Spending time at the amusement park and having a blast positive emotions, people do not realize that some attractions can carry various kinds dangers, despite the fact that professional engineers monitor safety on all attractions.
Even the best Disneyland in the world is not immune from accidents. Remember the recent story that happened in one of the parks in California. Then 20 people were stuck at an altitude of 100 meters and remained in this position for more than three hours. The tragedy of this incident cannot be compared with the most terrible disasters in amusement parks.
10. Ursa Major in Krag Park
In the 1930s, Krag Park was considered one of the most visited theme parks in Omaha, Nebraska. Attraction Big Dipper attracted many visitors and thrill seekers. On July 24, 1930, around six o'clock in the evening, the bolts on the highway loosened and as a result, 17 children and teenagers were injured. varying degrees gravity, four more died.
From that day on, city officials decided to ban all roller coasters in Omaha, which affected the popularity of the park. In 1940, Crag Park ceased operations.
9. Eagle Flight at Six Flags Magic Mountain
The flight of the eagle was quite a popular attraction in the last century. It was a gondola, which at a height of 15 meters began to swing from side to side. On February 5, 1978, an accident occurred when two friends fell from a 15-meter height - one young man died on the spot, the second was seriously injured.
8. Kayak in Aktion Park
On August 1, 1982, a family from Long Island decided to go kayaking. The accident occurred when the head of the family stepped on faulty wiring and received a strong electric shock. The rest of the family members were also electrocuted. The man died in intensive care from a heart attack.
Known as one of the wildest rides in the desert, Railway lived up to its name when a 22-year-old man, Marcelo Torres, took the last ride of his life. On September 5, 2003, on a sharp turn, one part of the train shifted and then came off completely. Part of the locomotive struck Torres in the head and chest, and he suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
6. Batman's trip to Six Flags Over Georgia
At the end of the attraction, each participant receives a hat. This event occurred when a 17-year-old teenager and a friend sneaked into a prohibited passage of the attraction to get a hat immediately after the ride. While looking for a hat, the child was hit on the head, as a result of which he was beheaded.
A six-year-old child decided to ride an abandoned Ferris wheel. It was not difficult for him to overcome the two-meter fence. During the trip, he decided to change his place on the move, which cost him his life - he fell and died. Passers-by were able to take video, but no one helped the boy as they watched the trouble. People can be accused of child neglect.
4. Superman Tower at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
The incident happened on June 21, 2007, when a 13-year-old girl and her friends decided to ride a popular attraction to experience thrill. When the ride was launched, they heard a grinding sound, and later saw cables falling on them. They were covered with wires, and a cable fell on the girl’s body, which crushed the bones and also left multiple bruises and cuts. Fortunately, the girl survived.
3. Mind-warping Galaxyland
The attraction currently holds the world record for roller coaster, thanks to its largest triple loop. On June 14, 1986, a tragedy occurred when a train with passengers, having completed the second circle, was approaching the third. Then the train derailed, killing three people, the rest were stuck at the top of the loop and remained in this position for 20 minutes. The attraction is still in use despite its dark past..
2. Ride to the skies at Six Flags St. Louis
There was an accident on this roller coaster when one of the cars fell off the ropes and killed three people. Another 100 people, concentrated in the remaining 27 carriages, were stuck at an altitude of 60 meters. Their lives were in danger for some time.
1. Space travel to Overseas Chinese Town East
In China there is a simulator that simulates a ride on the space shuttle, and it was he who was responsible for the deaths of six people. During the launch, one of the cabins became loose, knocking down the rest of the cabins. Cabins containing about forty people fell from a 60-meter height.
Attractions are a favorite pastime not only for children, but also for adults, because they allow you to look “death” in the eyes, but, unfortunately, sometimes in the literal sense of the word. Every year, information appears about tragic incidents that occurred on attractions, some of which end in the death of visitors. Alas, no matter how advanced technology is, the level of security is not always perfect. So, before you go on an exciting roller coaster ride, make sure your seat belts are fastened well.
10-year-old boy's head cut off on water slide
10-year-old Caleb Schwabb and his parents came to the Schlitterbahn water amusement park (Kansas City). The boy wanted to ride water slide, and he was placed in the front of the cart. Behind him were two fat ladies. When the cart reached the very dangerous place and dialed maximum speed the unexpected happened: its nose part came off the surface, and the cart crashed into the metal frame of the slide. The women escaped with broken bones, and the boy's head was cut off with an iron rod. And this is right in front of the parents. As it turned out, the tragedy could have been avoided if the boy had been seated between the women; there would not have been such an advantage.
The girl fell out of the roller coaster
A year ago terrible tragedy happened in Chinese city Chongkin at Zhaohu Amusement Park. A 14-year-old girl was riding a roller coaster and her seat belt broke during the ride. She fell down from a great height and died on the spot. As it turned out later, the technical condition of the attraction had not been checked for 4 years.
Girl crushed to death at Disneyland
Debbie Stone is a young American woman who worked part-time at Disneyland to save money for college. She escorted visitors to the “America Sings” attraction, the feature of which was the rotating walls. And then, one terrible day, the girl accidentally found herself sandwiched between a solid wall and a rotating one, and she simply began to be squeezed. Visitors and employees heard her screams, but were unable to help Debbie. The American woman was crushed to death.
A woman fell out of an attraction in front of her daughter
This incident occurred in Arlington at the Six Flags amusement park. Rosa Ayala-Gaona Esparza, 52, came here for the first time with her daughter. They decided to ride a roller coaster and sat next to each other. However, while moving, Rosa's safety fastener came unfastened, and she fell from the cart from a height of 30 meters. The woman died instantly. It turned out that the whole problem was that Rose was the owner of a very curvy figure, and because of this, the fastening was not fully fastened. This fact was also missed by the employee who seated the passengers.
Tragedy in a London park
The Big Dipper roller coaster was the main attraction at Battersea Park in London. They first started operating in 1951, and the attraction was wildly popular. But 1972 was a fatal year for the roller coaster: first there was a fire, during which, fortunately, there were no fatalities, but later something terrible happened. While moving, the brake on one of the carriages did not work and it rolled backwards, pulling the entire train with it. As a result, the last cart overturned and hit the fence. Five children were killed and thirteen more were seriously injured. After this, Big Dipper was dismantled, and the park soon closed.
Four roller coaster deaths in Nebraska
The Krug Park amusement park in Nebraska was very popular among local residents, and, of course, the main attraction was the roller coaster. Until one day a tragedy happened: one of the carriages broke a wheel while moving, and it fell from a ten-meter height, pulling the rest of the carriages with it. 19 people were seriously injured and four passengers died.
The baby drowned at Cinderella's castle
In 1977, Marietta Good brought her four-year-old son Joel to Disneyland Florida. The woman decided to go get some ice cream and left her son unattended for a few minutes. But this was enough for the baby to climb over the fence at Cinderella’s castle, reach the pond and fall into the water. Marietta, not finding Joel, reported him missing, and four hours later the boy’s body was found at the bottom of an artificial river.
Agree, associations with the phrase “amusement park” can only be bright. A picture of a holiday is immediately drawn in your head: cotton candy, smiles of children, attractions and general fun. It's no secret that the amusement park industry around the world competes with each other to see who can create the scariest and most exciting attraction for those who want to tickle their nerves. However, in amusement parks there have been accidents that turn fun into tragedy, sometimes with fatal consequences.
Matterhorn Bobsled, Disneyland, Anaheim, California
The Matterhorn Bobsled, a steel roller coaster modeled after the Matterhorn mountain in the Swiss Alps, was the site of the first fatal outcome at Disneyland in 1964, when a 15-year-old boy was injured after he stood up in a ride and fell. He died three days later as a result of his injuries.
Big Dipper, Battersea Park, London, UK
The Big Dipper, a wooden roller coaster at Battersea Park in London, was responsible for one of the most tragic accidents in the history of amusement parks. In May 1972, a train that was climbing to the top of the ride became detached from its tow rope and rolled back into another carriage. As a result of the accident, five children died and 13 received various injuries.
Ride of Steel, Darien Lake, Darien, New York
In July 2011, veteran Iraq War James Hackemer, who lost both legs in the bombing, fell to his death from the Steel Coaster at Darien Lake Amusement Park in New York. The attraction was closed, but soon reopened because the operator of the attraction was found to be to blame for the death. Hackemaker could not be allowed on the slides due to his physical condition.
Hydro, Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire, Wales
In April 2004, a 16-year-old girl died from injury internal organs suffered after falling 30 meters from the top of the Hydro water attraction in Oakwood, Wales. It was later discovered that workers at the attraction had not checked the girl's harness and safety bar.
Cyclone, Coney Island, New York
Built in 1927, the Cyclone attraction is one of the most unsuccessful in the United States. Before today Three people died on these slides. In May 1985, a 29-year-old man died after he stood up and hit his head on a bar. Just three years later, a 26-year-old man died after falling from the Cyclone, and in July 2007, a 53-year-old man broke his neck during the ride and died in hospital a few days later.
Flight Commander, Kings Island, Mason, Ohio
A 32-year-old woman fell from the Flight Commander ride at Kings Island Amusement Park and died from her injuries on June 9, 1991. Surprisingly, just an hour before this accident, two people died in the same park after receiving electrical shocks while trying to save a man who had fallen into the park's pond.
Texas Giant, Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, Texas
In July 2013, a 52-year-old woman died after falling 23 meters from the Texas Giant roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas. The woman, who may not have been properly restrained, fell out of the trailer and hit a support beam.
Fujin Raijin II, Expoland, Osaka, Japan
In May 2007, Expoland amusement park in Osaka, Japan, was the site of one of the worst accidents in amusement park history. Six Fujin-Raijin II carriages derailed and collided with a road barrier after the wheel axle of one of the carriages broke. As a result of the accident, one woman died and another 19 people were seriously injured.
Batman, Six Flags Over Georgia, Cobb County, Georgia
In June 2008, a 17-year-old boy was decapitated by a passing carriage after he climbed two fences and entered a restricted area to get your cap. Six years earlier, a similar incident occurred at the same attraction after a man violated the rules of the attraction and was killed by the kicks of a passing passenger.
Black Witch, Magic Harbor, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Once a thriving amusement park and popular vacation spot in South Carolina, Magic Haven was the site of tragedy in 1983. A 13-year-old girl was nearly beheaded after she stood up in the Black Witch ride. Shortly after her death, the park was completely closed.
Puff The Little Fire Dragon, Lagoon, Farmington, Utah
Despite the fact that it is one of the slowest and without dangerous rides park, "Puff the Little Fire Dragon" took the life of a 6-year-old boy in 1989. The boy slipped out of his seat belts, fell through the tracks and after he tried to climb back, the same trailer came back and hit him in the head, resulting in the child's death.
Superman Tower of Power, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, Louisville, Kentucky
In June 2007, the cables of Superman's Tower of Power snapped, striking a group of young girls. One of the girls got tangled in the cables and while the trailer was falling, they broke her legs. The ride was closed immediately after the accident and was soon removed from the park entirely.
Hallucinogen (Mindbender), Galaxyland, Edmonton, Canada
The largest indoor roller coaster with three loops, Hallucinogen, is also the site of one of the worst accidents in theme park history. In June 1984, missing valves in the wheel of the last carriage caused the entire train to derail. The last car began to swerve violently, colliding with supporting structures and throwing passengers against a concrete column. Three people from this trailer died.
Ferris Wheel, Gulliver's World Theme Park, Warrington, UK
In July 2002, a 15-year-old girl with Down syndrome died after she climbed out of her seat and fell off a ferris wheel at Gulliver's Amusement Park in England. Upon investigation, it was discovered that she wanted to share a booth with her mother, but park officials refused, saying her mother was too big and needed a separate booth.
Ragin Cajun, Six Flags America, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
On May 29, 2004, a 52-year-old mechanic from Zion, Illinois was killed by a Cajun Furious roller coaster car at Six Flags America in Maryland while he was trying to cross the tracks. The man died from a head injury at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee shortly after the accident.
Colossus, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California
Once the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, Colossus caused the death of a 20-year-old girl in 1978 when she fell from the ride. The crossbar was properly secured, but due to the girl's obesity, it turned out to be ineffective. This accident caused the attraction to close for one year until the carriages were refurbished.
Alpine Slide, Action Park, Vernon, New Jersey
Action Park, sometimes also called Casualty Park, is one of the most dangerous amusement parks in the world. In July 1980, a park employee was riding on the Alpine Slide when his trailer bounced and he hit his head on a rock, which later killed him. However, the park's most terrifying attraction is the infamous Tidal Wave Pool, where several people have already drowned.
The mortality rate on adult attractions is comparable to the mortality rate in car accidents, and the death rate of children is comparable to the death rate in road accidents.
Last week, 21-year-old citizen of Belarus Dmitry Gurinovich died in the capital’s Gorky Park on the “Catapult” attraction. The essence of this one of the most expensive attractions (ticket price is 1,600 rubles) is that cables attached to two poles are hooked onto a person’s belt and pulled tight. The tension force is calculated by a computer that takes into account the person’s weight and height. Then the cable holding the belt shoots off, and the person flies into the air. This time, when the attraction was launched, the young man fell off the rubber rope and fell from a height of 60 meters onto a concrete slab. According to preliminary data, one of the carbines securing the rubber cable on the Catapult failed. The investigation will have to find out the details. In the meantime, “Catapult” and another equally popular attraction, “Bungee,” are temporarily closed.
It must be said that this is not the first tragic incident for Gorky Park. As, indeed, for other Russian entertainment platforms. In particular, recently the Cheryomushkinsky Intermunicipal Court of Moscow began hearings on the Transvaal-Park case. Transvaal in Yasenevo is the largest water park in Europe. On weekends, an adult ticket costs 790 rubles for three hours. During the year of Transvaal's existence, three people have already died in it. Among them is the famous stuntman Valery Saprykin, who performed complex stunts in many films, for example, “Brotherhood” and “ glacial period" All tragic incidents occurred on the same slide called “Cyclone”. At the same time, the park management is perplexed: why is there so much attention to these deaths? For 430 thousand people who visited the park, there are only three deaths, while about 700 people die on Moscow beaches per season.
There are no official statistics on accidents on amusement rides in Russia. Doesn't do this and Russian Association amusement parks and manufacturers (RAPA). Although, according to press reports, serious accidents happen all the time. Every year, about a thousand children in the country die from the impacts of heavy swings and carousels, several thousand receive severe injuries, and the number of fractures and bruises runs into tens of thousands. In the city garden of Tver (pah-pah-pah) the situation is more or less prosperous. According to director Vyacheslav Orlikov, for many years there have not been any tragic incident. Perhaps because their serviceability is checked annually by the Interregional technical commission, which is located in Vladimir and was created on the initiative of the parks management. And when 15 years ago, “Surprise”, one of the most dangerous attractions, was installed in the Tver city garden, it was (perhaps precisely because of the danger) quickly removed.
CONTROL IS VOLUNTARY
In terms of monitoring the serviceability of attractions, the Tver City Garden is an exception. Today in Russia there is neither a structure that carries out technical supervision of attractions, nor uniform rules for their operation. There is only one organization whose members undergo certification and annual inspection of park equipment. But joining the association is voluntary. Thus, only the owner controls the serviceability of the mechanisms, and only if he wants. Government bodies don't worry about such things. In addition, unlike other countries, we do not have compulsory insurance for the public having fun on carousels, so if something happens, there is essentially no one to file a claim with.
It turns out that the life and health of visitors to recreation parks depend only on honesty and professional competence the carousel workers themselves. Meanwhile, the danger posed by attractions is obvious to everyone. It’s not for nothing that last year, for the first time, International exhibition-fair“Attractions and Entertainment RAAPA-SHOW-2002” there was an international seminar “Amusement Safety”. Having independently assessed the statistics of accidents at domestic attractions, manufacturers and owners of electric swings and slides sounded the alarm.
First of all, regarding legislation in the entertainment industry. If you follow the old instructions, 90 percent of all attractions in Russia should be closed. But no one has adopted new laws yet, and mandatory documents certifying attractions, even in major cities No.
FROM HEAVY FOOT
However, it's not just that. In Europe and America, the legislation is regulated, the attractions are not only more interesting, but also more reliable. However, even more accidents and tragedies happen there. The foreign press describes in sufficient detail a number of accidents and disasters at amusement rides and playgrounds. For example, during the entire operation of the California Disneyland, 55 people died there. In 2002, 9,200 people who were injured on amusement rides consulted doctors in the United States. This is 24 percent more than four years ago.
At a London amusement park in May 2000, a roller coaster enormous speed fell off the rails and flew 20 meters. A 28-year-old woman died. On the same day, a 13-year-old girl died there due to a faulty carousel. In the spring of 2001, a short circuit occurred in one of the roller coaster cabins in Germany. A fire started and 54 people were injured. In July 2002, a young woman died in Egypt after falling from the Tornado ride. In June of this year, in the amusement park of Brest, one of the carriages derailed and a young woman died.
By the way, along with the visitors, attraction workers also suffer. For example, last year a 58-year-old employee American park entertainment stepped onto the rails of a working attraction. There he overtook him death blow the foot that a 14-year-old girl stuck out of a roller coaster ride at 80 km/h. The employee died on the spot, and the girl suffered a minor leg injury. The list of tragedies can be continued for a very long time. In addition to fatal accidents, there are many cases of brain damage caused by riding Russian and roller coasters. According to supporters of limiting progress in this area, the technology and design of such attractions are ahead of scientists’ ideas about harmful effects acceleration by human body.
MONEY IS SPINING
It is clear that no matter how much they talk about the dangers of the rides, people will still ride them. The entertainment industry is a gigantic industry with billions of dollars in circulation. Suffice it to say that in the United States its turnover is three times the military budget. The attractiveness of this business lies in the extremely fast return on costs. As a rule, money invested in children's attractions is returned within one year, in family attractions - in a year or two, extreme ones - in two to three years, and then they already make a profit. In Russia, this industry is just beginning to develop. Today in our country, according to RAAPA, there are 650 functioning parks, of which 30 can be called large. There is no need to talk about the acute shortage of places for cultural recreation with children.
However, the problem with the Russian entertainment industry is that most of the parks, including the Tver one, are municipally owned and eke out a miserable existence: the attractions are old, obsolete and have long become boring to visitors. Nobody demands profit from the municipal park. It works somehow, and that's okay. Meanwhile, now the demand for entertainment is actively growing, and parks simply cannot help but take into account the spirit of the times. Private capital has rushed into this area - and, as practice shows, more than successfully. True, this primarily concerns the production of attractions. Now in our country, according to RAAPA, more than 160 enterprises are engaged in equipment for amusement parks (one and a half times more than last year), and most of them are small businesses. Among the leading enterprises in the industry, experts name primarily the Mir plant (Moscow), NPP Kulttekhnika-Yug (Krasnodar), OJSC Attraction (Yeisk), NPO Tsentr-8 (Minsk), AirPalace (St. Petersburg) ) and others.
At the end of 2002 State Duma The Law “On Technical Regulation” was adopted, which came into force this summer. It is expected that this law will close access to the Russian market to outdated, worn-out imported attractions, whose share is still very significant in the Russian market. Russian market. On the one hand, the document clearly stipulates safety requirements; in each industry they must be included in a special one common to all technical regulations. On the other hand, complete creative freedom is proclaimed: previously mandatory standards become voluntary, that is, from now on no one will be able to dictate to the manufacturer what and how to do it. It is unknown how the law will affect our security. But in any case, the amusement park will remain an eternal point of attraction for children and their parents. The main thing is that when buying a ticket at the box office of the same “Surprise”, people remember that it is not only pleasant.
Everyone loves amusement parks. These are wonderful places where everyone can have fun, relax, and get their dose of adrenaline (who's on the roller coaster with me?). There's a reason these places are called amusement parks, right?
However, in reality, not everything is so rosy here. Unfortunately, over the history of amusement parks, many shocking incidents have occurred in them. Of course, some of these incidents are due to park owners breaking rules or employees not following them; in some cases, parental negligence is to blame.
However, the fact remains that these accidents have left a stain on the reputation of amusement parks as safe place for relaxation and adrenaline.
Here are the 15 worst amusement park accidents.
Metterhorn Bobsled, Disneyland, Anaheim, California
The Metterhorn Bobsled with its steel slide is a model of the Metterhorn mountain of the Swiss Alps. In 1964, it was the site of Disneyland's first accident: a fifteen-year-old boy was injured after he climbed out of a ride and fell. Three days later he died as a result of his injuries.
Big Dipper, Bettersea Park, London, UK
Big Dipper, a wooden coaster in London's Bettersea Park, was the site of one of the most tragic accidents in the history of amusement parks. In May 1972, the trailer, which was being lifted to the start, fell off the rope and rolled back, crashing into another trailer. 5 children died and 13 more were injured in the accident.
Steel slide, Derin Lake, Derin, New York
In July 2011, Iraq War veteran James Hakimer, who lost both legs during an attack, died after falling from a metal slide in theme park based on works about Superman - Derin Lake in New York. The slide was closed, but then reopened after it was admitted that James' death was an operator error. He should not have allowed Hakimer on the ride due to his disability.
Cyclone, Coney Island, New York, New York
Cyclone is one of the unluckiest rides in the United States. It was built in 1927 and has so far claimed the lives of three people. In May 1985, a 29-year-old man died after he stood up in a trailer and hit his head on a crossbeam. Just three years later, a 26-year-old man died after falling from a Cyclone. In July 2007, a 53-year-old man broke his neck while riding a Cyclone. He died a few days later.