Incidents at independent parks

This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various independently-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 an independently-owned 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.

Coney Island

Polar Express

*On August 5, 2007, a restraining lap bar broke causing an unidentified 15-year-old girl to fall out of her seat and into the center of the ride where she was briefly knocked unconscious. The ride was running in reverse at the time. The victim was taken to the hospital with head and leg injuries, and complaining of neck and back pain. [cite news
url =http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/08/04/2007-08-04_girl_hurt_in_fall_from_coney_ride_as_saf-2.html
title = Girl hurt in fall from Coney ride as safety bar breaks
publisher = NY Daily News
date = 2007-08-04
accessdate = 2007-08-07]

Dutch Wonderland

ky ride

*On July 19, 2008, a 44-year-old woman from Ann Arbor, Michigan lost about a centimeter off the tip of her left index finger when it was caught in the safety bar. [cite news
url =http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/224760
title = Woman loses part of finger on park ride
publisher = Lancaster Newspapers
date = 2008-07-20
accessdate = 2008-08-15] [cite news
url =http://www.wgal.com/news/16940255/detail.html
title = Woman Loses Fingertip At Amusement Park
publisher = WGAL-TV Lancaster, PA
date = 2008-07-21
accessdate = 2008-08-15]

Expoland

Fujin Raijin II

*On May 5, 2007, 19-year-old Yoshino Kogawara from Higashiomi, Shiga was killed and nineteen other guests injured when the Fujin Raijin II derailed at Expoland in Suita, Osaka. Initial reports said that forty people were injured, with thirty-one being taken to the hospital. [cite news
url =http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070505p2a00m0na012000c.html
title = Female passenger dies after seats fall off roller coaster
publisher = Mainichi Interactive/MSN
date = 2007-05-05
accessdate = 2007-05-07] An investigation revealed that the ride derailed due to a broken axle. None of the ride vehicle's axles had been replaced for fifteen years. [cite news
url =http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070507p2a00m0na014000c.html
title = Amusement park failed to replace axles of roller coaster in fatal crash for 15 years
publisher = Mainichi Interactive/MSN
date = 2007-05-07
accessdate = 2007-05-07] Following this accident, similar coasters at other Japanese parks were voluntarily shut down and inspected to see if they could also have the same axle flaw. [cite news
url =http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070507p2a00m0na011000c.html
title = Kumamoto amusement park shuts down roller coaster after deadly Osaka accident
publisher = Mainichi Interactive/MSN
date = 2007-05-07
accessdate = 2007-05-07] Expoland was cited by authorities for faulty maintenance when similar axle cracks were found on a second train a month later. [cite news
url =http://www.inform.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id=152953
title = Cracked axle found on roller coaster
publisher = Kazinform
date = 2007-06-25
accessdate = 2007-06-26] On July 15, 2008, three former Expoland employees -- the director and administrative manager, the head of facility and business department, and the head of the technical division -- agreed with the allegation of professional negligence and violating Building Standards Law. They admitted to purposefully postponing the coaster's regular inspection, even though a visible crack was noticed months earlier, as well as submitting a false inspection report. [cite news
url =http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080715TDY02306.htm
title = Expoland ex-officials take blame for accident
publisher = The Yomiuri Shimbun
date = 2008-07-15
accessdate = 2008-07-15]

Hersheypark

* Of the 1.4 million visitors to the park in 2006, 55 people were injured at Hersheypark during the year, none seriously. [cite news
url =http://www.pennlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1166452806204870.xml&coll=1
title = Amusement parks report more thrills, fewer spills
publisher = The Patriot-News
date = 2006-12-18
accessdate = 2006-12-18]

Holiday World

The Raven

* On May 31, 2003, 32-year-old Tamar Fellner of New York City, New York died after falling out of the The Raven roller coaster during the ride's 69-foot drop. Witnesses told investigators they saw Fellner standing up in the car as it neared the drop. An investigation after the accident showed that Fellner's seat restraints were working correctly and no mechanical deficiencies were found on the coaster. The coroner's office ruled Fellner's death as accidental. [cite news
url = http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/06/05/loc_amrep05.html
title = Witnesses: Victim stood up in coaster
publisher = Cincinnati Enquirer
date = 2003-06-05
accessdate = 2007-01-31] However in 2005, Fellner's family members filed lawsuits against both Holiday World and the Philadelphia Toboggan Company; the manufacturer of the coaster trains. [cite news
url=http://masstort.org/site/index.php?id=12
title=Fellner v Holiday World Case Details] The lawsuits were settled out of court in 2007. [cite news
url=http://masstort.org/site/index.php?id=124
title = Fellner v. Holiday World Case Settles] Terms of the settlements were undisclosed.

The Wave

* On July 4, 2007 a 29-year-old woman from Fort Wayne, Indiana collapsed near the edge of The Wave pool, falling into the shallow water. Lifeguards attempted to revive her, but she was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital. An autopsy showed that the woman died of congestive heart failure. [cite news
url =http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070705/UPDATES/70705014/1004/NEWS02
title = UPDATED: Heart failure killed Holiday World patron
publisher = AP
date = 2007-07-05
accessdate = 2007-07-05]

Kennywood

King Kahuna

*On July 5, 2008, twenty riders were stranded upside down for ten minutes when the King Kahuna ride malfunctioned and unexpectedly stopped for an undetermined reason. [cite news
url = http://kdka.com/local/Kennywood.King.Kahuna.2.764903.html
title = 'King Kahuna' Closed During Probe Of Malfunction
publisher = KDKA
date = 2008-07-07
accessdate = 2007-07-07]

The Whip

*On May 31, 2002, a 29-year-old female guest from Monroeville, Pennsylvania was killed when the roof of The Whip ride collapsed during a microburst. On July 20, 2007, a trial jury awarded the victim's family US$1.21 million. A second trial will determine liability between Kennywood and the company that built the structure. [cite news
url = http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_518322.html
title = Kennywood jury awards family $1.2 million
publisher = Pittsburgh Tribune Review
date = 2007-07-21
accessdate = 2007-07-21]

Knoebels

cenic Skyway

* On June 13, 2003, a man was seriously injured in a 30-foot-fall from the Scenic Skyway chairlift ride at Knoebels Amusement Park. The man was a member of a group home for mentally disabled people and was riding alone. The man was airlifted to a local hospital and recovered. The ride opened just 2 weeks prior to the accident. Inspectors found no problems with the ride. [cite news
url = http://www.rideaccidents.com/2003.html#jun13
title = Man falls from Scenic Skyway at Knoebels
publisher = Ride Accidents
date = 2003-06-13
accessdate = 2007-01-04]

peed Slide

* On March 2, 1999, an attorney representing two girls who sustained injuries while riding a water slide at a Pennsylvania amusement park discovered a history of complaints of injuries made by riders after they had ridden the same ride. Fifteen injuries had been reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Ride and Measurement Standards in recent years, including six other reports of injuries to riders' genital areas. The Speed Slide, also known as the Super Slide, is a 40-foot vertical drop water slide attraction. The tort lawsuit filed sought $9,200 in medical costs and at least $50,000 in damages on behalf of one girl, age 11. The suit also sought $5,300 in medical costs and at least $100,000 in damages on behalf of the other girl, age 12. The park was charged with negligence, failure to monitor the amount of force of the water and its effect on riders, failure to fix defects, and failure to provide adequate warnings to riders. [cite news
url = http://www.rideaccidents.com/1999.html#mar2
title = Knoebels water slide brings injuries, lawsuits
publisher = Ride Accidents
date = 1999-03-02
accessdate = 2007-01-04]

Krug Park

Roller coaster

On July 24, 1930, four people were killed and 17 injured when a bolt on the coaster came loose, causing four cars to fall to the ground. As a result of the incident, the Omaha City Council passed an ordinance banning roller coasters in the city. [cite news
url = http://www.ketv.com/150thbirthday/3243422/detail.html
title = Survivor Recounts Krug Park Tragedy
publisher = KETV
date = 2004
accessdate = 2008-08-08]

Magic Springs and Crystal Falls

Old No. 2 Logging Co. Log Flume

* On September 4, 2006, an unidentified 11-year-old boy was injured when a stray .22 caliber bullet struck him in the wrist. Police had no suspects in the case. [cite news
url = http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,212231,00.html
title = Boy Hit by Stray Bullet on Arkansas Log Flume, Police Say
publisher = AP
date = 2006-09-05
accessdate = 2007-06-11]

Twist and Shout

*On July 30, 2006, 45-year-old Felicia Robinson of Memphis, Tennessee fell from the Twist and Shout coaster due to centripetal force. Robinson fell about 11 feet, and was taken to a local hospital. [cite news
url = http://www.fox16.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=a348c3f9-d820-4897-99ca-17b3f015ddf6&rss=315
title = Woman Hospitalized after Fall From Magic Springs Roller Coaster
publisher = AP
date = 2006-07-31
accessdate = 2007-06-11] Inspectors said that Robinson was too large for the ride, causing the restraints to not work properly. A report by the Arkansas Department of Labor stated that the ride operator should not have let Robinson occupy more than one seat on the ride. Robinson sued the park and the ride's importer for US$16 million, claiming that the park failed to seat her properly, and that the ride did not provide adequate safety features. [cite news
url = http://origin.foxnews.com/wires/2007May24/0,4670,AmusementParkInjury,00.html
title = Woman Who Fell From Coaster Seeks $16M
publisher = Fox News
date = 2007-05-24
accessdate = 2008-08-09]

X-Coaster

*On June 9, 2007, a bird or other large animal crossed electrical wires in nearby Hot Springs, Arkansas [cite news
url = http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=6646322
title = Magic Springs: Animal to Blame for Weekend Power Outage that Stranded Roller Coaster Riders
publisher = KAIT 8
date = 2007-06-12
accessdate = 2007-06-14] , causing a 25-minute long power outage to the park. This caused many of the park's rides to shut down. Twelve riders on X-Coaster were left hanging upside down 150-feet above the ground for 30 minutes. Those riders were rescued by the local fire department who used a generator to provide enough power to the ride so the vehicle could coast to a lower access point. Riders on other attractions were evacuated by park employees without incident. Nausea was the primary complaint of the rescued X-Coaster riders, although one 37-year-old X-Coaster rider was taken to the hospital complaining of neck pain and a headache. The park has experienced minute power outages in the past with no incidents. [cite news
url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/10/national/main2908687.shtml
title = Roller Coaster Riders Left Hanging
publisher = AP
date = 2007-06-10
accessdate = 2007-06-11]

Old Indiana Fun Park

* On Thursday, August 11, 1996, a 4-year-old girl was paralyzed from the chest down, and her 57-year-old grandmother was killed after the miniature train ride at the Old Indiana Fun Park derailed and overturned as it approached a curve. The two victims were crushed under the weight of the cars . An investigation showed that the train was traveling much faster than its design speed of 12 miles per hour. [Cite news|url = http://www.lostindiana.net/html/old_indiana_fun_park.html
title = Old Indiana Fun Park
Publisher = Lost Enterprises
Date = 2001-2006
accessdate = 2007-09-07]

Playland

Dragon Coaster

* In 1988, an 8-year-old girl choked to death while chewing gum on the ride.Fact|date=June 2007

Mind Scrambler

* On June 29, 2007, a 21-year-old female park employee from White Plains, New York was killedcite news
url = http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_180230719.html
title = Woman Dies Following Rye Playland Accident
publisher = WCBS TV
date = 2007-06-29
accessdate = 2007-06-30] when the ride was prematurely started by a second employee while the victim was still assisting guests with their safety restraints. Park officials stated that a safety precaution (put in place after the 2004 Mind Scrambler incident) was not followed. [cite news
url = http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/06/30/2007-06-30_worker_death_at_rye_playland_caused_by_s.html
title = Worker death at Rye Playland caused by safety errors
publisher = NY Daily News
date = 2007-06-30
accessdate = 2007-07-01] A report issued by the state's Labor Department on August 24, 2007 agreed with both the park officials' original assessment and a July 2007 police report in that the ride operators were running the ride improperly. The Labor Department's report states that the second ride operator started the ride knowing that the victim was not properly seated, and cited the ride's owner for providing inadequate training [cite news
url = http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070826/NEWS02/708260356/1018
title = Family seeks justice in woman's death at Playland
publisher = The Journal News
date = 2007-08-26
accessdate = 2007-08-28] .

* On May 22, 2004 a 7-year-old girl from New Rochelle, New York was killed when she fell out of the ride after sliding herself free of the restraining bar.

The Whip

* In the 1920s, a 19-year-old man was killed when whipped off of the ride.Fact|date=June 2007

Ye Old Mill

* On August 3, 2005, a 7-year-old boy from Norwalk, Connecticut died of blunt force trauma to the head after he fell or climbed out of a boat on the Ye Old Millride, where he became trapped underwater by a conveyor belt.

Guest altercations

* On July 4, 2006, a 43-year-old man from Queens, New York drowned after wading into a man-made lake that is off-limits to swimmers. An autopsy showed the victim had a blood alcohol level several times the legal limit.Fact|date=June 2007

iam Park

Flume ride

*On October 23, 2007, one woman was killed and five others injured when the ride vehicle fell 20 meters to the ground from the top of the lift hill. Park management said that there was a drop in electric power, causing a water pump to fail to control sufficient water level on the ride [cite news
url = http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=122909
title = One killed in Siam Park flume ride mishap
publisher = Bangkok Post
date = 2007-10-23
accessdate = 2007-10-23] .

Water slide

*On January 12, 2008, 28 children, ages 10 to 13, were injured when they fell two meters to the ground after the final sections of the corkscrew water slide collapsed [cite news
url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/13/2137389.htm?section=world
title = Police probe slide collapse at Thai water park
publisher = ABC News
date = 2008-01-13
accessdate = 2008-01-21] .

Water Park of America

* On May 22, 2006, a 39-year-old man from Lakeville, Minnesota suffered a bruised spinal cord while attempting to ride the FlowRider wave ride on a boogie board. As a result, the victim had two titanium screws and a plate inserted into his neck to stabalize vertebrae and relieve pressure on his spinal cord. Doctor reports stated that the victim was almost paralyzed, but he has regained some movement in his limbs shortly after surgery. [cite news
url = http://www.thescizone.com/news/articles/686/1/Lakeville-mans-spinal-cord-bruised-in-water-park-accident/Page-1.html
title = Lakeville man's spinal cord bruised in water park accident
publisher = AP
date = 2006-05-26
accessdate = 2007-01-05]

Water Works Park

*On August 5, 2007, an unidentified 10-year-old girl suffered severe internal injuries while riding the speed slide at the Denton, Texas park. The accident report filed by the on-duty lifeguards stated that the injuries were caused by the victim's failure to follow park rules while riding the slide to keep her legs crossed at the ankles. [cite news
url = http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/082507dnmetslide.2bf47dc.html
title = Girl's injuries at Denton water park could prompt legal action
publisher = Denton Record-Chronicle
date = 2007-08-24
accessdate = 2007-08-27] The park rule regarding crossing ankles on a water slide is common in the industry, and is one method, along with wearing a wet suit, used to prevent water slide injuries such as the "water ski douche injury" or the "straddle injury." [cite journal
author = Kuensting, Laura L. MSN(R), RN, CPNP
year = 2007
month = April
title = Water Park Injuries: A Literature Review
journal = Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal
volume = 29
issue = 2
pages = 151–157
url = http://www.aenjournal.com/pt/re/tme/abstract.01261775-200704000-00010.htm;jsessionid=GTyJQvWQKvd12cKTPv1nj9vMGyp1qKwPcQHKk2czyNNcz0DqMG3b!-79285651!181195629!8091!-1
accessdate = 2007-08-27
doi = 10.1097/01.TME.0000270338.11756.08 ]

References