Deaths on Roller Coasters

tgreg

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Apr 22, 1996, 3:00:00 AM4/22/96

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While reading the Roller Coaster Almanac, I found out about alot
of deaths on roller coasters that I never heard of before. I live
in PA, and only recently heard of sombody being thrown from the
SuperDooperLooper at Hersheypark. Somebody told me that it used
to have 6 loops in it, but it was remodeled after this fatal
accident. What is the real story on this? I also never heard of
somebody being thrown from Colossus. One thing that I didn't see
on the Almanac was when somebody died in 1968 on the brand new
Thunderbolt at Kennywood. Maybe I just overlooked it. Can anyone
give me the real story on the SuperDooperLooper and any of the
other coasters?

Dave Althoff

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Apr 22, 1996, 3:00:00 AM4/22/96

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tgreg (tg...@city-net.com) wrote:
: While reading the Roller Coaster Almanac, I found out about alot

The Sooperdooperlooper has always been a one-loop coaster. There is an
article about the court action following the accident on that coaster in a
back-issue of ACE News (I'll look it up...). In that case, the "victim"
was standing, and the jury found the park harmless in the case. Woo hoo! 8-)

The Colossus story was posted here, with fairly complete information. I
merely took down the date; I didn't file the article. One of the
left-coasters here on r.r-c did a nice job of covering that disaster.

I am aware that there was an accident on the Thunderbolt, and that one of
the results was the removal of a small hill in the "spaghetti bowl" helix.
Unfortunately, I do not have the exact date for that incident, therefore
it is not listed in the Almanac.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Maintainer, Roller Coaster Almanac
(http://www.rollercoaster.com/almanac.html)
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Negative Git

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Apr 23, 1996, 3:00:00 AM4/23/96

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> The Sooperdooperlooper has always been a one-loop coaster. There is an
> article about the court action following the accident on that coaster in a
> back-issue of ACE News (I'll look it up...). In that case, the "victim"
> was standing, and the jury found the park harmless in the case. Woo hoo! 8-)

I believe alot of the (few) deaths in Theme Parks are from people being
foolish on the rides or at least not taking enough precautions. Take
Alton Towers (UK), apparently someone died in the black hole (they stood up!),
yet another died on the water rapids (head dress caught in the mechanism).

Rob

PSUZEUS

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Apr 29, 1996, 3:00:00 AM4/29/96

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I am from Pittsburgh, and I did hear that someone was killed on the
thunderbolt back when it first opened. Also, i heard that a woman with
long hair was injured in the laser loop when her hair got caught in a
gear. I don't know what truth there is to this though.

psuzeus

Dave Althoff

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Apr 30, 1996, 3:00:00 AM4/30/96

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PSUZEUS (psu...@aol.com) wrote:
: I am from Pittsburgh, and I did hear that someone was killed on the

: thunderbolt back when it first opened. Also, i heard that a woman with
: long hair was injured in the laser loop when her hair got caught in a
: gear. I don't know what truth there is to this though.

Minimal research on my part indicates that the first part...that someone
was killed on the T-bolt...is probably true. It is well known that there
was a serious accident during that ride's first season, and everyone I've
heard it from has indicated that the accident was a fatality.

The result of that incident was the removal of a small hill from the
T-bolt's helix. Those of us who didn't visit Kennywood until until 25
years later never noticed that it was gone 8-)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

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Hollister Bundy

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May 1, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/1/96

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How 'bout the freefall crashes of the 80's. I know SFGA's injured some
people, but weren't there a few others, too, like at SFOT?

CPanko

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May 1, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/1/96

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I can confirm that a 15 year old boy who attended Hempfield Area
High School was killed in or arround about the second or third week of
May the Thunderbolt's opening year. I know poeple who attended school with
him. The story goes that (as many of these accidents) he was a quiet boy
and someone darred him to stand up. His death was because he was showing
off and standing up and was thrown from the train.
As for the reasoning behind removing the small hill in the bowl,
I heard it was too rough on average riders.( Once again not taking into
concideration the rest of us.)

Carl- Jack Rabbit/ Racer Crew 96

CPanko

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May 1, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/1/96

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I can confirm that a 15 year old boy was killed in or arround about
the second or third week in May the opening year of the Thunderbolt. He
attended Hempfield Area High School and was a shy boy who wanted noticed.(
Form poeple who attended school with him) Like so many of these stories,
someone dared him to stand up and he was thrown from the train.

As for the reasoning behind removing the small hill in the bowl, I

heard it was because of discomfort for the "average rider."

Please push your safety bar forward and gently pull it back.....and hold
on tight.
Carl - Jack Rabbit/ Racer Crew 95-96

Dave Taylor

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May 2, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/2/96

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There was also a coaster death in 1989 at Six Flags Over Georgia,
the park with the Mindbender & The Great American Scream Machine.
Another coaster they had was called Z-Force which I had went on
while I was on holiday there. A few days later on the news they
had reported that a youngster - about 10 - 12 years old had
choked on his own vomit or sick after the ride had finished &
unfortunately died. Does anyone remember this ???

--
Thanks Dave,

tgreg

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May 2, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/2/96

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The death on the Thunderbolt took place in 1968 when it first opened.
According to "Kennywood Memories," it was a high school sophmore who
was thrown from train while on a class trip.

Hersh Brown

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May 3, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/3/96

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Hollister Bundy (h...@psycfrnd.interaccess.com) wrote:
: How 'bout the freefall crashes of the 80's. I know SFGA's injured some

: people, but weren't there a few others, too, like at SFOT?

two things, one can anyone tell me in as much detail as possible what
happened to mind bender, and what the ride was like.
AND ALSO DOES ANYONE HAVE THE ADRESS FOR ORDERING THE "SPACE WARP TRACK"
IT IS PERFECT FOR ARROW MODELS.

73157...@compuserve.com

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May 3, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/3/96

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Dave writes:
>Minimal research on my part indicates that the first part...that
>someone was killed on the T-bolt...is probably true. It is well
>known that there was a serious accident during that ride's first
>season, and everyone I've heard it from has indicated that the
>accident was a fatality.

According to a gentleman I just met today who was a T-Bolt
operator during the summer of 1968, there were TWO fatalities
that year. Both involved idiots standing up on the ride. He
also told me that there was a problem with the rear train's
last seat. Apparently, at one spot in the ride, the rear
trains lap bar release would contact the track, causing the
lap bars in the last car to release. The operator told me
he ended up riding the T-Bolt 130 times assisting the
maintenance crew in pinpoint exactly which section of track
was causing the problem. The M-crew then planed down that
section of track.
Derek Gee

Tim Melago

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May 5, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/5/96

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dal...@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff) wrote:
>Minimal research on my part indicates that the first part...that someone
>was killed on the T-bolt...is probably true. It is well known that there
>was a serious accident during that ride's first season, and everyone I've
>heard it from has indicated that the accident was a fatality.
>

>The result of that incident was the removal of a small hill from the
>T-bolt's helix. Those of us who didn't visit Kennywood until until 25
>years later never noticed that it was gone 8-)

On the Kennywood Memories video they did say that a boy was killed on the then
new Thunderbolt when he stood up. They also talked about the removal of the
"speed bump" after the first season. The video said it was removed because it
was too rough for the average rider. I don't know if the death was a factor in
its removal.

Also, I have a few observations from my visit to Kennywood today. Looking at
Noah's Ark, I don't think it will even open this season. One section has only a
cinder block wall up with no roof, floor, or equipment in it. You can see into
other sections and nothing looks close to being done. The only remaining old
section is the mountain part where you walk up the ramp and you can see
outside. I think the biggest mistake on the project is the removal of the walk
thru whale's mouth. People will miss the whale and walking on its foam tongue.

The Lil' Phantom looks ready except for the station. It a typical kiddie
coaster like the one at Adventure World or Williams Grove. All of the
other coasters were up and running even though the Steel Phantom train stalled
at the top of the lift for a while. Maintainence people and operators had to
climb the lift but riders did not have to get out and walk down. The new
entertainment area is almost done and the extra seating should reduce
congestion around the Potato Patch.

--
***********************************************
* Tim Melago | H O M E P A R K S *
* roll...@sgi.net | Idlewild - Kennywood *
***********************************************

Richard Bonner

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May 5, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/5/96

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Hersh Brown wrote:

Two things: 1/ Can anyone tell me, in as much detail as possible, what
happened to The "Mind Bender", and what the ride was like.

2/ DOES ANYONE HAVE THE ADDRESS FOR ORDERING THE "SPACE WARP TRACK" ?

IT IS PERFECT FOR ARROW MODELS.

*** Hi Hersh,

If you are referring to The "Mind Bender" coaster at West Edmonton
Mall, there is too much detail to give here. Look on our page (URL below)
in the "Park Books" section for "Mall Coaster Enquiry". This report is
over 200 pages long! There is an address from which it may be possible to
obtain a copy. (I say `may' because ther may not be any more copies
available.)

As for "Space Warp", it's manufactured by Bandai. Here is their
American outlet address:

Bandai America Incorporated
12851 E. 166th Street
Cerritos, California 90701
U.S.A.

Voice: (213) 926-0947
Fax: (213) 926-8030

Richard Bonner

Managing Director:
The Coaster Enthusiasts of Canada
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ak621/CEC/CEC.html

rfut...@pbs.org

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May 5, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/5/96

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There was a death on the Comet at Hershey pary yesterday (5-4-96).
I wanted to take one last ride on the Comet before the park closed. I waited
for the first seat. It was a great ride, until we came around the last curve
before the break run. Sitting on the track was a groundhog. I saw him
disappear under the train. The person I was with said that he saw him jump
out of the way. When we reached the station we found out he had not made
it. The skid breaks lifted the train off the wheels and brought it to a
stop. While the train was in the air the body shifted under the right front
wheel. When the computer released the break, the train did not start to roll
into the station. The computer brought the second train to a stop on
the mid course break. The crew manually released the lap bars and escorted
us to an exit. A large crew of maintance workers pushed the train backwards
to allow the removal of the body.
We looked over the fence and saw fur at various places along the track.
It took about a half hour to remove the body and check the track. The train
that hit the creature was sent to the lift hill empty and the second train
was allowed to continue from the mid course brake run.
The new coaster is not yet running. It looks like there is a lot of
work that still needs to be done around the new coaster. The crane is still
in place. The queue is not yet done.

Robert Futscher rfut...@pbs.org

CHRISTOPHER GESTWICKI

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May 6, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/6/96

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I almost witnessed a death.I went to Six Flags Great Adventure when
they were going up the lift on the Great American Scream Machine.they
people running al over the place.I also got stuck at the top of the
Rolling Thunder at SFGAdventure.

Twister

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May 6, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/6/96

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On 6 May 96 01:40:19 -0700, CGest...@msn.com (CHRISTOPHER GESTWICKI)
wrote:

Could you please get into alittle better detail?

--
See you in line,
Twister

Chris Feist

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May 10, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/10/96

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Hi, I am curious to know about any info regarding injuries and/or deaths
at Six Flags Over Texas specifically. I am not personally aware of any
fatalities and know little about injuries.

I do know of one accident which took place in line for the Runaway Mine
Train in '84, I believe. I didn't see it happen, but I was nearby.
There was this continuous shrieking of terror or pain (didn't know which
at first) which I heard from inside the loading platform on the Runaway.
I soon realized that it was shrieks of terror from a woman. This lady's
little boy had fallen in front of one of the trains, and apparently the
train rolled over him. I can't say for sure how much of this is
accurate, though, since I didn't see it with my own eyes, only heard the
comotion. When they were able to back out the train and free the boy,
some medics appeared with the boy in their arms and the terrified mother
following. The kid appeared to be okay.

None of the SFOT coasters had those safety bars in line on the loading
platform until the year after that. That's how the kid was able to fall
in front of the train...no bar.

Anyone else know of any accidents/injuries/deaths at SFOT?

Chris

Richard Morency

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May 11, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/11/96

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Dave Taylor (10044...@CompuServe.COM) wrote:
: There was also a coaster death in 1989 at Six Flags Over Georgia,

: --
: Thanks Dave,

Yes, i remember that. It was shortly after i moved to atlanta. I always
thougth that the kid died becuase of some kind of brain hemmorage. It
saddens me that they took out the Z-Force and put Ninja in its place.
Z-Force was the first non-mine train steel coaster i went on. I think
the Z-Force is now Flashback at SFMM, but i dont know.

--===--Atsuko

AGorman536

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May 11, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/11/96

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I covered a story for my college's student newspaper, regarding a
rollercoaster death. The daughter of one of our Math professors was
chewing a large wad of gum while riding the Dragon Coaster at Playland in
Rye, NY. When the coaster went down its first steep hill, the gum lodged
in her thoat, causing this poor child to choke to death.

I also was once on a coaster at Six Flag's Great Adventure which had
operating difficulities, causing it to be disabled at the top of a large
hill!

PC Wizard

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May 13, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/13/96

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I remember in the late 80's or Early '90's the King Cobra at Kings
Dominion Jumped Tracks killing all passengers.

Force Of Nature

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May 13, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/13/96

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I can remember back about 12-15 years ago a woman died on Lightning Loops
at Six Flags Great Adventure. The ride consisted of 2 loops intertwined.
You would climb up a set of stairs to get to the top. Once in, the train
was shot out, down a hill, through a loop and up to the other side.
A few seconds later, it was shot out from the other sides and did the
same thing backwards. Supposedly, a woman did not put her harness down
and she held herself in through the loop forwards. However, on the
trip back, she fell between 2 cars , was dragged 10 feet and fell 75
feet to her death. I believe those were the exact words of the newspapers.

--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Kristofer Wempa we...@eden.rutgers.edu
http://remus.rutgers.edu/~wempa we...@remus.rutgers.edu
--------------------------------------------------------------

Twister

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May 13, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/13/96

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On Mon, 13 May 1996 14:45:49 GMT, pcwi...@mnsinc.com (PC Wizard)
wrote:

>I remember in the late 80's or Early '90's the King Cobra at Kings
>Dominion Jumped Tracks killing all passengers.
>

Do you have any proof this happined?
I really find this hard to believe.

TonyG Jr

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May 14, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/14/96

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And if you beleive that.... I have a 475 inverted rollercoaster by Arrow
to sell you. There was *ONE* death on King Kobra involving a woman
fainting.

Tony G
"Bring back the Crystal Beach Cyclone!!!"

Email: harry_...@cyclone.fnet.org

Barry K. Swank, Jr.

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May 14, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/14/96

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In article <4n7iij$5...@news1.mnsinc.com>,

pcwi...@mnsinc.com (PC Wizard) wrote:
>I remember in the late 80's or Early '90's the King Cobra at Kings
>Dominion Jumped Tracks killing all passengers.
>

>.

oh. ha ha ha Ha Ha HA HA HA HAHAHAHAHA HA HA HA HA
bwa-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! HA HA HA AAAH-HA HA HA HA

I'm sorry. BWAH-HA-HA-HAAAA!!!!

Most *giggle* ridiculous *stifled laugh* thing I heard...

Super-Duper-MEGA ROFLOL until I explode.. BWAH-HA-HA-HAAAA!!!!!!

--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Barry K. Swank, Jr.

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May 14, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/14/96

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Railblazer

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May 14, 1996, 3:00:00 AM5/14/96

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>I remember in the late 80's or Early '90's the King Cobra at Kings
>Dominion Jumped Tracks killing all passengers.

King Cobra @ Kings Dominion? Hardly. Whatever you are referring to, PKD or
PKI, neither of their stand-ups have ever had a death or serious injury.
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