Will WDW Add Weight Limits to Ride Signage?

[correcaminos]

The seats on Orlando FreeFall tilt and stay in the tilted position throughout the drop. The tilt moved his seat so that it was no longer directly under him and replaced it with the gap between the seat and the harness.

I know the ride tilts. In this case did his body just shift out? (Again not watching videos). Does that also mean a belt as I mentioned that many of these rides do have would help?

 

[Disstevefan1]

In the wake of the tragedy at ICON park which seems to be the result of the unfortunate kid being significantly over the weight limit for the ride (likely combined with ride staff not paying attention), do you think WDW will add the maximum weight for each ride to the warning signs?

I don't think I've ever seen anything but minimum height which the CMs check for (multiple times). I don't think we'll ever see scales in the queue nor do I think that is necessary. If the max weight is posted guests would be responsible to know if they exceed that weight and are putting themselves at risk.

We need to wait for all the facts to come out on this one incident-

This ride has shoulder restraints that come down and belt that clips in between the legs in the seat.

Were they able to actually engage the belt here?
If so, did the belt fail due to the riders weight?

No one knows what the true facts are for this incident.

For example I read that this rider was turned away from the other two rides in ICON park.

I also read that because of G forces and his weight the restraint was subject to 700 pounds of force at the moment of failure.

Don’t know if these are true or not.

 

[correcaminos]

We need to wait for all the facts to come out on this one incident-

This ride has shoulder restraints that come down and belt that clips in between the legs in the seat.

Were they able to actually engage the belt here?
If so, did the belt fail due to the riders weight?

No one knows what the true facts are for this incident.

For example I read that this rider was turned away from the other two rides in ICON park.

I also read that because of G forces and his weight the restraint was subject to 700 pounds of force at the moment of failure.

Don’t know if these are true or not.

This one does not have the belt. https://www.wesh.com/article/teen-falls-icon-park/39601209#

 

[StarWarsGirl]

This ride has shoulder restraints that come down and belt that clips in between the legs in the seat.

If you watch the YouTube video, there's no belt between the legs. On the YouTube video, there were people asking about the belt.

 

[Lilofan]

DAK optional Wild Animal trek tour has a 300 lb weight limit per guest. One part of the tour has guests walking over a high suspension bridge. Universal Orlando Water parks has some rides that guests have to weigh themselves prior to riding.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I know the ride tilts. In this case did his body just shift out? (Again not watching videos). Does that also mean a belt as I mentioned that many of these rides do have would help?

I'm a Hersheypark season pass holder and I'm very used to these types of high-thrill rides, and I'm also used to seeing guests get told they can't ride, so this is just my perspective as a guest.

I took one look at the picture of the kid and thought, "Oh my, he was way too heavy to be on that ride" before I even read about the weight limit. There's no way his restraint was sitting properly. I think the belt in between the legs would have helped because it probably would not have latched. For many of the rides in Hershey, the restrint is a guidance, but whether the belt latches is also a guidance for whether someone is too heavy to ride. Even if it did latch, I think if it was heavy duty enough, it would have prevented the kid from falling out.

We'll have to wait on what the experts say, but IMO, this was a failure on both the park and the manufacturer.

I wouldn't see this happening at Disney. For one, their CMs are better trained. For another, the rides are much tamer and the seats are designed to accommodate more guests of various sizes.

 

[lazyboy97o]

We need to wait for all the facts to come out on this one incident-

This ride has shoulder restraints that come down and belt that clips in between the legs in the seat.

Were they able to actually engage the belt here?
If so, did the belt fail due to the riders weight?

No one knows what the true facts are for this incident.

For example I read that this rider was turned away from the other two rides in ICON park.

I also read that because of G forces and his weight the restraint was subject to 700 pounds of force at the moment of failure.

Don’t know if these are true or not.

You scold us to wait for the facts and then make a bunch of untrue statements and insinuations. The ride does not have a belt. Being too big for a completely different ride has no bearing on a different ride. You end declaring there was a multi-point failure of the harness with no evidence.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I know the ride tilts. In this case did his body just shift out? (Again not watching videos). Does that also mean a belt as I mentioned that many of these rides do have would help?

There are photos showing him before dispatch and his harness is rather high with a sizable gap between the seat and harness. It seems likely that he shifted just as everyone else but since the over the should restraint wasn’t there he had nothing below him to hold him when the vehicle hit the brakes.

People mention the belt but how much it would help would depend on how well it was built, the forces it could withstand and whether or not there was enough of a gap sideways to still allow escape.

 

[Patcheslee]

I wish they would post minimum and maximum weight limits on MDE, I know skilift at Blizzard beach has a max, myself, DH & DD10 couldn't all ride together. Ran into an issue at Volcano bay last year, they weren't combining parties and DD and myself didn't meet minimum for some family slides.

 

[correcaminos]

I have a lousy connection at the moment so skipping quoting.

DAK tour has both a minimum and a maximum weight limit posted for the harness system. So I do think if there was a reasonable weight limit to a ride they could post it too. Much like we have minimum height requirements posted.

The belt missing was mentioned in the video attached to the story I linked. They claim 6000 pounds in that. Some were apparently convinced it would have saved him or as mentioned in another post been a sign that he was too large to safely latch.

I wonder why the chairlift is not listed online but the AK tour is. Reading up the chair lift is the only one with a limit though it is pretty high at 375.

 

[JIMINYCR]

If you watch the YouTube video, there's no belt between the legs. On the YouTube video, there were people asking about the belt.

A news report featuring this trajedy regarding the safety parameters for this ride and highlighting the safety manual said the company said No seat belts were required to be built into this ride. The lock down device was enough. Also reported was that there were lights that came on to show the riders were all locked into their seats. If the indicator lights to show all riders were set and locked in, were not lit up, the ride would not have started.

 

[King Racoon 77]

The ludicrous idea that Disney would put scales in queues or that CM are going to be charged with checking guests weight. Disney to their credit takes safety very seriously and does extensive testing to ensure guests will have a safe experience. This entire thread is a solution in search of a problem.

And now it's another thread discussing the accident.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I know the ride tilts. In this case did his body just shift out? (Again not watching videos). Does that also mean a belt as I mentioned that many of these rides do have would help?

It doesn't tilt that far..Icon's goes at 30 degrees...

Compared to Busch Gardens Falcons Fury at 90 degrees..

While Fury does have belts I'm not sure if Icon's did....Plus, shouldn't they have had a Test Seat..I know the Sea World and Universal parks have them..I would have thought they would as well..

 

[John park hopper]

Disney already assumes everyone is over weight thats why they reduced the meal portion size

 

[lazyboy97o]

It doesn't tilt that far..Icon's goes at 30 degrees...

Compared to Busch Gardens Falcons Fury at 90 degrees..

While Fury does have belts I'm not sure if Icon's did....Plus, shouldn't they have had a Test Seat..I know the Sea World and Universal parks have them..I would have thought they would as well..

Falcon’s Fury is a marvel of engineering. It was really designed with an understanding of the forces involved how the ride operates. The seats swing back to the upright position as you hit the brakes (landing on your butt and not on your chest) to make the ride not only more pleasant but so that those forces are applied to the solid seat and not the restraints. That motion also isn’t powered, it’ll always happen. I may be wrong on this, but I think the restraints are also designed so that they’re basically trying to close, not open.

 

[correcaminos]

There’s a video of the ride starting and the light under the seat showing it was not locked in place. And staff discussing it. The ride should have been emergency stopped at that point. Period.

The video stated the light was on. The ride will not ascend if the light is not on.

In the viral video of Sampson’s death, attendants can be heard asking whether or not a light was checked.

“Didn’t you check it?” one asks.

“Yeah, the light was one,” says a second person.

“We both…we checked it. The light was on,” a third worker says.

The manual released by FDACS adds some context to that conversation. According to the manual, green lights on a panel indicate the restraints were closed, no lights indicate the restraints were open, and a red light indicates the restraints are faulted.

According to the manual, attendants also must manually check the restraints when loading a guest in, pulling on it to ensure it’s locked in.

“The ride will not ascent unless those harnesses are locked in,” Stein told News 6 on Friday. “There were no indications there was anything different, so this is what we have got to find out.”

This is something the preliminary accident report confirmed.

“When the magnets engaged, the patron came out of the seat. Harness was still in a down a locked position when the ride stopped,” the report reads.

New records show Orlando FreeFall has weight limit as state continues to investigate teen’s death

The Orlando FreeFall is the subject of scrutiny as state agencies look into what caused a 14-year-old to fall to his death from the ICON Park ride last Thursday.

www.clickorlando.com

 

[correcaminos]

Yes, that was the statement. And one of the videos that was widely shared.

However apparently there was another video that shows very clearly that it wasn’t on and the sound of someone yelling “check that seat on the left” in a panicked voice.

Not going to search for it, I assume it is in the hands of the right people by now.

That was heard on the video I saw that were clips.

End result is the ride will not start if there is a fault. The harness was locked upon return. I don't think it's wise to spread false rumors when they stated it was on and the ride will not ascend if there is an issue. Unless that was broken, then you have a fight, otherwise the harness was locked.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

On the Disney Magic cruise ship. They already have a weight limit listed for the Aqua-Dunk. (300Lbs). So it’s not unprecedented with Disney; but as other posters have pointed out, there are not many attractions in Disney’s portfolio that would warrant one.

Is it in the Crush&Gusher at Typhoon Lagoon since it's pretty much the same ride?

 

[Married5Times]

I do not think any Disney rides fall into that. Size yes, but not weight afaik

there was a time California Adventure had "Mailboomer"..........3 towers with very similar rides as the one at Icon but of course it didn't shoot riders vertically 400'.

Maliboomer might well have used the exact same ride system as Universal's Dr Doom's Fearfalll; I'm not sure.

 

[lazyboy97o]

there was a time California Adventure had "Mailboomer"..........3 towers with very similar rides as the one at Icon but of course it didn't shoot riders vertically 400'.

Maliboomer might well have used the exact same ride system as Universal's Dr Doom's Fearfalll; I'm not sure.

Maliboomer and Dr. Doom’s Fearfall are S&S Space Shots, which launch riders up. They’re similar in that they use towers but don’t have the gravity free fall. The movement is all powered and controlled.

Orlando FreeFall is a FunTime Drop Tower. The only other one in the US is at Dollywood which is why they are the only other park to have closed their drop tower.