Thursday, June 21, 2007

Ride at your own risk

I've never been a big fan of rides, especially after some bad experiences in the gravitron, but I'd like to try the roller coasters. After all they should be pretty safe right? Well maybe not, because they do not have regulations like motor vehicles, some bad stuff can happen like this little girl who had a partial hepatic amputation (i.e. her liver ripped apart), by a roller coaster crash.

How often do accidents like that occur? According to this study of 1994-2004 , more often than you think: "Forty people, ranging in age from 7 to 77 years, were killed in 39 separate incidents. Twenty nine (73%) deaths occurred among roller coaster patrons. Eleven fatalities resulted from external causes related to injuries from falls or collisions. Eighteen people died from medical conditions that might have been caused or exacerbated by riding a roller coaster; 15 were the result of intracranial hemorrhages or cardiac problems. Eleven (28%) deaths involved employees; all were caused by injuries."


2 comments:

Kamel said...

Just today at Six Flags Louisville: http://www.wlky.com/news/13547817/detail.html

Anonymous Coward said...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Police confirmed that a girl's feet have been cut off at Six Flags' Kentucky Kingdom.

Officials said they got the call around 5 p.m. Thursday, and both her feet were detached at the ankle.

According to MetroSafe dispatch supervisors, the girl was riding the Superman Tower of Power, which is 177 feet tall and drops riders at 54 miles per hour. According to Kentucky Kingdom, the girl was injured when the ride malfunctioned.