(5/09/06) With the end of the 2006 Theme Park season, and as the families return home, a wake of injuries and death marks this season like no other. The Stinger Report’s previous feature proves prophetic as the number of incidents caused by ‘Operational Failure’ of machines and management casts a worrying shadow over what has been a steady increase in the attendance for Out-of-Home entertainment. TSR charts the incidents and poses some questions.

Main REPORT:

The reality of the financial damage of the recent spate of incidents that have plagued the entertainment attraction industry came home to roost in August. Though coverage from some sources was downplayed, certain local media revealed that court documents from Connecticut that family of a boy that died at a local amusement park had agreed to a $1million settlement with the operators.

The incident took place in 2000 at the Lake Compounce Amusement Park. The six-year-old rider of the ‘Lake Plunge’ water slide attraction died of injuries sustained when the boy was thrown into the lake after flipping his inner tube, and not found until 20 minutes later by lifeguards. The mother of the boy agreed with the operator’s insurance carrier on a $1.2 million settlement. This has obviously been done with the agreement for no liability of responsibility by the park…but the incident and settlement will have major ramifications for the park and industry as a hole.

This 2000 incident occurred at a time when concerns were being voiced about the responsibility of the park and attractions operators for a growing number of accidents and negligence claims. As has been covered by the Stinger, these incidents seem to have increased experientially, no matter the ‘spin’ trade individuals have tried to apply to the current media coverage of high-profile fatalities.

The import of this situation was underlined with the announcement that four individuals had filed a lawsuit against Paramount’s Kings Island operators. This lawsuit regarded the July 2006 incident that saw 27 riders hospitalized after the ‘Son of the Beast’ performed an e-Stop before the loading bay at the end of the ride. The legal action looks for damages regarding the operators’ failure to properly maintain the ride. Some of the plaintiffs suffered multiple fractures running medial bills of up to $200,000 – more filing are expected.

Using these incidents and the legal action as an indicator, 2010 will be seeing a spate of million dollar insurer and operator settlements – or the collapse of a number of park operators!

What Could this all Mean:
This could mean a rash of tough new regulation is on the way for the theme park, carnival, and FEC industries – especially as regards rides and attractions. The State of New York has already passed several new laws this summer and required the creation of new regulatory bodies. New York is one of the three or four bellwether states whose actions are closely watched and widely imitated by the other 49 U.S. state governments, so it’s more than possible that similar legislation will spread to many other U.S. jurisdictions in the coming years.

Compared to the previous TSR feature on incidents (Stinger #500), the additional phrase of ‘Operational Failure’ has joined ‘Rider Misadventure’ and ‘Mechanical Failure’. The new phrase covers areas where poor procedure or training of staff played a part in the incident, and so opens up the industry to greater scrutiny regarding their safety record:

Date: 3rd August 2006	Location: Montana State Fair, USA	Injured: Two Injuries
Incident: The ‘Ejector Seat’ attraction that launches a bungee two-rider seat was in operation when one of the cables snapped, leaving only the safety cable holding the ride unit, this caused the riders’ position to slam in the tower. The riders were stranded for 10 minutes then hospitalized with minor injuries.
Suspected Cause: The Mechanic Failure was being investigated after the incident.

Date: 4th August 2006	Location: Black River Falls Carnival, Wisconsin, USA	Injured: Three Injuries
Incident: The carnival ride ‘Swing’ operated by Wenzel Amazements was in operation when the chain broke carrying the ride car and the car fell to the ground. The three girl riders in the car were taken to the local emergency room and were treated for minor bruises and then released.
Suspected Cause: The Mechanical Failure was being investigated.

Date: 13th August 2006	Location: Bush Gardens, Williamsburg, USA	Injured: One Injury
Incident: The rollercoaster ‘Alpengeist’ was operating normally when a 17-year-old rider suffered a fracture to his femur while riding the inverted coater. The rider was removed from the coaster and then airlifted to a local emergency room where the injury was treated; he was later released.
Suspected Cause: The rider was later revealed to have a pre-existing medical condition that was not reported and that the incident was Rider Misadventure.

Date: 13th August 2006	Location: Six Flags Elitch Gardens, Denver, USA	Injured: One Fatality
Incident: The Chinese Amazing Acrobat live performance at the theme park was involved in a incident when a 19-year-old performer fell over 30 feet, hitting his head while performing a stunt of balancing on a stack of chairs and tables. All performances have now been cancelled after notification of this death.
Suspected Cause: The acrobats had performed three times daily at the venue, though the park has not revealed the failure in the safety procedure for the performers – Operational Failure.

Date: 13th August 2006	Location: Clark County Fair, Washington, USA	Injured: Two Injuries
Incident: The State fair attraction ‘Tornado’ run by Butler Amusements was in operation when two boys riding the attraction got their arms caught in the wheel mechanism that spins the ride. Both boys suffered broken arms and were taken to hospital and later released after being treated.
Suspected Cause: The accident is being investigated though the mechanical nature of the ride is not currently in question and Rider Misadventure is being considered.

Date: 14th August 2006	Location: Universal Studios, Florida, USA	Injured: One Injury
Incident: The ‘Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling’ show was taking place when a fire was detected by a member of staff on the auditorium catwalk. In tackling the small blaze, a fire extinguisher (dry-chemical) was used by the member of staff. This extinguisher’s fumes caused smoke inhalation injuries and hospitalization.
Suspected Cause: The room was deemed safe later by firefighters and the show continued, though concerns about the handling of the fire have led to comments on – Operational Failure.

Date: 16th August 2006	Location: Six Flags, Great America, USA	Injured: One Fatality
Incident: The ‘Spacely Sprocket Rocket’ kiddy rollercoaster attraction was in operation when a 10-year-old girl leaving the ride at the end ran a few steps towards guardians and then collapsed and lost consciousness. Taken to a local Emergency Room, she was later pronounced dead.
Suspected Cause: It was revealed later that the girl had a pre-existing congenital heart condition that caused the Rider Misadventure.

Date: 19th August 2006	Location: Indian State Fair, USA	Injured: One Injury
Incident: The State Fair’s ‘Mad Mouse’ rollercoaster, operated by North American Midway Entertainment, was in operation and in the final part of the run when a woman fell from a seat, five-feet and landed on pavement. The woman was taken to local emergency room treated for injuries and released.
Suspected Cause: An investigation later stated that the ride operator has failed to check the safety restraining bar; further investigation was being made into the – Operational Failure.

Date: 23rd August 2006	Location: Lorian County Fair, Ohio, USA	Injured: One Injury
Incident: The ‘Whirlwind’ attraction was operating at the State Fair when one rider suffered a serious electrical shock while seated in the car. The ride was terminated and emergency services extracted the rider, who was later taken by air ambulance to a local hospital, later to be released.
Suspected Cause: Initial investigated uncovered negligence of the ride’s wiring that caused the Mechanical Failure. Note – This is the second time an individual has been electrocuted at the Fair in three years, the last causing a fatality and a change in state law and major ramifications for this incident.

10.

Date: 24th August 2006	Location: New York State Fair, USA	Injured: Seven hurt, 2 hospitalized
Incident: The ‘Drop Zone’ drop tower attraction at the state fair was in operation when two cables snapped causing the riding positions to fall. The seven riders suffered various minor injuries, but two of the riders had to be taken to hospital. They were released later.
Suspected Cause: The attraction was under investigation as to why the cables had snapped and the Mechanical Failure had occurred.

11.

Date: 25th August 2006	Location: Chelsea Community Fair, Michigan, USA	Injured: Two Injuries
Incident: The State Fair attraction run by Mid America Show was in operation when a metal sign over the attraction broke free and fell on a car carrying two riders. The ride was closed and the two injured riders were treated at a local emergency room for their injuries.
Suspected Cause: The signboard was part of the attraction and it was being investigated what led to the Operational Failure.

12.

Date: 27th August 2006	Location: Waterford Amusement Park, Ireland	Injured: One Fatality
Incident: The ‘Spooky’ ghost train attraction was in operation at the Irish park when a 22-year-old male rider was reported to have fallen from the car he was riding and was then hit by another car in the ride. He was rushed to a local emergency room but died of his injuries soon after.
Suspected Cause: A local police investigation was underway to ascertain if the accident was caused by Rider Misadventure.

13.

Date: 29th August 2006	Location: Eyemouth Fairground, UK	Injured: One Fatality
Incident: The fair’s Swing Cage attraction was in operation when the ride operator fell from his position after having started the ride manually. The operator became trapped under the four-rider carriage. He was crushed, sustaining many injuries from which he later died in the local hospital.
Suspected Cause: Local authorities were investigating the incident and the particular operation of the fair that led to the Operational Failure.

14.

Date: 29th August 2006	Location: Royal Russian Circus, County Clare, Ireland	Injured: One Fatality
Incident: The touring Russian Circus performance was in full throe when a performer, dressed as a clown, was crushed by a steel cage that had fallen from a balloon that had caught fire and exploded in front of an audience of 100 guests.
Suspected Cause: A Garda investigation was underway into the circumstances of this Operational Failure.

15.

Date: 10th September 2006	Location: Star City Amusement Park, Pasay City, Philippines	Injured: One Fatality
Incident: The Log Flume attraction was in operation when a 12-year-old girl fell out of the log boat after standing up, claiming to feel dizzy, at the top of the lift hill for the flume ride, subsequently falling 38 feet and being killed. An initial police investigation confirmed not to have a safety belt that could have prevented the rider from falling.
Suspected Cause: Police claimed to media that the park owners could be charged with Reckless Imprudence in the death of the girl in not properly equipping the ride. This would mark the first time a park has been charged in this way, suggesting Operational Failure. -- NOTE – The venue operators claimed in an earlier statement that the accident was caused by a mechanical defect and that they assured the victim’s family full assistance. The police however have stated to the media that they are looking at filing criminal charges against management.

This only leaves the taxing question – how long will the issue of ‘Operational Failure’ go on tarnishing the good reputation of the majority of the amusement and attraction sector before the associations will take a stand?

Breaking Stinger News – As if to ram home the poignancy of the Stinger coverage of the issue of a need for greater industry support of the need to get operators to fulfill their responsibility regarding venue maintenance, this report was received:

16.

Date: 18th September 2006	Location: Star City Amusement Park, Pasay City, Philippines	Injured: One Injury
Incident: The ‘Kiddie Bumper Ride’ was in operation when a number of the cars on the ride started to emit smoke and sparks, the ride had to perform a e-Stop stop and one car containing a 3-year-old child came to a sudden stop that caused her some distress, though later no serious injuries were reported.
Suspected Cause: The Mayor of Pasay City has ordered the parks temporary closure while the Operational Failure and or Mechanical Failure is investigated.

This will be a serious black-eye for the attractions business as yet another park after a fatality carries on operation with substandard attraction maintenance leading to another high profile incident, begging association questions.