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Girl gets her feet chopped off on thrill ride at Six Flags

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 12:23 pm
by Opal storm
Never going to this place. :(

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Six Flags and another company shut down eight more thrill rides Friday around the country after a teenage girl had her feet chopped off at the ankle on a Superman Tower of Power.


State inspectors, meanwhile, returned to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom where the accident happened to examine the ride, which lifts passengers 177 feet straight up, then drops them nearly the same distance at speeds reaching 54 mph.

It was unclear at what point during the ride the 13-year-old was injured Thursday, said Wendy Goldberg, a Six Flags spokeswoman. The girl was taken to a hospital. She was not identified and details of her condition were not immediately available Friday.

Six Flags has shut down similar rides at parks in St. Louis, Gurnee, Ill., and near Washington as a safety precaution, Goldberg said. Six Flags Over Texas, near Dallas, also has a Superman Tower of Power, but it is not the same ride, Goldberg said.

There were no reports of injuries on the ride before Thursday, she said.

"Millions of people have safely ridden this ride in our parks," Goldberg said.

The accident led Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. to shut down and inspect drop tower rides at five of its amusement parks as a precaution, company spokeswoman Stacy Frole said.

Intamin, a Swiss company, made all the rides that were closed by both companies, said Craig Ross, a spokesman for Cedar Fair.

"We're going to keep these things down until we're certain it's safe," Ross said. "We'll wait and see."

An e-mail message sent to Intamin was not immediately returned Friday.

The five Cedar Fair rides that will be shut down are at Kings Island near Cincinnati; Canada's Wonderland, in Toronto; Kings Dominion in Doswell, Va.; Carowinds, in Charlotte, N.C.; and Great America in Santa Clara, Calif.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070622/ap_ ... k_accident

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 1:15 pm
by O Town
I just read a cable snapped and caused this, shes lucky it was just her feet.
I love these type of rides, I will be more freaked out the next time I step into one though. Poor girl, hopefully they will be able to reattach at least one of her feet.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/22/six.flags.accident/index.html

Witness video
http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/us/2007/06/21/wdrb.six.flags.accident.wdrb&wm=10

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 1:41 pm
by Tampa Bay Hurricane
This is horrible! Feet chopped off!

As for the theme park,
I think a serious investigation is needed into this.
There have been so many accidents
like this I am never going to ride
a coaster anymore...

Re: Girl gets her feet chopped off on thrill ride at Six Flags

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 1:49 pm
by Shelby6977
There is a similar ride at Islands of Adventure and I have been on it several times. I am sure I will be more leary but I have annual park passes to Universal and Islands and doubt this will stop me from riding. This was a freak accident. The places you hear more about on the average are traveling fairs.

Re: Girl gets her feet chopped off on thrill ride at Six Flags

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 1:51 pm
by JonathanBelles
Shelby6977 wrote:There is a similar ride at Islands of Adventure and I have been on it several times. I am sure I will be more leary but I have annual park passes to Universal and Islands and doubt this will stop me from riding. This was a freak accident. The places you hear more about on the average are traveling fairs.


I also have the annual pass, and I have been on that ride. I probably wont be going on it for a while. I have only been on that ride once before. There is plenty of other stuff that I can do at Universal.

Re:

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:09 pm
by O Town
Tampa Bay Hurricane wrote:This is horrible! Feet chopped off!

As for the theme park,
I think a serious investigation is needed into this.
There have been so many accidents
like this I am never going to ride
a coaster anymore...

It wasn't a coaster it was a free fall ride from what I understand. The cable that pulls the car to the top snapped.
If you are freaked out about that then you shouldn't get into a car anymore either.

Re: Girl gets her feet chopped off on thrill ride at Six Flags

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:25 pm
by Brent
:eek: :eek: :eek:

Six Flags over Georgia has a very similar ride and I rode it on several times back when I was younger. They have closed the ride for now.

Re: Re:

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 10:02 pm
by Tampa Bay Hurricane
O Town wrote:
Tampa Bay Hurricane wrote:This is horrible! Feet chopped off!

As for the theme park,
I think a serious investigation is needed into this.
There have been so many accidents
like this I am never going to ride
a coaster anymore...

It wasn't a coaster it was a free fall ride from what I understand. The cable that pulls the car to the top snapped.
If you are freaked out about that then you shouldn't get into a car anymore either.


To claim I shouldn't get into a car
is false, unfounded, exaggerated, and distorted.

I was hoping this topic be discussed without
attacking me with false, unfounded claims.

The danger associated with getting into a car is no where
near that associated with a coaster or free fall ride.

Re: Re:

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 7:31 am
by O Town
Sorry if you felt attacked, I was not attacking you at all. All I am simply saying is I think its a lot more dangerous to get into a car and drive daily than to get on a roller coaster or free fall ride.
Sorry TBH :D

Re: Girl gets her feet chopped off on thrill ride at Six Flags

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:15 am
by Tampa Bay Hurricane
it's okay...i overreacted...i apologize for my overreaction

Re: Re:

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:51 am
by vbhoutex
Tampa Bay Hurricane wrote:
O Town wrote:
Tampa Bay Hurricane wrote:This is horrible! Feet chopped off!

As for the theme park,
I think a serious investigation is needed into this.
There have been so many accidents
like this I am never going to ride
a coaster anymore...

It wasn't a coaster it was a free fall ride from what I understand. The cable that pulls the car to the top snapped.
If you are freaked out about that then you shouldn't get into a car anymore either.


To claim I shouldn't get into a car
is false, unfounded, exaggerated, and distorted.

I was hoping this topic be discussed without
attacking me with false, unfounded claims.

The danger associated with getting into a car is no where
near that associated with a coaster or free fall ride.


Can you cite some figures on that? I mean, relative to rides taken etc.? I think it could be correlated and might be interesting to know. My own personal opinion would be that getting into a car, danger wise, is much more dangerous in terms of possible accidents and injuries vs any type of "thrill ride". And I love coasters, etc., but hate heights.

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:42 am
by Tampa Bay Hurricane

Re: Re:

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:46 am
by O Town
vbhoutex wrote:
Can you cite some figures on that? I mean, relative to rides taken etc.? I think it could be correlated and might be interesting to know. My own personal opinion would be that getting into a car, danger wise, is much more dangerous in terms of possible accidents and injuries vs any type of "thrill ride". And I love coasters, etc., but hate heights.

Well I found this this morning when I was posting because I was curious myself.
It says your chances of death in Motor-Vehicle Accidents for a year is 1 in 6,498. Lifetime odds are 1 in 84.
It does not have amusement park rides listed that I found but does have this.
Falling, jumping, or pushed from a high place. Your chances of death a year from that is 1 in 3,777,273. Lifetime odds are 1 in 48,676.

LINK

Re: Girl gets her feet chopped off on thrill ride at Six Flags

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:56 am
by Tampa Bay Hurricane
interesting
i guess im just afraid of coasters
i dont know why i just am afraid of them

Re: Girl gets her feet chopped off on thrill ride at Six Flags

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 1:31 pm
by O Town
Tampa Bay Hurricane wrote:interesting
i guess im just afraid of coasters
i dont know why i just am afraid of them

LOL, I know exactly where you are coming from, thats what makes them so fun to a lot of people. Ferris wheels freak me out worse that any other ride.
I am trying to find an update on this little girl and see how shes doing and if they were able to save her feet but I can't seem to find anything.

Re: Girl gets her feet chopped off on thrill ride at Six Flags

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 2:51 pm
by wxmann_91
Tampa Bay Hurricane wrote:interesting
i guess im just afraid of coasters
i dont know why i just am afraid of them

So am I.

Re: Girl gets her feet chopped off on thrill ride at Six Flags

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:24 pm
by CajunMama
O Town wrote:
Tampa Bay Hurricane wrote:interesting
i guess im just afraid of coasters
i dont know why i just am afraid of them

LOL, I know exactly where you are coming from, thats what makes them so fun to a lot of people. Ferris wheels freak me out worse that any other ride.
I am trying to find an update on this little girl and see how shes doing and if they were able to save her feet but I can't seem to find anything.


I, like you otown, am afraid of ferris wheels. My thought is they move slowly. There was also a movie i remember a scene from when i was little about a little girl being stuck at the top of the ferris wheel. I'm not crazy about heights but i can handle them. Back in 1978 i was working at astroworld over the summer and was in charge of the ride called the astroneedle. It went straight up (slowly) and offered you a 360° view of houston. I don't know how high up it was but it was pretty high. The first night i was in charge of the ride, we got stuck up at the top with both levels of the cabin full. Oh boy! Youth won out over being afraid and i was back up there that night. But give me a roller coaster any day. I love rocking rollercoaster at mgm!!!!!

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:17 pm
by abajan
When I was in Ohio in 1980, my cousin and I went on a ferris wheel type ride at an amusement park.

Everything was fine until the operator stopped the ride to allow some more patrons on. At that point, my cousin and I were at the top of the ride upsidedown for what seemed like an eternity! We screamed for him to hurry up but he either couldn't hear us or simply ignored our pleas.

Btw, I doubt it was possible to re-attach the unfortunate girls feet, unless that was attempted within minutes of the accident. Pray for her, as I will.

Re: Re:

Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:56 am
by gtalum
Tampa Bay Hurricane wrote:The danger associated with getting into a car is no where
near that associated with a coaster or free fall ride.


Are you serious?!?!?

Getting in a car is likely the single most dangerous thing your average American does in their lives. Riding amusement park rides is one heck of a lot safer than driving or riding in a car.

Traveling carnival rides are more dangerous, but still probably safer than the highway.

Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:47 am
by Miss Mary
More info on this horrific accident: Surgeons were able to reattach the teen's right foot. They were unable to reattach the left foot. :(

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbc ... /707041190

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.as ... 2d0752d4d6