Awful, Could this happen on Kali ??

[lazyboy97o]

Kings Island and Cedar Point have this exact ride as well. There has not been a comment and I don't see it closing. Here is the comment from Busch Gardens Tampa-
"We have made the decision to close our Congo River Rapids ride while we work with other park operators and ride manufacturers to understand what happened in Australia," said Karen Varga-Sinka, Busch Gardens spokeswoman. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those involved in the tragic incident at the Dreamworld park. The safety of guests and team members continues to be Busch Gardens' number one priority. All ride attractions are inspected daily by trained technicians to ensure they are operating properly and meet all safety guidelines set forth by state agencies and well as the ride manufacturers."

There isn't a reason for any of the other parks to make a similar comment because their similar rides are already closed for the season. I'm sure we will know details before the Spring.

Whiter Water Canyon, Thunder Canyon and Congo River Rapids are all Intamin rides. Thunder River Rapids Ride is not an Intamin ride.

SeaWorld San Diego is not closed for its season and there is no indication that Shipwreck Rapids is or was closed. The reason I mentioned SeaWorld San Diego and Busch Gardens Williamsburg is because they, along with Busch Gardens Tampa, are all part of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.

 

[oceanbreeze77]

I know stuff happens but this has always been my biggest fear on these rides. Like when I ride Grizzly bear at DL I think "omg what would happen if this flips over." "Nah this won't flip over its a theme park"

 

[21stamps]

I know stuff happens but this has always been my biggest fear on these rides. Like when I ride Grizzly bear at DL I think "omg what would happen if this flips over." "Nah this won't flip over its a theme park"

There has just been a lot of fatal accidents in a very short time this year. If you look at the big picture the risk is so minuscule. There's been times recently when I'm on the "Rainbow" or similar at a school festival and for a quick moment wonder if this ride that was just assembled a few hours ago is "safe". I attribute those feelings to getting old...never had them before. You are correct in your second thought...odds are on your side

 

[NYwdwfan]

There has just been a lot of fatal accidents in a very short time this year. If you look at the big picture the risk is so minuscule. There's been times recently when I'm on the "Rainbow" or similar at a school festival and for a quick moment wonder if this ride that was just assembled a few hours ago is "safe". I attribute those feelings to getting old...never had them before. You are correct in your second thought...odds are on your side

Without actually seeing statistics I find myself wondering if there have been more accidents in recent years or if the availability of information these days just brings more accidents to our attention. I would *think* that modern technology would make these rides more safe but now we're hearing about accidents across the globe when back in the day we would not have.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Without actually seeing statistics I find myself wondering if there have been more accidents in recent years or if the availability of information these days just brings more accidents to our attention. I would *think* that modern technology would make these rides more safe but now we're hearing about accidents across the globe when back in the day we would not have.

Theme parks remain incredibly safe and the technology absolutely does make them safer. Not only are incidentally more widely reported but there is also a very high incidence of misreporting, such as a safe ride evacuation due to the overly-cautious nature of the ride control system being reported as a dangerous malfunction.

This also highlights the truth of the saying "The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic." On average, nearly 100 people in the United States die in motor vehicle accidents each day. A similar rate of fatalities would result in about four people being killed in accidents every day at the Magic Kingdom alone.

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

This link has a 3 picture explanation of what happened (no gore, just a basic artist rendering). The article shares some more details about the incident. It was an awful thing to happen and I feel terribly sad for the families and employees involved.

I'm sure we will find out more about the incident as the investigation moves forward. It's pointless to speculate about poor maintenance, negligence, etc. until we have more information. Such a horrible thing.

 

[righttrack]

I remember there being accidents with this type of ride in it's infancy at Great Adventure. It's free floating and any design flaw could be magnified by individual random circumstances of this type of ride. I think WDW has the best system and I think all of their water/boat/conveyor systems are solid. Still, it's not impossible for there to be an accident even under the best design/operational procedures.

 

[21stamps]

I remember there being accidents with this type of ride in it's infancy at Great Adventure. It's free floating and any design flaw could be magnified by individual random circumstances of this type of ride. I think WDW has the best system and I think all of their water/boat/conveyor systems are solid. Still, it's not impossible for there to be an accident even under the best design/operational procedures.

The one at Disney didn't open until 1999. Other amusement parks have essentially the same ride... also by Intamin.. Most have been operating since the early 80s. I do not know of anything similar to this Australia tragedy happening at any park before.

 

[Musicman20]

Awful awful accident. I do think that news spreads much differently nowadays though. Even my 60+ parents knew about the poor child at Disneyworld a few months back within a few hours of the news coming out.

RIP. Let's hope all parks double and triple check their rides.

 

[Phonedave]

A day at Action Park wasn't complete until somebody dislocated a finger.

At least. While I never was seriously hurt there, I did come VERY close to sinking one of their speedboats. I brought it back to the dock with about 2" of freeboard left above the waterline. It was that close to heading to the bottom of that snake infested swamp they called a lake. Good times had by all.


-dave

 

[Phonedave]

Exactly. The millions of people per year who visit Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks are also safe- for the most part. These accidents are so shocking because they are so rare..

And because of the dichotomy that exists. When somone is killed by a commuter train accident, it is horrible, but it is usually a person, by themselves, heading to work. When somone is killed in an amusement park, they are usually there with family or friends, on vacation, and having a fun time.


-dave

 

[Phonedave]

My personal favorite...I still have whiplash 30 years later

Yes folks that is a water ride with a loop basically exiting into a puddle

I went to Action Park a lot in late 80's early 90's and I never saw that ride open. I saw it off to the side a lot, but it was never open. Even it it was, I'm not sure I would have gone on it. I did a lot of stupid things as a kid, but that thing was pushing the limits.

 

[TXDisney]

I've mentioned on here before...
My aunt was on the Jurassic park water ride at universal a few years ago and got badly injured from getting launched out of the ride on its big drop. She was seatbekted in and everything, she's just very petite (4'11" 100lbs.). Universal in my opinion was awful to her. Initially blaming her saying she had to have loosened the seatbelt or complete took it off, which completely wasn't the case and was verified through the photo universal takes. My aunt being so embarrassed from the situation, scared and hurting decided not to pursue anything from it besides covering doctor bills. Universal nice thing they did was only to give her and only her a lifetime pass to universal parks. Whoooooopy. So many other shady things I won't get into about the way universal handles it.

Needless to say it is absolutely possible to get launched out of a ride. Accidents happen.

 

[21stamps]

I've mentioned on here before...
My aunt was on the Jurassic park water ride at universal a few years ago and got badly injured from getting launched out of the ride on its big drop. She was seatbekted in and everything, she's just very petite (4'11" 100lbs.). Universal in my opinion was awful to her. Initially blaming her saying she had to have loosened the seatbelt or complete took it off, which completely wasn't the case and was verified through the photo universal takes. My aunt being so embarrassed from the situation, scared and hurting decided not to pursue anything from it besides covering doctor bills. Universal nice thing they did was only to give her and only her a lifetime pass to universal parks. Whoooooopy. So many other shady things I won't get into about the way universal handles it.

Needless to say it is absolutely possible to get launched out of a ride. Accidents happen.

It's possible for a ride to malfunction.
However- It's not probable for a ride to malfunction.

I am very sorry for your aunt and I am glad she was ok!

 

[JIMINYCR]

I went to Action Park a lot in late 80's early 90's and I never saw that ride open. I saw it off to the side a lot, but it was never open. Even it it was, I'm not sure I would have gone on it. I did a lot of stupid things as a kid, but that thing was pushing the limits.

I think about all the small town fairs I've gone to over the years that have these carnival rides that are hauled in by truck, set up, run for a week, then taken down and moved onto the next town. Never thought about how much they were inspected or how safe they were. As a kid I just focused on having a good time with a few dollars worth of tickets.

 

[Phonedave]

I think about all the small town fairs I've gone to over the years that have these carnival rides that are hauled in by truck, set up, run for a week, then taken down and moved onto the next town. Never thought about how much they were inspected or how safe they were. As a kid I just focused on having a good time with a few dollars worth of tickets.

I hadn't been to a local fair in ages, and then I was roped into going on the Zipper with my one kid. Holy hell that thing scared the crap out of me. Not the riding of the ride, but the condition of the ride after I got a good close look at it. The forces that ride generates, cobined with the state it was in - not for me.


-dave

 

[BigRedDad]

I know stuff happens but this has always been my biggest fear on these rides. Like when I ride Grizzly bear at DL I think "omg what would happen if this flips over." "Nah this won't flip over its a theme park"

If that big boat flips over, the SAFEST place to be is under it and holding on. There would be air in it to breathe. The bigger issue would be if you are away from it. There are other boats coming behind that are uncontrolled, heavy, and crushing.

 

[thomas998]

Brother and sister killed in Dreamworld theme park accident
http://news.sky.com/story/dreamworld-theme-park-ride-accident-kills-up-to-four-10631462

Hope this link works, tragic accident in Australia...

Makes you think,could this happen at animal kingdom on Kali?
I'm sure the Disney setup/system is superior but is it a possibility??

Appears they may not have been secured but I've always wondered if the rafts could flip at any point?

This isn't the first time a raft ride has flipped it has happened before. The most likely cause of it happening is too much weight on one side of the raft. So long as the people on the raft are dispersed around the raft it is unlikely to happen but as soon as you have everyone on one side then the odds of it happening go up. I have to wonder as I had heard that two of the people weren't buckled in in Australia, if this wasn't a case of two people going to one side to avoid getting wet or for some other reason and the end result was the raft flipping over.

In general I don't think you have much risk at Kali unless you have people jumping up and moving to one side of the raft... if that happens then all bets are off.

 

[thomas998]

If that big boat flips over, the SAFEST place to be is under it and holding on. There would be air in it to breathe. The bigger issue would be if you are away from it. There are other boats coming behind that are uncontrolled, heavy, and crushing.

It might be safest if you were under it with your head up, but if you are buckled into the seat your head is going to be underwater and the raft will be holding you there. Also don't know if there would be any air pocket or not, as I recall there are holes in the floor to allow water to flow out of the floor so I'm not sure how low the raft would sit upside down and if there would any air pocket... not wanting to find out either.

 

[thomas998]

I hadn't been to a local fair in ages, and then I was roped into going on the Zipper with my one kid. Holy hell that thing scared the crap out of me. Not the riding of the ride, but the condition of the ride after I got a good close look at it. The forces that ride generates, cobined with the state it was in - not for me.


-dave

I've had a few near misses on amusement park rides, worst was on a octopus type ride at a state fair where the door came unlatched and we had to hand on for dear life to avoid being thrown out until they could stop the ride.

At Disney the near miss was on the Pinocchio ride at Disneyland where the idiot running the ride started moving the car I was in before I was all the way out of the car... I'm guessing at Disney the problems will be human error, at state fairs its probably greater risk of shoddy equipment.