Death on Disney Ride

[Butter]

My wife did not like me turning the teacup around and around, and encouraging the kids to help me. I reversed direction a couple of times too, so I'm sure that didn't help.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by BrianD

Well then, I guess your riding plan is the right one for you. It was worth a try at least.

As far as turning in your man card...the teacups rock. It is one of the few rides you can control and actively try to throw your riding partner out of the ride without touching them.

The Tilt a Whirl is far more manly.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

The Tilt a Whirl is far more manly.

Now I DID yak on that thing. Some high school kid had a lot of chunks of corn dog to clean up that day.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Now I DID yak on that thing. Some high school kid had a lot of chunks of corn dog to clean up that day.

wtf

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

wtf

Centrifugal force is an amazing thing to behold.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Centrifugal force is an amazing thing to behold.

to your stomach

stay off the carousel. barfing will disappoint the kids.

[vex]

Police Investigating Teen's Death on Festival Ride

Monday, July 16, 2007

• E-MAIL STORY
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OSHKOSH, Wis — Police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were investigating Sunday why a teen fell from a festival ride and died.
Elizabeth K. Mohl, 16, of Neenah, was killed Saturday afternoon after falling 40 to 50 feet from a ride called Air Glory.
Winnebago County Deputy Coroner Chuck Hable said Sunday that a crane would hoist up a person or people in a sling, and at the top the person inside pulls a ripcord. That drops the person or people and they swing back and forth. But for some reason after the cord was pulled, she fell to the ground, he said.
She died several hours later in surgery, Hable said.
Police Sgt. Jim Jewell said Sunday that the department and OSHA were investigating. He wouldn't comment further but said it was too early to say if the matter would be considered criminal.
The girl was attending Lifest, an annual Christian music festival that features rides and sports. Workers shut down the ride after the accident, which occurred about 4:45 p.m.

A prayer service was held at 7 p.m. and the music festival resumed about 7:30 p.m.
Air Glory makes "grown men scream like little girls," according to the Lifest Web site, which says the ride begins by launching two to three people almost 100 feet in the air.
Witness Brian Childers of Kenosha said two people went up in the ride, and when they pulled the release he heard a snapping sound. One person fell and the other remained swinging in the ride, he told the Oshkosh Northwestern.
An autopsy was scheduled for Monday, but Hable said Mohl likely died from the fall.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289442,00.html

[rkmsuf]

Air Glory indeed.

[mauchow]

This has been a big story around here lately... obviously.

[Capital]

Those type of rides appear to be everywhere right now and have always scared me that this could, and eventually would, happen.

[vex]

Boy Decapitated at Six Flags Amusement Park

Last Edited: Saturday, 28 Jun 2008, 4:33 PM EDT

Created: Saturday, 28 Jun 2008, 4:01 PM EDT

Six Flags Over Georgia COBB COUNTY, Ga. (MyFox Atlanta) – Investigators with Cobb County police said a boy was decapitated at Six Flags amusement park Saturday. Authorities said the incident happened just after 2:00 p.m. Saturday. A church group went to the amusement park and a group of boys with the group jumped a fence and entered an area that was marked off limits. One of the boys jumped up and tried to grab someone's feet who was on the Batman ride. The boy ended up being decapitated. Investigators did not release the boy's age, name or the name of the church the boy was traveling with.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pa...Y&pageId=1.1.1

[gstelmack]

Okay, try to spin THAT one as the park's fault...

[Lathum]

I wonder how old he was?

It's sad but no one to blame but himself

[larrymcg421]

That is actually the 2nd time someone has been decapitated by that ride. I'm not blaming the park, because it wasn't their fault either time, but maybe now it's time to put up some huge ass signs in that area saying YOU CAN BE DECAPITATED IF YOU PROCEED.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by vex

A church group went to the amusement park and a group of boys with the group jumped a fence and entered an area that was marked off limits.

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

but maybe now it's time to put up some huge ass signs in that area saying YOU CAN BE DECAPITATED IF YOU PROCEED.

It's marked off limits. There is probably a pretty good reason why. Probably shouldn't have to spell it out.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I wonder how old he was?

17

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

17

in that case I don't feel bad for him at all.

Darwinism at work

[TCY Junkie]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

It's marked off limits. There is probably a pretty good reason why. Probably shouldn't have to spell it out.

You would be surprised by how much help some people need.

[Easy Mac]

I want to be at the church for the sermon tomorrow

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Lathum

in that case I don't feel bad for him at all.

Darwinism at work

That's a dickish thing to say.

He made a mistake that a lot of other teens would have made, so he deserves to die? I guess that's easy for you to say when you don't know the kid or his family. I'm sure if you were standing in front of the kid's mom, you wouldn't say something so ignorant.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

That's a dickish thing to say.

He made a mistake that a lot of other teens would have made, so he deserves to die? I guess that's easy for you to say when you don't know the kid or his family. I'm sure if you were standing in front of the kid's mom, you would say something so ignorant.

By the way, I'm not trying to pick on you, or call you a bad person, I just hate when people make statements like the one you did.

[Greyroofoo]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

That's a dickish thing to say.

He made a mistake that a lot of other teens would have made, so he deserves to die? I guess that's easy for you to say when you don't know the kid or his family. I'm sure if you were standing in front of the kid's mom, you wouldn't say something so ignorant.

I'm guessing most teens don't make the mistake of being decapitated by the Batman Ride

[wbatl1]

Boy killed at Six Flags Over Georgia


By RHONDA COOK, MARCUS GARNER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 06/28/08

A 17-year-old boy was killed Saturday when he was struck by the popular Batman ride at Six Flags Over Georgia. It was the second Batman ride-related death at the Cobb County park.

According to the police and a statement from the amusement park, the boy, who was not identified, and a friend climbed over two 6-foot fences to get to the Batman roller coaster -- the park perimeter fence and a second one around the ride.


ALLEN SULLIVAN / [email protected]
People board a MARTA bus at Six Flags Over Georgia.

RELATED LINKS:
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The boy was decapitated when he was struck by the ride, police said.

Batman riders dangle beneath a track and travel up to 50 m.p.h., climbing and dropping the distance equal to an 11-story building and going through two vertical loops and two single corkscrews.

No one on the ride was injured, Six Flags said in the statement.

The boy's family was at the park at the time of the accident, according to the amusement park.

"We do not know why this person was intent on gaining access to this restricted area, as multiple signs clearly state: Danger Zone/Do Not Enter/Authorized Personnel Only," said a statement from park spokeswoman Hela Sheth.

"Some witnesses have stated that the individual was trying to retrieve something he had lost," Sheth said. "Others reported that he was trying to touch the ride. This is merely speculation at this point, and we are working with park visitors and local police to learn more."

Sheth did not return several telephone messages seeking more detail.

The boy was with a church group from Oakley Springs, S.C. He had been in the park earlier in the day but he and another boy left the park property to get some lunch. Rather than returning to the park through the regular entrance, the two took a shortcut, said Cobb County police spokesman Sgt. Dana Pearce.

"The area's clearly defined with signs," Pearce said. "It's very tragic that these individuals would decide to jump over the fence. It would be hard to imagine somebody not seeing the signs and jumping two fences."

Pearce said there were many witnesses and the county's 911 center was almost immediately flooded with calls from people reporting what they had witnessed.

Pearce said though the ride was closed to park visitors, police asked that it be run so investigators could get measurements.

Except for the Batman ride, the park remained open Saturday evening.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family," the Six Flags statement said.

There was another death connected to the Batman ride six years ago. A 58-year-old park worker, Samuel Milton Guyton of Atlanta, was killed May 26, 2002. Guyton was in a restricted area on a platform when he was kicked in the head by 14-year-old girl on the front car of the ride. She was hospitalized with a leg injury.

The AJC article gives much more information, including the fact that he was returning to the park and decided not to go through the regular entrance and would have had to jump over two fences.

[Julio Riddols]

A kid trying to grab someones feet on a moving ride that travels at a high enough speed to decapitate someone.. I don't see a lot of room for sympathy there. Its sad, the boy was dumb enough to try it and paid the consequences in spades. I feel much worse for the inevitable friend that tried to talk him out of it.

EDIT: If the boy was trying to retrieve something, you'd think he would have just asked one of the ride operators to get it for him.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Greyroofoo

I'm guessing most teens don't make the mistake of being decapitated by the Batman Ride

Point being? I'm sure he didn't know he was going to get decapitated when he went in there.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

He made a mistake that a lot of other teens would have made, so he deserves to die?

"Deserves"? Eh. {shrug}

But I can't say I'm all busted up over one less moron to do something moronic in the world.

I'm sure if you were standing in front of the kid's mom, you wouldn't say something so ignorant.

I can't speak for Lathum, but push come to shove, I really can't imagine I'd have much problem telling the mother that the cause of death on her son's certificate should be listed as "Stupidity". I wouldn't go out of my way to tell her that but I wouldn't hesitate to do so if the situation arose & she wanted to make an issue of it.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

That's a dickish thing to say.

He made a mistake that a lot of other teens would have made, so he deserves to die? I guess that's easy for you to say when you don't know the kid or his family. I'm sure if you were standing in front of the kid's mom, you wouldn't say something so ignorant.

I never said he deserves to die so get your fucking story straight .

I said I don't feel bad for him, he is old enough to know right from wrong. How fucking stupid do you have to be to ignore a sign, jump a fence, and leap at a moving roller coaster?

Would you feel bad if he OD'd or killed himself drunk driving?

of course I feel bad for his family but that doesn't deter from the fact that the kid did something amazingly stupid and I don't feel bad for him

[Schmidty]

Edited because Lathum edited.

[Lathum]

i editied schmidty, and replied before the other post you made so sorry.

But I still don't feel bad for the kid. I did alot of stupid things when I was 17 but I knew when to draw the line

[Racer]

Considering that he could have probably hurt someone on the ride and that he should have known better, I don't feel bad for him at all. Yeah it sucks for his family.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

"Deserves"? Eh. {shrug}

But I can't say I'm all busted up over one less moron to do something moronic in the world.



I can't speak for Lathum, but push come to shove, I really can't imagine I'd have much problem telling the mother that the cause of death on her son's certificate should be listed as "Stupidity". I wouldn't go out of my way to tell her that but I wouldn't hesitate to do so if the situation arose & she wanted to make an issue of it.

So here's my question: If you die of lung cancer someday from smoking, should your certificate of death be listed as "Stupidity", since you did something that can also be considered doing "something moronic in the world"? I don't think so, but a lot of people could have that opinion.

Point is: Every single one of us has done (or still does) something stupid in our lives. In your way of thinking, I guess if we accidentally (or slowly and deliberately) die from that stupidity, every one of us should have that label. That doesn't make us any better than that kid, it just makes us luckier.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Lathum

i editied schmidty, and replied before the other post you made so sorry.

But I still don't feel bad for the kid. I did alot of stupid things when I was 17 but I knew when to draw the line

That's alright. I guess I don't word things so well at times, because I didn't mean what I said as a personal attack, but I can see someone taking it like that.

Anyway, off to go bowling with my daughter. I'll make sure I don't stick my head in the ball return.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

That doesn't make us any better than that kid, it just makes us luckier.

It also makes us "people who didn't die while committing a crime" (albeit in this case most likely a misdemeanor).

I'm sorry Schmidty, but once again we seem to have a case where parents failed to do an adequate job & their kid ends up dead. If they had managed to teach their kid it isn't okay to jump two fences when there's no legitimate reason for it then they aren't burying him this week.

[EagleFan]

Come on Schmidty, you can't be serious here. The kid was doing something extremely stupid. If he hadn't been killed he could have caused serious injury to the person whose legs he was trying to grab. This makes it not only stupid but stupid with intent to injure (he was really stupid if he didn't think he would hurt the person if he succeeded in grabbing their legs).

It's not like he was pulling a harmless prank and got killed by something completely unexpected. What the hell did he think could happen trying that?

I agree, darwinism at work. I do feel sorry for the family though but not for the kid himself.

I really hope the friend referred to earlier was one who was saying "don't do it" and not one saying "go for it" and prodding him into it. If so that kid is living his own version of hell right now.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

I really hope the friend referred to earlier was one who was saying "don't do it" and not one saying "go for it" and prodding him into it.

Feel free to "hope" on that point, but I wouldn't advise putting any money on it.

This just seems like a classic example of the joke about the most common last words of a redneck being "Hey ya'll, watch this". And in those cases there usually aren't too many voices of reason around.

[Easy Mac]

They should have gone to Carowinds, its a shorter distance

[JediKooter]

Sometimes stupidity gets you killed. Sad, but, shit happens.

[Jas_lov]

Getting decapitated by an amusement park ride is a tough way to go, but he brought it on himself so I don't feel bad for him either. He's 17 and should know better than that. He could have really injured someone on the ride and that would have been tragic.

[BrianD]

While I wouldn't say it to the mother, listing "stupidity" as the cause of death seems reasonable. I wouldn't invoke Darwin though because kids this age can be this stupid. Many of us probably have stories of things we did which, looking back, were probably stupid enough to get us killed. The tragedy of the situation doesn't make it any less stupid. Sadly not everyone gets off with a warning when they are dumb.

[Grammaticus]

Yep, definately culling the herd.

The sad part is the family will probably get millions in a settlement with the park. Now that sucks. You shouldn't hit the lotto just because you have an idiot in your family.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

Yep, definately culling the herd.

The sad part is the family will probably get millions in a settlement with the park. Now that sucks. You shouldn't hit the lotto just because you have an idiot in your family.

I seriously doubt the family gets a dime

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

That is actually the 2nd time someone has been decapitated by that ride. I'm not blaming the park, because it wasn't their fault either time, but maybe now it's time to put up some huge ass signs in that area saying YOU CAN BE DECAPITATED IF YOU PROCEED.

I'm pretty sure Six Flags Magic Mountain here in LA has signs that are pretty close to that for this exact ride.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

He made a mistake that a lot of other teens would have made

WHA???? A lot of others would have made?

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

It's marked off limits. There is probably a pretty good reason why. Probably shouldn't have to spell it out.

Ideally you shouldn't have to spell it out, but now two people have been killed by that ride in similar fashion. I'm sure Six Flags would like people to stop being killed by that ride, whether or not theyre stupid, so I'm saying extra warning signs would be a good idea.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I seriously doubt the family gets a dime

The park would have more a case against the kid if the ride got damaged. Of course, that wouldn't be worth the PR even if there was money there.

[molson]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Ideally you shouldn't have to spell it out, but now two people have been killed by that ride in similar fashion. I'm sure Six Flags would like people to stop being killed by that ride, whether or not theyre stupid, so I'm saying extra warning signs would be a good idea.

It's not just the signs, the kid scaled TWO six-foot high fences for the privilege of having his head lopped off.

I wonder what the ride was like for the rest of the people in the coaster, assuming they saw what happened....They see this severed head, and still probably have to go through whatever spins and loops the ride had in front of it. Good times.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Ideally you shouldn't have to spell it out, but now two people have been killed by that ride in similar fashion. I'm sure Six Flags would like people to stop being killed by that ride, whether or not theyre stupid, so I'm saying extra warning signs would be a good idea.

I don't think extra signs would make any difference at all. If the kid is gonna go to the effort of jumping 2 fences how many extra signs are needed to deter him?

[Lathum]

dola- jumping the fences into a rstricted area isn't even the stupid thing, at worst they get kicked out of the park for tresspassing.

It's jumping at a moving roller coaster that is idiotic. Notice how the other kid who jumped the fences is still alive

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

Point being? I'm sure he didn't know he was going to get decapitated when he went in there.

Point being, to be a Darwin Award Winner you don't have to know you are doing something stupid. You just do something stupid. Look, I feel sorry for his family but the gene pool didn't lose much here. If you're stupid enough to jump two restricted fences and approach a ride going 50 mph and coming at your head even if you survive, something is going to get you soon. It's natures way. He was the sick Gazelle this night.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Ideally you shouldn't have to spell it out, but now two people have been killed by that ride in similar fashion. I'm sure Six Flags would like people to stop being killed by that ride, whether or not theyre stupid, so I'm saying extra warning signs would be a good idea.

According to the article above the second death wasn't that similar. It was a park worker who was in the wrong restricted area. Any similarity wouldn't have been helped by a sign telling park visitors that they might be decapitated.