Hope for T-wolf? (old accident report)
Dave Althoff
Is there a glimmer of hope for the Timberwolf?
The general concensus on the 'net seems to be that drastic changes to the
ride are inevitable. But, I dredged up an old article from ACE News which
shows another possibility. So, in possible violation of an ACE copyright,
I present the following unsigned article:
---begin included article---
ACE News, June 1992, Volume XIV, Issue 8, Page 2:
[headline] Jury Blames Rider in Hersheypark Coaster Accident
According to newspaper reports, a New Jersey man who fell from a coaster at
Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania, on May 1, 1988, didn't get the pot of
gold for which he was suing.
The incident occurred on the park's *SooperDooperLooper*
(Schwarzkopf/1977), one of only two steel looping speedracers in the United
States (the *Revolution*, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California,
is the other.)
Testimony of fellow riders revealed that the 26-year-old man was standing
up and waving his arms before being thrown from the coaster. He landed on
a cement support pier in the creek near the ride's end, breaking several
bones and puncturing a lung.
The man's attorneys said that even if he did stand up, the park should have
anticipated such actions and should have integrated safety features into
the ride to prevent him from doing so.
Attorneys for Hersheypark countered that twelve million people -- what
amounts to the entire population of Pennsylvania -- have ridden \SDL\
without falling out and that numerous other parks across the nation have
similar rides and have reported no such incidents.
Experts for the defense said the man must have released the lap bar before
he was thrown out since state investigations after the accident found no
problems with the ride's safety features.
Hersheypark is also home to three other exciting coasters: The wooden
*Comet* (Schmeck/PTC 1946), steel *Sidewinder* (Vekoma Boomerang/1991) and
*Trailblazer* (Arrow mine train/1974).
*[Editor's note: Congratulations to Hersheypark for its victory.
Unfortunately, lawsuit-happy members of the general public and their
foolish antics have influenced insurance companies to require that some
coasters be tamed down, usually reducing these once-exciting rides to mere
shadows of themselves.
We hope future dareevils will think twice before tempting fate on their
next coaster ride. After all, it's much more thrilling to obey park rules,
to go with the flow of the coaster, to soar above and through the trees
than to leave the park on a stretcher.]
---end included article---
When last I heard, \SDL\ still had the original train, plan, and profile.
Granted, the accident in this case was non-fatal. But we can always hope
that if the T-wolf accident investigation goes the same way as the SDL
accident, that the outcome will be similar.
Just wanted to pass that along. If anyone hears what happens in the
sandbag tests, please pass the information along.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
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