roller coaster accident -- blame it on the t-bar

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by JESW
Just so very sad.

And not to start another debate...but when you talk about sizes for rides, it always bothers me when parents will try to fudge their childs height so they can go on rides at WDW. When DD was tall enough she rode BTMR and still couldn't keep her seat - I had to hold her so she wouldn't fall (slide) out. Safety first.

Jill

This bothers me too. I can't imagine why any parent would try to make their child seem taller just to get them on a ride that could potentially be dangerous. I have heard of some parents who put their girls in heels or platform shoes. Ouch! Their poor little feet from walking around in those all day.

 

[SandrainNC]

And not to start another debate...but when you talk about sizes for rides, it always bothers me when parents will try to fudge their childs height so they can go on rides at WDW. When DD was tall enough she rode BTMR and still couldn't keep her seat - I had to hold her so she wouldn't fall (slide) out. Safety first.

I agree with this completely! I could not believe it, but one of the guidebooks about Disney (I can't remember which one now) that I checked out at the library recommended putting your kids in taller shoes so they could get on rides! I couldn't believe it!

And, I know this has been said already, but cerebral palsey definitely doesn't automatically mean that a person is mentally challenged, even though sometimes they are. There is actually an attorney where I work that has it.

Sandra

 

[DawnCt]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX
Thanks for the clarification. From the way his mother made it sound, it seemed like he was unable to take care of himself and shouldn't have even been allowed on the ride.

This makes me think it was an error on the part of the ride operator.

I feel very bad for his mother. They had all of their meals together. He would drive her to the grocery store, church, etc. They really depended upon each other. It is sad.

 

[DawnCt]

Originally posted by Beth76
That seems like he's a pretty big guy, don't you think? Perhaps he was too large for the ride and it didn't latch properly

That was my thought as well.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

I have never ridden this ride, but it makes me nervous because this is an Intamin coaster and they seem to have quite a few safety issues.

The last Intamin coaster I rode was Volcano the Blast Coaster at Paramount's King's dominion, but it was an inverted coaster with shoulder restraints. I always feel really safe on those.

However, some of these new coasters, like Superman, are putting an emphasis on more thrilling ways of riding...there are plenty of coasters now...Apollo's Chariot being another I can think of, where one of the thrills is the feeling like you could fall out at any moment.

I love rollercoasters, but is that really fun? I don't think so.

 

[Hillbeans]

Originally posted by SandrainNC

And, I know this has been said already, but cerebral palsey definitely doesn't automatically mean that a person is mentally challenged, even though sometimes they are. There is actually an attorney where I work that has it.

Sandra

That's what I always thought, but apparently his mother has a quote in today's paper in which she describes him in other terms and saying he was in sorry shape.

I just wonder what the real story is about this handicap. Edit to add the comments in the paper:

Mordarsky suffered from cerebral palsy and other medical problems. His mother -- Germain Mordarksy -- says officials at the park in Agawam should never have let her son on the ride.

 

[DemonLlama]

On only a slightly related note:

Those who are already skittish about coaster accidents need to steer clear of this week's CSI (Vegas). It's got coaster deaths as the main investigation.

CP may have interfered with the man's ability to fasten the safety belt completely or check that it was secure. This may have been the primary problem.

My only hope is that the rider next to him did not get a complete view of him hurled out of the car. If it was on a turn, it may have happened so fast that no one really saw the whole thing.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

 

[Evil Princess]

Originally posted by theSurlyMermaid

However, some of these new coasters, like Superman, are putting an emphasis on more thrilling ways of riding...there are plenty of coasters now...Apollo's Chariot being another I can think of, where one of the thrills is the feeling like you could fall out at any moment.

I love rollercoasters, but is that really fun? I don't think so.

I don't think that this is a new thrill. Hasn't one of the thrills of riding a roller coaster ALWAYS kind of been "cheating death"? You drop 200 feet in an open air car and come back to the station intact. I was always under the impression that the whole feeling like you COULD fall out was what makes rollercoasters nervewracking, and fun.

BTW, Superman Ride of Steel is Intamin,you are right, but Apollo's Chariot is a Bolliger and Mabillard coaster. The restraints are both "T-Bar", but a bit different.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Yeah, I know Apollo's Chariot is a B&M coaster, but the lap bars seem very similar.

I agree that the fear of flying out the cart is always there on a coaster, but the intensity level has been increased with these new airtime coasters. They seem designed to throw you out (with only your restraints to hold you in) whereas the old wooden coasters my parents used to enjoy never had that type of danger unless you did something really stupid like stand up.

With many of these newer coasters, they are designed so you almost feel there is nothing on either side of you...you're no longer just sitting in a cart the way it used to be. The T bar is so you don't feel bulky restraints....people on Millenium Force have claimed its like sitting on your couch. Well, okay fine, but I don't go 90mph on my couch!!!

 

[Evil Princess]

I don't know, have you ever been on the Coney Island Cyclone? Talk about AIRTIME, I don't think I was in my seat the entire ride, and that was before my parent's time even.

Personally I think that the open air cars don't make much of a difference, besides a psychological one. You feel as if you're more exposed, heightening the fear of the ride. How much difference do the walls around the seat really make though? Last year a woman was flung out of a coaster at Holiday World, a woodie with a standard coaster car.

Sorry if this comes off as a bit obnoxious, I just love coasters and hate the way that the media often gives false information.

 

[damo]

You probably go 70 mph in your car and all you have is a little seat belt. We just try not to think about that danger because we do it every day.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Originally posted by Evil Princess
I don't know, have you ever been on the Coney Island Cyclone? Talk about AIRTIME, I don't think I was in my seat the entire ride, and that was before my parent's time even.

Personally I think that the open air cars don't make much of a difference, besides a psychological one. You feel as if you're more exposed, heightening the fear of the ride. How much difference do the walls around the seat really make though? Last year a woman was flung out of a coaster at Holiday World, a woodie with a standard coaster car.

Sorry if this comes off as a bit obnoxious, I just love coasters and hate the way that the media often gives false information.

How could I ever think you are obnoxious?!! I love coasters too and absolutely HATE these stories. I am such a thrill junkie that it actually annoys DH (who gets very ill on rides when we do them again and again).

However, more than a few coaster fanatics seem to be a little leery of Intamin lately...it just makes me sad because instead on just jumping on a coaster and enjoying it, this stuff is now in the back of my mind.

 

[Evil Princess]

Understandable, with the five or so Intamin restraint accidents lately. The PP one was probably due to the riders weight, and with the drop tower the boy was mentally handicapped.

I just try to be optimistic and hope that it isn't the fault of the rides, because most of the time it isn't.

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by theSurlyMermaid
With many of these newer coasters, they are designed so you almost feel there is nothing on either side of you...you're no longer just sitting in a cart the way it used to be. The T bar is so you don't feel bulky restraints....people on Millenium Force have claimed its like sitting on your couch. Well, okay fine, but I don't go 90mph on my couch!!!

Well, I can say on Mellenium Force you are strapped in so tight its hard to breathe!

There is a belt restraint which is sooo tight that they leave you gasping for air. Then the second restraint goes on!

I personally wasn't scared.

As for the other 5 Intamin accidents what were they? Just curious.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Well, one was on a drop zone stunt tower (not a coaster, just a drop tower). As Evil Princess said, the boy was mentally handicapped ans somehow slipped under the restraint bar and went plunging from the tower. Two were on water rides with huge drops...Hydro in Wales and Perilous Plunge in California....people fell out of the boats, but I'm not sure what the official reason was.

The other was on Superman again, but the brakes failed and two trains collided. No one was killed but twenty-one were injured.

Those are the ones I read about yesterday. Coupled with this latest coaster death, that makes 5 recent accidents for an Intamin ride.

However, someone on a coaster messageboard I sometimes visit said it's kinda funny, but you never hear about anything horrible happening at, say, Cedar Point...where you would think with such immense rides there would be problems. But they are all about precautions there! It kind of lends creedence to the theory that rider/rider operator error play a huge role in these tragedies.