Amusement Safety Organization - Amusement Ride Safety & Accident News 2014

Update

12.3.14 - Ride injury information on parks not mentioned below may be available, but will need to be requested.

The ride injury information published here on amusementsafety.org is an overview of injuries reported to us for the 2014 season. Complete ride injury summaries can be requested and will be distrubuted on a case-by-case basis.

Parks for which we will provide yearly ride injury totals:

Busch Gardens Tampa, Florida, USA

Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA

California's Great America, Santa Clara, California, USA

Carowinds, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, USA

Disney California Adventure Park, Anaheim, California, USA

Disney's Animal Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA

Disney's Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA

Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA

Disney's Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA

Disneyland, Anaheim, California, USA

Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA

Dorney Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA

Holiday World, Santa Claus, Indiana, USA

Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA

Kings Dominion, Doswell, Virginia, USA

Kings Island, Mason, Ohio, USA

Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, USA

Legoland California, Carlsbad, California, USA

Legoland Florida, Winter Haven, Florida, USA

Luna Park, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Michigan's Adventure, Muskegon, Michigan, USA

New York, New York Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

SeaWorld Orlando, Orlando, Florida, USA

SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego, California, USA

SeaWorld Texas, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, USA

Six Flags America, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, USA

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo, California, USA

Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey, USA

Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Illinois, USA

Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California, USA

Six Flags New England, Agawam, Massachusetts, USA

Six Flags Over Georgia, Austell, Georgia, USA

Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, Texas, USA

Six Flags St. Louis, Eureka, Missouri, USA

Universal Studios Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City, California, USA

Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Florida, USA

Valleyfair!, Shakopee, Minnesota, USA

Worlds of Fun, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Girl, 8, Dies After Being Thrown From Ride

9.12.14 - At the Royal Adelaide Show in Wayville, Australia, an eight-year-old girl died after she was thrown from a height of about 30 feet from the Airmaxx 360 ride.

According to witnesses, it appeared as if the girl had slipped out of her safety harness. She was seen hanging by her legs off the ride and then flying through the air.

Local Police and SafeWork SA are investigating.

Related information -- Australian Amusement Ride Accidents:

2 Teens Fall From Ride

8.31.14 - At the Saint Anthony Seminary's Annual Bazaar in El Paso, Tex Sidewinder_accident as, a 13-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl fell some 25 feet from the Sidewinder ride when a door to the ride opened.

Witnesses at the scene said the ride operator failed to secure the ride's door and an investigation is looking into these allegations.

Firefighters were also called to remove people who were stuck on the ride after the accident.

The boy and girl's injuries were reported to be non-life threatning.

2 Fall From Ride

8.21.14 - At the Chelsea Community Fair in Chelsea, Michigan, 2 children, a 16-year-old girl and a 8-year-old boy, were injured when they fell some 15-20 feet from Ferris Wheel carriage.

According to a witness, she saw that one of the cabs got caught on another one, causing the cab the children were riding in to tip forward as the Ferris wheel rotated. The boy sustained a broken nose and broken jaw as a result of the fall. The girl was knocked unconscious.

The ride was being operated by North American Midway and has since been reopened when no mechanical malfunction and no structural damage was found by a Michigan state ride inspector. The inspector deemed the Ferris Wheel safe to ride and operate.

Related information:

26 reported injuries since 2012 for North American Midway

Girl, 11, Killed at German Amusement Park

8.15.14 - At Holiday Park in Hassloch, Germany, an 11-year-old girl's body was found by paramedics on the Spinning Barrels ride and was so badly mangled that they could only tell that she had died and was female.

It has not been reported what went wrong, but it was apparently an accident, according to local police.

Girl Struck by Parts of Ride

8.13.14 - At the Benton County Fair in Sauk Falls, Minnesota, a girl was injured after a pin came loose from the Stampede amusement ride, allowing a light bar to swing down and strike her in the head.

The girl recieved staples to her head to close a gash she sustained from the mishap.

It was reported that state inspectors and an assistant fire marshal examined the ride after the incident and it was reopened 2 days later after it was deemed safe. The Stampede ride was placed into operation in March 2014. State inspectors examined the ride before it was first operated.

The fair association added in a statement:

�Pride Amusements reports they have never had an incident like this�this is a very unfortunate accident, and we are taking all precautions to keep the fair a fun, safe family environment."

Girl, 12, Falls From Ride

8.13.14 - At the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York, a 12-year-old girl fell some 10 feet from the Sky Flyer ride.

Apparently the ride oeprator thought everyone had been checked before starting the ride, but some of the riders had moved further along the circle as the operator made his rounds. The girl was not secured and as the swings began to rise, she attempted to hang on. She let go as the ride was 10 feet in the air.

Statement from Strates Shows, who was running the ride:

�It wasn�t so much an admission, an accurate admission that was faulty, it was a circumstances that occurred simultaneously and the way we�re going to correct that is by adding more people and changing the positions of those attendants and making sure that they don�t return. By returning, they�re moving and you could potentially create a moving blind spot. What we�re going to do is have them return to stationary positions and then give hand signals instead of rotating, give verbal all clears."

Related information:

8 reported injuries since 2012 for Strates Shows

2 Injured at Cedar Point

7.26.14 - At Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, 2 people were hurt on the Skyhawk ride after a cable snapped.

One rider was treated at a local hospital and the other was treated at the park.

The ride is closed while an investigation into the cause of the accident is completed.

Carnival Company Injury Database Update

7.21.14 - Carnival company injuries have been updated through 2012.

This information has been extremely hard to obtain, however, it is some of the most inquired about information on the website. County agencies, City agencies, and Organizations have all inquired about information pertaining to carnival companies they are looking to hire for events they are putting on. Their most common question is what we will now focus on, �How many injuries?�

Companies will be updated throughout the month.

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, and Idaho carnival company injury information has been updated.

Girl Hurt at Fair in Montana

7.18.14 - At the Gallatin County Fair in Bozeman, Montana, a teenage girl was injured on the Power Tramp ride.

According to the girl's father, the bungee cord broke sending his daughter to the ground. She apparently suffered a broken bone. The attraction was being operated by North Star Amusements.

Members of the Gallatin County Fair are awaiting word from North Star Amusements insurance company on exactly what happened.

Roller Coaster Death In Spain

7.9.14 - At Terra Mitica theme park in Benidorm, Alicante, Spain, an 18-year-old man died after his harness failed on the Inferno roller coaster.

The teen apparently suffered multiple fractures and head wounds. The theme park released a statement saying the cause of the accident was unknown and that the ride was subject to daily checks - the record of which had been handed over to investigators.

4 Injured When Tree Branch Falls on Track

7.8.14 - At Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, four people were injured when a tree branch fell on the tracks of the Ninja roller coaster, derailing it. With the ride dangling riders had to be rescued.

The accident is under investigation.

Girl, 12, Hit In Back of The Head By Screw

4.18.14 - At the Louisiana Railroad Days Festival in DeQuincy, Louisana, a 12-year-old girl was hit by a screw while she was waiting in line for a carnival ride.

Apparently a quarter-inch screw, which holds scenery parts on a ride known as Wipeout, became dislodged and hit the girl in the back of the head.

The girl was taken to a local hospital with a laceration to the back of her head.

The ride is owned by Arkansas-based Miller Spectacular.

The accident is under investigation.

21 Injured in Accident

4.17.14 - At Luna Park in Tel Aviv, Israel, Twenty-one children were injured when the park's carousel malfunctioned.

The injuries were to the limbs of 21 children between the ages of 6 and 13. None, however, were reported to be serious.

The operation of the carousel has been stopped, and the park's engineers are looking into the possible causes of the accident. The ride will not be reopened until the cause of the malfunction is been determined.

Girl, 18, Thrown From Ride

4.17.14 - At Worthing Seafront in England, an 18-year-old girl fell from The Rocker ride suffering serious head injuries.

According to a witness, the girl lost consciousness on the ride and the momentum of the ride caused her to be thrown from her seat. She apparently passed out into the empty seat next to her and flew out.

The girl was rushed to a local hospital with ankle and head injuries.

The accident is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive.

Man Has Toe Ripped Off; Breaks Leg

4.8.14 - At the Foire du Trone fair in Paris, France, a man had his toe torn off and broke his leg.

As the Insider ride was about to start the man tried to alert workers that his leg was sticking out. Workers, however, started the ride.

The man�s foot was hit by the ride�s mechanical arm, tearing off his toe and leaving him with a compound fracture of his tibia. He was rushed to a local hospital.

The accident is under investigation.

Man Falls From Roller Coaster

3.6.14 - At Mount Olympus Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, a 64-year-old man was injured when he fell 15 to 20 feet from the Opa Wild Mouse ride.

It is unknown how he fell from the ride and he was not moving but breathing at the time of the incident.

The ride is closed, but the park remains opened while the incident is being investigated.

UPDATE: Faulty lap bar is to blame for accident. Ride remains closed.

Roller Coaster Accident; 2 Injured

2.5.14 - At Adlabs Imagica theme park in India, 2 people were injured when the Bandits of Robin Hood roller coaster malfunctioned, causing it to tip to the side.

According to witnesses, the ride started and came to a sudden stop some 10 feet in the air. The roller coaster train then tilted to the side, causing one of the wheels to come off.

The injured, a mother and daughter, were rushed to a local hospital with unspecified injuries.

After the ride started and moved about 10 feet, it suddenly came to a halt and the entire contraption tilted to one side. - See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/two-injured-in-accident-at-adlabs-imagica-theme-park-near-mumbai/15072037#sthash.wVWA7HhR.dpuf

Bandits of Robin Hood

Ride Malfunctions; 18 Injured

1.15.14 -At Queens Land theme park in Poonamallee, Chennai, India, 18 people were injured when a mechanical issue with the Enterprise giant wheel resulted in an over oscillation of the cabins attached to the wheel. Causing them to strike trees, breaking portions of the wheel.

According to witnesses, the injured complained that the ride operator switched on the machine and left. After screaming and yelling, visitors broke open the control room and switched off the ride.

The injured sustained hand, leg, and head related injuries and were transported to a local hospital.

The ride is shut down and the accident is being investigated.