News Guest dies, found unresponsive after riding Stardust Racers

[Comped]

If this is the case, the ride either no longer becomes ADA compliant, or they retrofit one ride vehicle with OTSR.

Could be a far wider issue than just ADA. Could have happened to anyone, the fact that he slipped slightly out of the harness doesn't have a true relation to his disability, it's correlation at best.

 

[Andrew C]

From reddit:



If this is the case, the ride either no longer becomes ADA compliant, or they retrofit one ride vehicle with OTSR.

These restraints are not a new design. So how to other coasters handle it today?

 

[mkt]

Wifettorney chimed in on my ADA thought - She pointed out that under the ADA, the parks don’t have to make accommodations if doing so would put a rider’s safety at risk. The law allows “safety-based eligibility criteria” as long as it’s legit and not based on a stereotype. In other words, equal access doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a seat if the restraint system can’t actually keep you safe.

 

[ToTBellHop]

No one should be slipping out if they meet the height requirement. These restraints are used on Velocicoaster and if someone could slip out, they'd never have installed that zero-g stall. You need to be stapled into the seat to go with a lap bar on an inverting coaster. Only caveat would be if, in addition to be wheelchair-bound (which shouldn't really impact this as long as the person has legs), if there were a serious cognitive deficit, a person could forcibly move into a dangerous position. I presume that's one of the few cases where Universal isn't liable here. But, there are no details suggesting this is the case.

Surprised this didn't happen on one of those RMC wooden-to-steel retrofits (i.e. Iron Gwazi) first. Those invert, have lap bar restraints, and include zero-g stalls. And they really beat the trap out of you. I find them to be much more aggressive thrill rides than this.

 

[JT3000]

Wifettorney chimed in on my ADA thought - She pointed out that under the ADA, the parks don’t have to make accommodations if doing so would put a rider’s safety at risk. The law allows “safety-based eligibility criteria” as long as it’s legit and not based on a stereotype. In other words, equal access doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a seat if the restraint system can’t actually keep you safe.

That just means they can't make unreasonable alterations, putting one's safety into jeopardy in the process, in order to allow a person to ride (a certain defunct Orlando area ride immediately comes to mind.) Seeing as how this person was physically capable of getting on the ride as designed, ADA accommodations are a bit of a moot point. The ride needs to be able to safely accommodate anyone capable of boarding (and allowed to do so, ie they aren't missing a limb or some such.)

There is one thing that you didn't consider. It is possible for a person have existing medical issue without it being diagnosed. I am saying that because a family member was born with a heart defect, but wasn't diagnosed with it before being in their 40s despite a test didn't defect anything as a teenager.

That's why it's important to stay on top of your health status when participating in any strenuous activities. Obviously they won't catch everything, but if we're being honest, some of these attractions are intense enough that they should probably require some sort of prerequisite medical testing in order to ride. The "Do not ride" signs aren't enough and merely absolve the park of any legal wrongdoing.