slingshot accident coney island, ny

[john cline ii]

Coney I. Worker's
Foot Torn Off
By CAROLINA GONZALEZ, HENRI E. CAUVIN
and LEO STANDORA
Daily News Staff Writers

maintenance worker fine-tuning a new Coney Island thrill ride before its
planned debut last night tore off his right foot when he slid 60 feet down a
cable and smashed into the ground.
The victim, identified only as a 29-year-old New Jersey man, was helicoptered to
Bellevue Hospital, where microsurgeons were attempting the reattach his foot
last night.

Doctors said he was in critical but stable condition.

The drama unfolded shortly after 5 p.m. at 3029 Stillwell Ave., where the
bungee-style Slingshot Ride — one of a dozen in the country — was to open its
gates for the first time.

The ride allows one or two thrill-seekers to sit in a small cage attached with
bungee cables to a pair of 120-foot towers. When cable tension is wound up and
then released, the cage is shot into the air and bobs around until it is still
enough to be brought down again.

Police said the maintenance worker had just put a final application of grease on
some ride fittings when the accident occurred.

Wearing a harness equipped with a cable clamp, he had shimmied up the bungee
cable and was supposed to descend the same way. But, another ride employee said,
for some unknown reason he switched to a cable used to stabilize one of the
giant towers.

"His clamp didn't grip, and he started to slide. He came straight down like a
rocket and landed on his right foot," said the man, who did not want to give his
name. "Maybe the stabilizing cable had grease on it. We don't know yet."

Dozens of spectators — some waiting for the ride to open — watched in horror as
the victim fell.

Mort Herbert, who operates the nearby Himalaya Ride, said the victim "didn't
even have time to scream, it was so fast. His leg was kind of wrapped around
itself. It was a bloody mess."

Doctors at Bellevue said they were "cautiously optimistic" the foot could be
reattached. Such operations can take up to 18 hours. Police said the victim's
name was being withheld until they could notify relatives.

[Dave Althoff]

From the description, this sounds like an "Ejector Seat", in case you're
wondering.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
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