Another Dragon Challenge accident...

[Mad Hattered]

From Screamscape yesterday:

(8/15/11) I’ve heard a couple of very interesting stories this weekend about Dragon Challenge. The first thing I had heard from a reader who visited the park on Saturday was that the dragons were no longer “Dueling”. They were being dispatched separately from each other, with the intent to not allow them to duel. When our reader questioned the staff about what was going on, the response they were given implied it was likely a temporary situation in response to the rider who was struck. However, as I understand it, when Dragon Challenge reopened immediately following the eye injury accident earlier this month, they went back to the standard operating practice of “Dueling” the dragons, so it seemed odd that they would stop this week.
Then I got my second e-mail from another long time reader who was riding on Dragon Challenge (Fireball side) on August 11th, who reports that he was also struck by something while riding. “I was hit by an object from the other train. It bruised my foot, and I had scratches on my leg, arm, and a gash in my face. I wasn’t able to see what it was because I didn’t have my glasses on. It occurred at the point in the ride when both cars feet are facing each other.” They were also kind enough to send in a photo they took with a cell phone showing off a bruise. In answering my own questions about the incident, they reported that it felt like a blunt object struck them, striking first the foot area first and then it traveled up the body and onto the chin. They also reported going to first aid at Universal, so the park should have a record of this visit to confirm this story.
While the injury was not as severe as the other report that made the international news, and so far has slipped under the mainstream media’s radar, I do find it extremely unlikely that this same kind of accident could have taken place only 11 or 12 days later again. Universal seems to think so as well as the timing seems to indicate that the order came down to no longer allow the dragons to “duel” right after this second incident. In fact, according to our reader who was struck, as far as they knew, the Blue dragon track seemed to remain closed for the rest of the 11th.
While this was done to likely allow time for another thorough inspection, it seemed to be back up and running by the following day or so in time for our second report to come in, which means that nothing was found once again to indicate that any kind of flying object could have come from the coaster train.
In my first post on this, I had to wonder if it was a bird… but with two accidents now taking place in the same section of the ride, I’m thinking that the second theory that I had may be the most likely cause. I did not even dare mention this after the first incident, as it seemed like a freak of nature accident, but after two reports in less than two weeks the only other solution I can think of is that perhaps someone is doing this on purpose.
While the bag security checks would keep any true “weapon” from getting into the park, I do have to wonder how hard it would be for someone to slip in the pieces to make something like a wrist rocket and fire it off at the other train during the head-on near-miss inversion. Since Universal seems to have put an end to the “dueling” aspect of the ride (for now) as well, I also have to wonder if they are starting to wonder the same thing.

 

[damo]

What on earth is going on there?!!!!!!

 

[nytimez]

Wow -- that's crazy. I wouldn't jump to conspiracy theories like Screamscape does, though. It could be that this happens more often than people realize but people are struck in places where they don't feel it -- clothing -- or scratched in minor ways that they don't realize it at the time and never report it.

Another possibility here is that the ride itself is now ejecting some dirt or debris from a damaged, weakened or aging part.

 

[damo]

Wow -- that's crazy. I wouldn't jump to conspiracy theories like Screamscape does, though. It could be that this happens more often than people realize but people are struck in places where they don't feel it -- clothing -- or scratched in minor ways that they don't realize it at the time and never report it.

Another possibility here is that the ride itself is now ejecting some dirt or debris from a damaged, weakened or aging part.

There are many possible scenarios here. All of which are disturbing.

 

[RMulieri]

Wow! This is not good at all..What the heck is going on?

 

[phamton]

My guess is loose objects from other riders (cellphones, wallets, keys, lanyards, cameras, flip flops, coins, sunglasses, watches, hats, etc.) Those objects can hit you hard when you are traveling fast. The most dangerous part of rides are flying objects. All of those items become missiles. That is why lockers are provided--not necessarily to protect your valuables but to protect others from your cellphones, etc. if they fly out of your pocket.

The fact that two incidents occurred fairly close together seems insignificant to me in terms of odds of happening. You can flip a coin ten times and get heads even though the odds are 50:50 each time you toss it. Odds and statistics can be deceiving. Two incidents happening fairly close together is most likely just a coincidence. I'm confident that the ride has been inspected and dirt or trees have been eliminated as a cause. Stand around at Guest Services at IoA one night and watch all of the items brought in by the rides to Lost and Found. You would be absolutely surprised at the number of items that people lose that should have been in lockers.

 

[Neil Patrick Harris]

This second incident (if true) makes a lot more sense than the first. I could see something flying off of someone during the part where there is the near miss and the feet are near each other. Something could fly out of another person's pants and hit a person on the other train. The first incident makes no sense. I don't see how something from another car could hit a person when they are coming straight at each other. If something flew off, it would go backwards either way. And you wouldn't be able to throw anything.

 

[mesaboy2]

This second incident (if true) makes a lot more sense than the first. I could see something flying off of someone during the part where there is the near miss and the feet are near each other. Something could fly out of another person's pants and hit a person on the other train. The first incident makes no sense. I don't see how something from another car could hit a person when they are coming straight at each other. If something flew off, it would go backwards either way. And you wouldn't be able to throw anything.

Backwards? How? And absolutely you could throw something--all you have to do is hold something and just let it go.

 

[damo]

This second incident (if true) makes a lot more sense than the first. I could see something flying off of someone during the part where there is the near miss and the feet are near each other. Something could fly out of another person's pants and hit a person on the other train. The first incident makes no sense. I don't see how something from another car could hit a person when they are coming straight at each other. If something flew off, it would go backwards either way. And you wouldn't be able to throw anything.

Actually when something comes off a train it does not go backwards. It continues in the direction that the vehicle was moving. It just does not move at the same speed as the vehicle and so it appears to be moving backwards in relationship to the train. However, if you look where it lands in comparison to where it began, it would be ahead of that spot, not behind.

If you watch this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqK1WEol0Pc you can see a few areas where it is possible.

 

[Neil Patrick Harris]

If you throw something out of a car, it goes backwards. If something flew off of a rider in the opposite car, it would not hit a rider in the other car in the eye. UNLESS the car was already on the loop and the other one wasn't. Going straight at each other, that is not going to happen.

 

[IdesOmarch]

My guess is loose objects from other riders (cellphones, wallets, keys, lanyards, cameras, flip flops, coins, sunglasses, watches, hats, etc.) Those objects can hit you hard when you are traveling fast. The most dangerous part of rides are flying objects. All of those items become missiles. That is why lockers are provided--not necessarily to protect your valuables but to protect others from your cellphones, etc. if they fly out of your pocket.

The fact that two incidents occurred fairly close together seems insignificant to me in terms of odds of happening. You can flip a coin ten times and get heads even though the odds are 50:50 each time you toss it. Odds and statistics can be deceiving. Two incidents happening fairly close together is most likely just a coincidence. I'm confident that the ride has been inspected and dirt or trees have been eliminated as a cause. Stand around at Guest Services at IoA one night and watch all of the items brought in by the rides to Lost and Found. You would be absolutely surprised at the number of items that people lose that should have been in lockers.

This is what I was thinking, could even be like someone accidently losing a pocket knife or something heavy that would cause damage. I was hit one time by a wasp, not on this coaster, but another, got stung, it wasn't fun. A bird is also another possibility.

 

[damo]

If you throw something out of a car, it goes backwards. If something flew off of a rider in the opposite car, it would not hit a rider in the other car in the eye. UNLESS the car was already on the loop and the other one wasn't. Going straight at each other, that is not going to happen.

It never goes backward. Go try it. It continues in the same direction. However, it slows down because of air resistance and gravity and appears to be moving backwards from the perspective of the car. You, in the car, go faster than the thrown article -- eventually, so it looks like the article is moving backwards.

 

[nytimez]

If you throw something out of a car, it goes backwards.

Only if you physically hurtle it or shoot it backwards. It will not naturally go backwards. The other posters have this one right, NPH.

 

[damo]

Only if you physically hurtle it or shoot it backwards. It will not naturally go backwards. The other posters have this one right, NPH.

And only then if the speed you throw it is greater than the speed you were moving in the opposite direction.

If the car is moving at 60 mph in one direction and you throw something from it at 30 mph in the opposite direction, it will still be moving in the original direction. Only when the forward initial velocity is less than the backwards initial velocity, will the article actually be moving backwards.

 

[mesaboy2]

If you throw something out of a car, it goes backwards. If something flew off of a rider in the opposite car, it would not hit a rider in the other car in the eye. UNLESS the car was already on the loop and the other one wasn't. Going straight at each other, that is not going to happen.

You may have been a heck of a teen doc actor, but your understanding of physics could use some polishing.

 

[Neil Patrick Harris]

You guys are not understanding. In order for the situation in the first injury to be possible, the object would have to fall out and go FASTER than the train forward. That clearly cannot happen. If something falls off of someone, it is not shooting straight out FASTER than the vehicle. That is not physics.

 

[damo]

You guys are not understanding. In order for the situation in the first injury to be possible, the object would have to fall out and go FASTER than the train forward. That clearly cannot happen. If something falls off of someone, it is not shooting straight out FASTER than the vehicle. That is not physics.

The objects are not hitting people in the same vehicle where they are being thrown from. They are hitting the other approaching vehicle. If someone throws something out the side of the train, it can hit the other vehicle that is beside it.

 

[mesaboy2]

If I hold a tennis ball as I approach the first intercept where the two RVs are going towards each other into their respective loops, and let go of it just as I start up the loop, I can virtually guarantee you I could hit the other RV inside of 5 attempts.

Easy boast to make I know, since I'll never try it. My point is that it really isn't that hard.

Sorry, we've gotten a liitle , and I haven't helped.

 

[Kallisti]

For what it's worth, I can confirm that it wasn't duelling (and so the end of the queue was horribly slow!) on the 14th. I'd not ridden it before and it was the only ride I've been on in Orlando that I needed to hold my hat and sunglasses on. I can easily see that plenty of stuff must fall off people's person (especially glasses and hats which they were forcing everyone to wear but have little chance of staying on without being held)

Great ride though, regardless of whether dragons came head-to-head!

 

[phamton]

I can easily see that plenty of stuff must fall off people's person (especially glasses and hats which they were forcing everyone to wear but have little chance of staying on without being held)

I agree with most of what you said except the last part. No one is forcing you to hold or wear anything. Lockers are provided free and all loose articles should be put in them, not only for your safety but to protect the other people on the ride from your loose articles.

To me, it is irresponsible to ride any coaster with loose articles. There have been several such accidents on Space Mountain from loose articles. At least at Dragons and Hulk, you have lockers that are available. This is just one of many accidents at a coaster:

A guest of WDW occupied a rocket car on 09/10/98 within space mountain. When he got on the ride he was a healthy male who worked as a doctor. At the end of the ride he was discovered slumped over in the rocket car unconcsious suffering from a laceration and contusion to the head. The police were called due to the seriousness of his injuries and the ride was closed. An investigation of the inside of the ride revealed that there were at least two items which were believed to have fallen out of cars while guests rode the ride and fell from the tracks through the ride and ending up on the floor of the structure. Disney employees walk the floor of the ride on a daily basis and find items which were not appropriately secured by patrons and fall out of the cars while the ride is in operation. The force of the accident caused the park guest's new sneakers to be almost ripped apart at the seams. The patron was taken to the local trauma center via helicopter and while released after a period he is now suffering paralysis to his left arm, pain in his legs, brain damage, memory loss.