Disabled girl barred from theme park rides

[TAC]

done.

 

[SpongeScott]

I feel sorry for her, but this is the world we now live in. Everyone is so sue-happy that parks can't take a chance if they see a "liability". It's a shame on every angle of this story.

 

[barnum42]

Jessica was denied access, he said, because makers of the Riffle Rapids and the Stanley Falls Log Flume recommend that riders have at least one bracing lower extremity. The Congo River Rapids maker recommends three bracing extremities, including arms.

Prosthetics can be considered bracing extremities, but Jessica had left her artificial legs at home.

"If the manufacturer's guideline states that a functioning bracing leg be required, we follow that," Hoeppner said. "We do follow their guidelines because they designed them (the rides) for the human body to ride them."

From the above statement, it appears that Busch had very good safety reasons for not letting the girl ride. It's unfortunate she was not able to enjoy the attractions, but not as unfortunate as if she were thrown from the ride and badly injured.

 

[wdwishes2005]

From the above statement, it appears that Busch had very good safety reasons for not letting the girl ride. It's unfortunate she was not able to enjoy the attractions, but not as unfortunate as if she were thrown from the ride and badly injured.

exactly, i am impressed that buch gardens had enough guts and common sense to make the right decision. if the manufacturer of the ride gives clear guidlines like they did, its always a good idea to err on the side of safety.

 

[xfkirsten]

I gotta agree with you guys here. If the ride manufacturer recommends that you need a certain number of limbs to ride for safety reasons, it's best that they obey. Kudos to Busch Gardens for backing those safety regulations. I feel sorry for the girl, not being able to ride anything, but better safe than sorry in this case.

 

[AndyP]

As much as I feel sorry for her, they made the right decision. At the end of the day, they want her treated normally, and they did, they followed the rules, which excluded her. It is a shame though!

 

[MyNameisStitch]

As unfortunate as it is I have to agree. If the manufacturer has put these restrictions in place then they made the right call. I had to make this decision once when I worked at Six Flags. Exact same situation but I made sure to explain to the family exactly what the restriction was and tried to make it as painless as possible. When the family left they were upset but they thanked me for speaking with them about it. I feel like the way the attendant handled it by saying he wasn't loading from that end and that they had to go to the other side was wrong.

Unfortunately when working in a theme park you have to handle some difficult situations. But when I worked at Six Flags, I found that if you talked to people and tryed to make the situation as pleasant as possible, there was rarely a problem. One thing that comes to mind is the height restrictions on my ride. If a child was too short to ride and the parents were upset, I made it a point to always suggest some rides they could ride based on their height. If you keep things friendly and you go that extra mile to help, the guest will generally walk away satisfied. It sounds as if this didn't happen at Busch Gardens.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

The article comes from the girls point of view (understandably) but does little to explain the real reasons why she was denied access. Once again sensationalisation sell newspapers

 

[speck76]

When working at Cedar Point, we were required to ensure people had 3 limbs (either 2 legs and 1 arm, or 2 arms and 1 leg)

If they girl were to ride the log flume, and some type of evacuation procedure had to be performed, the girl would most likely be helpless in that situation.

It seems that the mother wants everyone to be understanding of the girl's condition, yet at the same time does not care to understand the position of the park.

Some people, if not all, have limitations..........I do not see why people can't accept this.

 

[catinthehat]

while i see that this was clearly a necessary measure, I can't help but feel awful for this little girl-- this must have meant everything to her...but again, for her safety, i am sure it was better off this way...

 

[FanofDinsey1981]

I agree with everyone above, but shouldn't someone tell the family what the policy is, instead of simply turning them away? It seems as though they tried several times on different rides, to only be turned away, but how would the family know of the rules if a)the didn't search them out, B) no one told them or c) it was not posted anywhere? Obviously the parks have some kind of rule, since many of you have already said that when you worked at different parks, you knew of the rules.

 

[speck76]

I agree with everyone above, but shouldn't someone tell the family what the policy is, instead of simply turning them away? It seems as though they tried several times on different rides, to only be turned away, but how would the family know of the rules if a)the didn't search them out, B) no one told them or c) it was not posted anywhere? Obviously the parks have some kind of rule, since many of you have already said that when you worked at different parks, you knew of the rules.

One would think (well, a logical person would think) that the parent of a child with such an extreme disfigurement would seek out the policy, and confirm, before the issue ever arose, the possibility of such a limitation on a rider.

The problem is that many parents of the disable have the overzealous self-righteous attitude that their child has no limitations, they can achieve what every other child can.....blah blah blah.....

While this may be the case in many areas of life, the safety systems on amusement rides are designed for people with an average body, weight, and height..........it does not take a person with no legs to get barred from a ride.....one with a huge chest can not ride Kumba or Montu.

 

[Magic Maker]

It is the parents' responsibility to seek out the information, HOWEVER, it is best practice for any ride attendant to explain the reason behind the policies whenever possible or appropriate.

 

[Ralph Wiggum]

good for her she's overcome her disabilty and excelled. but it doesn't mean you can do anything in life. who are the parents going to attack when it's been found she can't attempt Mt. Everest or SCUBA 100 ft down to a wreck site on her own? that's ridiculous.

 

[Woody13]

A man has got to know his limitations. Little girls too.