Another Dragon Challenge accident...

[Harry Potter]

Not good news, I really hope it was no debris from an aging part of the coaster train. That would almost surely mean closure of the ride for the foreseeable future, if not forever. Not what the WWoHP needs really (although tbh DC should be completely newly themed and touched up to meet the standards of the area during its downtime - atm the ride is a poor relation to the rest of WWoHP).

However, the most important thing is the safety and wellbeing of the guests who were struck. I don't want to see any more incidents like this at IOA.

 

[Neil Patrick Harris]

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.

The incident in question happened when the two trains are coming directly at each other. I am only speaking about the specific incident and how it can or can't be possible in that specific part of the ride.

 

[Metro West]

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.

Exactly and it's not like they don't let you know about loose articles and not being able to ride with them. I know people complain about having to use the lockers but it's for their and others safety. I used to love to ride Fire and never had a problem wearing my sunglasses. It's a REAL shame the trains don't dual any longer...that's the main attraction if you ask me. It wouldn't hold the same excitement to me.

 

[GameSeven]

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.

I remembered vaguely hearing about this case and just now, wondering about the outcome, found it had a tragic ending this year in a murder-suicide.

http: //articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-03-17/news/os-domestic-violence-murder-suicide-20110317_1_domestic-violence-violent-threats-petition

I'm not allowed links yet, so please forgive the formatting of the URL above.

Incidentally, his case against Disney had been dismissed in 2003. Disney contends he put himself at risk by being "partially out of his seat or standing up." The dismissal pertained to the alleged victim's lying on several occasions about a prison term he served on cocaine trafficking charges, thus the trial never went to details of the ride incident. I couldn't find evidence of any subsequent appeals.

 

[patster734]

I remembered vaguely hearing about this case and just now, wondering about the outcome, found it had a tragic ending this year in a murder-suicide.

http: //articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-03-17/news/os-domestic-violence-murder-suicide-20110317_1_domestic-violence-violent-threats-petition

I'm not allowed links yet, so please forgive the formatting of the URL above.

Incidentally, his case against Disney had been dismissed in 2003. Disney contends he put himself at risk by being "partially out of his seat or standing up." The dismissal pertained to the alleged victim's lying on several occasions about a prison term he served on cocaine trafficking charges, thus the trial never went to details of the ride incident. I couldn't find evidence of any subsequent appeals.

Extremely sad!

I'll link it for you: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com..._1_domestic-violence-violent-threats-petition

 

[damo]

The incident in question happened when the two trains are coming directly at each other. I am only speaking about the specific incident and how it can or can't be possible in that specific part of the ride.

Screamscape just said that feet were facing each other. Could be a few places...

The forces as you go around the loop in the second and third photo would allow something to be released from one train and have it hit the second. The article would continue in the direction of the first train which would be directly at the other train.

I'm sure it is being investigated very thoroughly.

 

[Kallisti]

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.

My point was that at the end of the queue they were telling people to wear sunglasses that they had on their person and on the ride I was told to put my hat on. Both would have been better off in a locker but I didn't know that till I rode the coaster. Every other ride (including hulk, rockit) I wear them without expecting them to fall.

I would certainly put them in a locker next time!

 

[damo]

My point was that at the end of the queue they were telling people to wear sunglasses that they had on their person and on the ride I was told to put my hat on. Both would have been better off in a locker but I didn't know that till I rode the coaster. Every other ride (including hulk, rockit) I wear them without expecting them to fall.

I would certainly put them in a locker next time!

Sunglasses will stay on your head if you are wearing them. Lots of people wear sunglasses and normal glasses on that coaster.

 

[Kallisti]

Sunglasses will stay on your head if you are wearing them. Lots of people wear sunglasses and normal glasses on that coaster.

Mine fit pretty snugly and they weren't going to. Maybe due to them being metallic rather than plastic (a bit heavier)?

Mea culpa, I should have put them in the locker (I left a heap of other things with my wife!), but wearing them was the worst option at the front of the queue.

 

[phamton]

My point was that at the end of the queue they were telling people to wear sunglasses that they had on their person and on the ride I was told to put my hat on. Both would have been better off in a locker but I didn't know that till I rode the coaster. Every other ride (including hulk, rockit) I wear them without expecting them to fall.

I would certainly put them in a locker next time!

Not to belabor this point and certainly not to make you feel like you did anything wrong but let me go into a little more detail. There are signs in front telling you that lockers are to be used for loose items. Team members also try to check before you get in line but sometimes, they miss a few people. So once you get to the front of the line, the team member can either insist that you go back to the lockers and lose your place in line or they can try to accommodate you the best they can. Both Mummy and Rock-it used to send people back to the lockers which angered many guests. So many times, they just tell you to place it in a pocket or wear it. If loose items are determined to be an issue with guest safety, I suspect the team members will have to once again become the locker Nazis and send people all the way back to the lockers regardless of how long they have waited in line. The signs clearly state that lockers are to be used before anyone even gets into the line. If they don't see that sign, the team member will try to remind them but ultimately the rider is responsible for reading all warnings and heeding the locker rules.

I remembered vaguely hearing about this case and just now, wondering about the outcome, found it had a tragic ending this year in a murder-suicide.

http: //articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-03-17/news/os-domestic-violence-murder-suicide-20110317_1_domestic-violence-violent-threats-petition

I'm not allowed links yet, so please forgive the formatting of the URL above.

Incidentally, his case against Disney had been dismissed in 2003. Disney contends he put himself at risk by being "partially out of his seat or standing up." The dismissal pertained to the alleged victim's lying on several occasions about a prison term he served on cocaine trafficking charges, thus the trial never went to details of the ride incident. I couldn't find evidence of any subsequent appeals.

How very sad.

There was also an unsubstantiated accident on Space Mountain:
"Guests were riding down 3 trains ahead of another. the one 3 back lost some glassware they were carrying, and it hit the third one ahead of them. A glass mug hit a man square in the face, he left out the back in an ambulance. There is no news article, I was there, working. During Fall 2000 season."

I posted these not to make anyone think that Space Mountain is unsafe. It is my opinion, that it is not that rare for flying objects to hit someone on a coaster. I also don't believe that anyone intentionally tried to hit anyone on Dragons or Space Mountain. If you see the amount of objects that are found under any coaster, you would probably be surprised that it doesn't happen more often. But I still think it is safer to ride a coaster than to drive in your car to the themeparks. More accidents happen on the road than at a themepark.

 

[GameSeven]

I posted these not to make anyone think that Space Mountain is unsafe. It is my opinion, that it is not that rare for flying objects to hit someone on a coaster. I also don't believe that anyone intentionally tried to hit anyone on Dragons or Space Mountain. If you see the amount of objects that are found under any coaster, you would probably be surprised that it doesn't happen more often. But I still think it is safer to ride a coaster than to drive in your car to the themeparks. More accidents happen on the road than at a themepark.

Without a doubt. As for sunglasses, up here at Great Adventure in NJ, I was in the back row of El Toro and a rider in the front lost their shades on the first drop, probably had them up on the front of their head. From our vantage point in the back, they appeared suspended in space for a fraction of a moment as air resistance caught them as we hurtled down the hill towards 70 MPH. Then our train shot past them and the specs whizzed right between my BIL and me, like a bullet, as we leaned to either side. I'm sure we avoided a minor gash or bruise the way they shot past.

 

[AnjieNet]

My DD lost her locket on a roller coaster here in KC last week on a big drop. I can only imagine what a small item like that might do if it hit another rider anywhere but especially in an eye. And that wouldn't have been considered a "loose" item. There is only so much that the staff can do to ensure the rider's safety. You are always taking a risk riding any amusement park ride. I'll take my chances and hope the dragons are dueling again when we head to Orlando.

 

[Kallisti]

There are signs in front telling you that lockers are to be used for loose items. Team members also try to check before you get in line but sometimes, they miss a few people.

OR, they could just put lockers near the front of the line? Other coasters (in other parks) I've been to simply have storage bins which are available for riders who pick the items up immediately after their ride. Works a treat, not even high-tech, for two car rides they simply have a sliding door which they swap back and forth each launch.

Incidentally, my wife reckons WESH was reporting that it was closed today because of another accident today.

 

[Yoshi]

They can't use the storage bins like other parks because Dragons has a separate unload area from where you board the train.

 

[Metro West]

They can't use the storage bins like other parks because Dragons has a separate unload area from where you board the train.

 

[spewey]

You know, there are people who claim it is safe to bring cameras on and tape their rides. I dunno ...

At least no one has been hit (yet) by a flying prosthetic leg (I do love bringing that up).

 

[Timmy Boy]

Other coasters (in other parks) I've been to simply have storage bins which are available for riders who pick the items up immediately after their ride.

Having storage bins means that it would slow down the coasters efficiency, having everyone cross over to the other side of the station, put your stuff in, then clamber back to their seats. Unlike Disney, (who puts efficiency at the end of their list of priorities [ask any CM, Safety, Courtesy, Show, THEN Efficiency]) Universal actually cares about the length of their line. It also creates a liability issue if something were to be taken.

Like Yoshi said, the only rides that require lockers that have you unload the same place you load is Hulk and Rockit. FJ, Mummy, MIB and Dragons all have you exiting somewhere else. Then people would be clambering all over the platform getting items when trains need to be dispatched.

 

[GetGlowing]

... and we all know how efficient the DC load & dispatch process is already ...

 

[Josh Hendy]

If you stand under the nets at Hulk coaster or Manta in Seaworld you can usually see plenty of stuff there ... like sunglasses, hats and phones. I'm not sure how a phone can end up there but possibly it's from trying to take pictures or video, and of course it doesn't have a wrist strap like a camera.

Once when we were standing near Manta there was a loud "CLANG" when the train went by, which sounded like something just about the weight of a phone or camera hitting a steel pylon. That would do some serious damage if it hit someone.

Maybe there are more incidents at Dragons because the volume of riders is up ... maybe it's because more and more people including younger kids are walking around carrying phones, without deep enough pockets to store them when riding. On my latest trip many people were texting and playing games on their phones right up until they got on rides and then whipped them out and started playing with them as soon as they climbed out of the vehicle. Honestly, does your friend really have to know that you "Jst got off space mtn cool!"