Incidents at Busch parks

This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various Anheuser-Busch-owned amusement parks, water parks or theme parks. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy.

The term "incidents" refers to major accidents, injuries, or deaths that occur at a Busch park. While these incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities due to where they occurred, they usually fall into one of the following categories:

# Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to break park rules.
# The result of a guest's known or unknown health issues.
# Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance.
# Act of God or a generic accident (eg slipping and falling), that is not a direct result of an action on anybody's part.

Please see the references for each listed item for specific details.

Busch Gardens Africa

Gwazi

*52-year-old Thomas Welch of Palm Harbor, Florida died shortly after riding the Gwazi roller coaster on July 24, 2006. After riding, he had difficulty breathing, then collapsed. Paramedics performed CPR, but Welch was pronounced dead two hours later. [cite news
url = http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-bk-rollercoaster072506,0,4813186.story?track=rss
title = Man dies shortly after riding Busch Gardens roller coaster
publisher = Orlando Sentinel
date = 2006-07-25
accessdate = 2006-07-27] The medical examiner's report showed that Welch suffered from high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries. The ride was closed for an hour after the incident to confirm that it was functioning properly. [cite news
url = http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/07/26/ap2907657.html
title = Busch Gardens Patron Had Health Issues
publisher = AP
date = 2006-07-25
accessdate = 2006-07-27]

Kumba

*On June 10, 1995, 13-year-old Lacey Ingram of Pinellas Park, Florida died shortly after riding Kumba due to a rare heart condition she had that triggered a heart attack. [cite news
url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/21182711.html?dids=21182711:21182711&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jul+8%2C+1995&author=KATHERINE+SHAVER&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1.B.1.B&desc=Kumba+rider+had+heart+attack%2C+autopsy+finds+Series%3A+AROUND+TOWN
title = Kumba rider had heart attack, autopsy finds
publisher = St. Petersburg Times
date = 1995-07-08
accessdate = 2006-08-15] Her mother, Robyn Ingram, sued the park and won a judgement of $500,000. The jury cited the park for failing to administer CPR in a timely manner and slowing rescue efforts. The jury also cited Ms. Ingram as 30% responsible for Lacey's death, thereby reducing the award amount to $350,000. Reasons given were Ms. Ingram's previous drug abuse during her pregnancy, possibly contributing to Lacey's health problems. [cite news
url = http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/1996/06/24/weekinbiz.html
title = The Week in Business
publisher = Tampa Bay Business Journal
date = 1996-06-21
accessdate = 2007-01-04]

Python

*A few weeks after Python opened in 1976, a 6-foot-6, 340 pound, 39-year-old heart patient died after riding. The ride was advertised previous to this accident with the tagline "I challenged the Python and lived!" This campaign was pulled quickly afterwards. [cite news
url = http://www.sptimes.com/2006/09/19/Business/Classic_coaster_doomed.shtml
title = Classic coaster doomed?
publisher = St. Petersburg Times
date = 2006-09-19
accessdate = 2006-09-19]

Busch Gardens Europe

Apollo's Chariot

On the maiden voyage of the ride Apollos Chariot in March 1999, a stray goose flew into the face of the Italian model Fabio Lanzoni during the 210 foot drop, killing the bird. Fabio survived with only a broken nose. [cite news
url=http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/News/9903/31/showbuzz/
title=Bird slams into Fabio's face
publisher=CNN
date=1999-03-31
accessdate=2007-04-27]

References