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Texas Giant Accident

For someone to be literally thrown out of a coaster two years after it was renovated is inexcusable and the incident must lead to a thorough investigation.

Im pretty sure the authorities and Six Flags aren't just sitting around playing poker.


the employees arent safe, so who cares? this is exactly what IS wrong with Six Flags, safety should come first for employees and consumers. And besides, you cannot deny that there have been far too many deaths/major accidents within the past 10 years at many of their parks.

Id love to hear how you have first hand knowledge of Size Flags safety protocol since your such an expert on it? Or better yet show us the facts
 
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the employees arent safe, so who cares? this is exactly what IS wrong with Six Flags, safety should come first for employees and consumers. And besides, you cannot deny that there have been far too many deaths/major accidents within the past 10 years at many of their parks.

This accident should provoke a debate within the theme park community as to how to properly put in place safety procedures (from lap restraints to evac routes) in parks like Six Flags. For someone to be literally thrown out of a coaster two years after it was renovated is inexcusable and the incident must lead to a thorough investigation.

The only thing this accident should provoke is a discussion on the current dynamic capabilities of the rides that have been and are being built in the last 10-15 years. Gravity should always be the primary restraint in a standard ride vehicle. I'm talking from 5 years of direct operational experience across different parks and chains, as well as knowledge of safety procedures and standards across the industry thanks to friends at basically every major park operator (including internationally).
 
This accident should provoke a debate within the theme park community as to how to properly put in place safety procedures (from lap restraints to evac routes) in parks like Six Flags. For someone to be literally thrown out of a coaster two years after it was renovated is inexcusable and the incident must lead to a thorough investigation.

I don't even know where to start here. This is insane. Every state, including Texas, has a government agency that inspects and regulates amusement rides: from the traveling scrambler to the Texas Giant.

Everything you've posted in this thread is either willful ignorance or discrimination against any park outside of Florida.
 
the employees arent safe, so who cares? this is exactly what IS wrong with Six Flags, safety should come first for employees and consumers. And besides, you cannot deny that there have been far too many deaths/major accidents within the past 10 years at many of their parks.

This accident should provoke a debate within the theme park community as to how to properly put in place safety procedures (from lap restraints to evac routes) in parks like Six Flags. For someone to be literally thrown out of a coaster two years after it was renovated is inexcusable and the incident must lead to a thorough investigation.

All parks take gueat safety very seriously, the guest is the very reason the park is there in the first place afterall. To think any park doesn't/wouldn't think this way is nothing short of being ludicrous. Uni and Disney have had accidents, DLP only recently had 2 accidents involving BTM and can you not remember the monorail at WDW recently Crazy statements like that should be deleted IMO.
 
The only thing this accident should provoke is a discussion on the current dynamic capabilities of the rides that have been and are being built in the last 10-15 years. Gravity should always be the primary restraint in a standard ride vehicle. I'm talking from 5 years of direct operational experience across different parks and chains, as well as knowledge of safety procedures and standards across the industry thanks to friends at basically every major park operator (including internationally).

Maybe I'm misreading you, but if Gravity should always be the primary restraint, is a rule you think should be enforced, does that mean air time should be removed from coasters? That would eliminate a huge sector of coasters. All of the hypers and gigas and most woodies are built around air time. The most popular coaster at many parks tends to be the one with the most air time. I'd hope with a name like "maxairmike" you wouldn't be suggesting eliminating airtime.
 
Maybe I'm misreading you, but if Gravity should always be the primary restraint, is a rule you think should be enforced, does that mean air time should be removed from coasters? That would eliminate a huge sector of coasters. All of the hypers and gigas and most woodies are built around air time. The most popular coaster at many parks tends to be the one with the most air time. I'd hope with a name like "maxairmike" you wouldn't be suggesting eliminating airtime.

There are plenty of more dynamic forces at work in some of these coasters - negative/positive Gs, intertia etc. - much more complex than I can claim to understand - than simple "air time." I'm pretty sure Mike is referring to gravity in the sense that some of these more intense physical forces need to be taken into account. I know part of the thrill on these rides comes from the minimal restraints that are safely feasible... the Intimidator at Carowinds has only a lap bar despite being a hyper, and it's kind of terrifying to me (even as a seasoned coaster vet) because of that.

Very awful situation. If anything permanent comes out of this in terms of new restrictions for existing and future rides, I could see more restrictions coming out against heavier folks who could potentially circumvent the restraints unintentionally due to those aforementioned complex forces (which may have been what happened here.) We could consequently see the adoption of more "heavy" rows on coasters, like some manufacturers have already introduced. For certain rides with restraint systems like this, an extra failsafe might be introduced (i.e. a simple seatbelt.)
 
You are kind of misunderstanding the idea, and I know if you don't take a long historical view it can be hard to grasp. I love airtime, and monsters like Voyage where a lot of the time your butt isn't attached to seat (my name comes from a different place), but I also realize that the extremes we are designing to are making multiple restraint levels necessary. Think back to the 60s-80s and the classic wooden coasters and a few early loopers only needed a simple lap bar, and on wooden coasters they were usually single position "buzz bars" that rarely made contact with your lap, let alone a small kid riding with a parent or older sibling. The bars were mainly to hold onto, but also created an adequate barrier for safety. Some off these classics have lots of airtime, some classify as extreme, yet even with the minimal buzz bar you weren't in danger of being ejected from the ride. Why? Because the dynamics of the ride were such that your body would want to stay within the ride car and path despite minimal restraints. Even in the event of the bar failing you were still not in danger of being ejected from the ride. It was safe, but thrilling design with minimal restraints needed. Some modern rides still adhere to this kind of design, though perhaps not intentionally.

I'm not saying that the kinds of extreme designs shouldn't exist - in fact I want to see more - but there must also follow a greater acceptance of risk with a ride that wants to throw you out of the ride path, whose dynamics alone would not provide enough safety in the event of restraint failure to make it back to the station. It's something I don't think has really been considered, and I think it's a worthwhile one to have.

EDIT: Fallow beat me to it. Darn iPhone keyboard.
 
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I was wondering how some rides could get away with no seat belt backup.. I like having that. In many cases it is a person riding who shouldn't have been allowed to in the first place. And despite it being Six Flags, most parks/governments inspect thoroughly and probably have daily inspections and test runs before the park even opens. It's not because it's not disney/universal and thus terrible standards.
 
Im pretty sure the authorities and Six Flags aren't just sitting around playing poker.




Id love to hear how you have first hand knowledge of Size Flags safety protocol since your such an expert on it? Or better yet show us the facts

Two Face: The Flip Side
On October 16, 2007, the ride malfunctioned causing the cars to become stuck on the lift. Once the train became dislodged, the hydraulic line was severed and hydraulic fluid was sprayed onto multiple riders. In total, twelve people needed medical attention, two of whom were taken to the hospital to be treated.

Starfish
On May 2001, a 21-year-old woman from Antioch, California was thrown from the ride when a restraining bar failed as the result of a pneumatic valve being incorrectly installed. She landed on the pavement and suffered head and knee injuries. Her later lawsuit named both the park and ride manufacturer Chance Rides as responsible parties.

Superman: Ride of Steel
On May 1, 2004, a 53-year-old, 230 lb (104.5 kg) man from Bloomfield, Connecticut fell out of his coaster seat during the last turn and was killed. Reports show that the ride attendant had not checked that the guest's ride restraint was secure[41] as his girth was too large for the T-bar-shaped ride restraint to close properly.

Houdini's Great Escape
On October 9, 2010, Houdini's Great Escape (renamed temporarily to Midnight Mansion), which was available during Fright Fest, suspiciously caught on fire. Firefighters were called to extinguish the flames, but the ride was closed for the rest of the night and the following day. Investigations show that a flammable cobweb hanging on the top of the building was the cause of the fire after coming in close contact with a light fixture.

There are many more, but for brevity's sake I wont post all of them. I understand people may not agree with my opinion, but there is absolutely no reason to bash me:mean:. I don't think Six Flags is nearly as safe as Universal, Sea world, or Disney, and this accident epitomizes that. I will now retire from this thread and leave with the hope that Six Flags can improve their safety for the forthcoming years to prevent a repeat of this catastrophe.
 
Two Face: The Flip Side
On October 16, 2007, the ride malfunctioned causing the cars to become stuck on the lift. Once the train became dislodged, the hydraulic line was severed and hydraulic fluid was sprayed onto multiple riders. In total, twelve people needed medical attention, two of whom were taken to the hospital to be treated.

Starfish
On May 2001, a 21-year-old woman from Antioch, California was thrown from the ride when a restraining bar failed as the result of a pneumatic valve being incorrectly installed. She landed on the pavement and suffered head and knee injuries. Her later lawsuit named both the park and ride manufacturer Chance Rides as responsible parties.

Superman: Ride of Steel
On May 1, 2004, a 53-year-old, 230 lb (104.5 kg) man from Bloomfield, Connecticut fell out of his coaster seat during the last turn and was killed. Reports show that the ride attendant had not checked that the guest's ride restraint was secure[41] as his girth was too large for the T-bar-shaped ride restraint to close properly.

Houdini's Great Escape
On October 9, 2010, Houdini's Great Escape (renamed temporarily to Midnight Mansion), which was available during Fright Fest, suspiciously caught on fire. Firefighters were called to extinguish the flames, but the ride was closed for the rest of the night and the following day. Investigations show that a flammable cobweb hanging on the top of the building was the cause of the fire after coming in close contact with a light fixture.

There are many more, but for brevity's sake I wont post all of them. I understand people may not agree with my opinion, but there is absolutely no reason to bash me:mean:. I don't think Six Flags is nearly as safe as Universal, Sea world, or Disney, and this accident epitomizes that. I will now retire from this thread and leave with the hope that Six Flags can improve their safety for the forthcoming years to prevent a repeat of this catastrophe.

Really? Look at some other park's track records as well. This wikipedia page is full of incidents at WDW which has way fewer parks than Six Flags: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidents_at_Walt_Disney_World

As for the Houdini's Great Escape incident, what about the Dudley Do-Right fire or the Enchanted Tiki Room fire or the Astro Orbitor fire or any of the nine fires at the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot? That incident is so minor compared to things that have happened in Disney/Universal parks that it seems laughable to even include it when there are "many more" that you could've posted.
 
Well, from news articles, it appears this does make the clicking sound which suggests some kind of ratcheting device. This must be in addition to the hydraulics mentioned?

TG_lapbars_zpsa899632e.jpg


Notice how close lengthwise these come to the stomachs. How on earth could a large or obese person ever get that down far enough to lock on the thighs? Sounds as if it was being used more like a stomach vice rather than a lapbar in this case.
 
No, the witness accounts are a little wrong as I'd expect. The bars are hydraulic only so they won't make any kind of clicking sound. People are so used to that sound so it's kind of an automatic assumption.
 
Well, from news articles, it appears this does make the clicking sound which suggests some kind of ratcheting device. This must be in addition to the hydraulics mentioned?

TG_lapbars_zpsa899632e.jpg


Notice how close lengthwise these come to the stomachs. How on earth could a large or obese person ever get that down far enough to lock on the thighs? Sounds as if it was being used more like a stomach vice rather than a lapbar in this case.
To be insensitive, but the story I have heard is that the lap bar secured on top of a large fat roll, and the with the negative G's of the double down, the fat roll popped above the bar leaving a large gap between the bar and her thighs. The next time the train hit negative G's, she was ejected.
 
I think this is going to come into her size more then anything. I am a large person and have at times not been able to ride do to size. I actually exercise and diet before vacation to make sure I can fit on rides for that reason. Also Superman I believe the young man wiggle his way out of the seat trying to get out. When he did that a number of parks with that type of ride changed there restraints ( Cedar Point changed them on Top Thrill and Millennium Force that i do know after the accident). No matter what happened it is a tragedy period. Sadly employees get complacent at a lot of parks it is just that some times. Years ago a guy got killed on Splash Mountain at Disney if I remember correct because he tried to get off the ride and the boat got hit from Behind sometimes it is also Rider error....
 
maxair, do you know if it is possible to push down on a restraint and get more clicks in the middle of the ride, or if hydraulic, one could push it down more in the same situation. I have never had the occasion to try this as I yank it to crush force before leaving the station.
 
To be insensitive, but the story I have heard is that the lap bar secured on top of a large fat roll, and the with the negative G's of the double down, the fat roll popped above the bar leaving a large gap between the bar and her thighs. The next time the train hit negative G's, she was ejected.

Such as . . .

[video=youtube;i0KmTMf0VVQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0KmTMf0VVQ&feature=player_embedded[/video]
 
maxair, do you know if it is possible to push down on a restraint and get more clicks in the middle of the ride, or if hydraulic, one could push it down more in the same situation. I have never had the occasion to try this as I yank it to crush force before leaving the station.

Ive had restraints click down further on me on multiple rides, mostly during some type of inversion like a loop or during the launch on the Hulk. Don't recall it ever happening on a wooden coaster though so im no help there
 
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