Kimberle
WL Vet
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
- Messages
- 11,771
RYE, N.Y. -- A 7-year-old Norwalk boy was found dead in the water of a boat ride at the Playland amusement park yesterday after he didn't emerge from a tunnel, authorities said.
The boy, whose name was not made public, was found underneath the conveyer belt that runs Ye Old Mill, a boat-in-the-dark amusement beneath the Dragon Coaster on the midway.
The 77-year-old ride is "one of our most benign rides," Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano said at a news conference at the park.
The ride, which was renovated three years ago to modernize its scenery, consists of 14 boats propelled into a tunnel that features gnomes and trolls. The water is 21Ú2 feet deep at its deepest, and instructions tell riders to stay seated and keep their hands inside their boats.
The boy, who was at the park with his mother, got on the ride by himself after passing the 42-inch height requirement for riding alone and was the only person in his boat, Spano said.
He "got out of the boat and was caught somehow on the conveyer belt," Spano said.
The boy boarded the ride at about 4 p.m., according to Peter Tartaglia, spokesman for the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, which operates the park. It took about 15 minutes for the boy's mother to realize his boat had emerged without him in it and notify Playland workers, who started a search.
The park remained open after the boy's death, but Ye Old Mill and nearby attractions were shut down.
Park visitor Anita Marshall, 12, of Yorktown, N.Y., said she was glad the 6-minute ride was closed.
"Not that I go on it, because it's not very exciting," she said. "But that's so sad, an accident like that when you're supposed to be having a good time."
Tartaglia said that Westchester County officials considered closing the entire park, but worried it could create panic and decided to shut only the midway.
Spano said the state Department of Labor would investigate the death, which was the park's second in 15 months.
In May 2004, a 7-year-old girl was killed on Playland's Mind Scrambler, which was spinning riders around in a darkened tent to flashing lights and loud music.
Investigators concluded that Stephanie Dieudonne of New Rochelle wriggled free of the restraining bar on one of the Mind Scrambler's cars, knelt on the seat and fell soon after the ride started.
Playland, a National Historic Landmark, has more than 50 rides, a pool and a beach on Long Island Sound. It has more than a million patrons a year.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/new...,2142162.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines
It's kindof like a Small World type ride. I bet the boy tried to climb out or stand up and he fell. So sad.
The boy, whose name was not made public, was found underneath the conveyer belt that runs Ye Old Mill, a boat-in-the-dark amusement beneath the Dragon Coaster on the midway.
The 77-year-old ride is "one of our most benign rides," Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano said at a news conference at the park.
The ride, which was renovated three years ago to modernize its scenery, consists of 14 boats propelled into a tunnel that features gnomes and trolls. The water is 21Ú2 feet deep at its deepest, and instructions tell riders to stay seated and keep their hands inside their boats.
The boy, who was at the park with his mother, got on the ride by himself after passing the 42-inch height requirement for riding alone and was the only person in his boat, Spano said.
He "got out of the boat and was caught somehow on the conveyer belt," Spano said.
The boy boarded the ride at about 4 p.m., according to Peter Tartaglia, spokesman for the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, which operates the park. It took about 15 minutes for the boy's mother to realize his boat had emerged without him in it and notify Playland workers, who started a search.
The park remained open after the boy's death, but Ye Old Mill and nearby attractions were shut down.
Park visitor Anita Marshall, 12, of Yorktown, N.Y., said she was glad the 6-minute ride was closed.
"Not that I go on it, because it's not very exciting," she said. "But that's so sad, an accident like that when you're supposed to be having a good time."
Tartaglia said that Westchester County officials considered closing the entire park, but worried it could create panic and decided to shut only the midway.
Spano said the state Department of Labor would investigate the death, which was the park's second in 15 months.
In May 2004, a 7-year-old girl was killed on Playland's Mind Scrambler, which was spinning riders around in a darkened tent to flashing lights and loud music.
Investigators concluded that Stephanie Dieudonne of New Rochelle wriggled free of the restraining bar on one of the Mind Scrambler's cars, knelt on the seat and fell soon after the ride started.
Playland, a National Historic Landmark, has more than 50 rides, a pool and a beach on Long Island Sound. It has more than a million patrons a year.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/new...,2142162.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines
It's kindof like a Small World type ride. I bet the boy tried to climb out or stand up and he fell. So sad.
