The love affaire with entertainment park began in Coney Island , New York . In 1884 , chiliad of people flocked here to ride on La Marcus A. Thompson ’s Switchback Gravity Pleasure Railway . This Pleasure Railway offered the luck to travel rapidly along its 450 - foot track at 6 miles per hour . By 1927 , the Coney Island Cyclone , which travelled at 60 miles per hour , ushered in a new region of tumbler coasters . With it come in real danger . While the risk is small , the betting odds of dying at an amusement park are 1 in 300 million . Here is our tilt of 14 dotty amusement park accidents that resulted in decease .
14. Coaster Accidentally Switches Tracks at Silver Dollar City
Silver Dollar City , locate in Missouri , is one of America ’s most successful amusement common . ardour in The Hole , a three - history steel enclosed tumbler pigeon coaster , is a favorite amongst amusement green partisan for its dated production value and the peculiar construct of the ride . It ’s also the ride responsible for for the only fatality at Silver Dollar City since it ’s doors open in 1960 .
On July 9 , 1980 , 23 - yr - old James Frederick Polley was one of several passenger sit a train on Fire in the Hole , which was erroneously thought to be empty . The train was switched from the main runway onto a maintenance trail heading towards a storage area with a low hanging room access . sustentation workers abuse at the passengers to duck . Polley failed to react and smashed his brain on the door . The fortuity was rule a shell of human error and the drive re - opened two days later .
13. Coasters and Heart Conditions: A Deadly Combination
Roller coaster are required to list all potential health hazards for those who make bold to depend upon them . alas , some people run out to take these warning seriously . This was the caseful in 1976 at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay . For weeks the parking lot was promote their new ride on television system with the tagline , “ I challenged the Python and lived ! ”
The city was buzzing with expectation for Python ’s opening on April 25 , 1976 . Four Day before the ride was place to open , Busch Gardens treated the military press with an in advance ride . Stan Hoyer , a 39 - year - former , 6 - foot-6 , 340 - pound humanity with a heart precondition , was one of the local reporters who was offer this exclusive right . woefully , he had a heart blast from the experience and died . The drive ’s tagline was removed in brief afterwards and the word of advice mark was doubled in size .
12. Man Killed While Retrieving His Hat
atrocious thing can happen when warning signs are only post in a unmarried language . This is what hap on September 7 , 1998 when a man recruit a fence off arena underneath the Top Gun roller coaster at California ’s Great America amusement Mungo Park . Twenty - five - class - old Hector Mendoza , who speak Spanish only , go into into an “ Employees Only ” part of the park to retrieve his hat just as 28 - year - old Jessica Medina ’s dangle leg came rushing by at 50 mile an hour .
Mendoza , who had been lately married , died about an hour after the incident as Jessica Medina was being treated for a fractured leg . The ride was closed for the day while Mendoza ’s black chapeau remain at the scene with a police evidence tag next to it . This terrible tragedy was the third human death in the chronicle of the entertainment common .
11. Coaster Collision Claims the Life of a 14-Year-Old Boy
Willard ’s Whizzer was a Speedracer tumbler coaster built for California ’s Great America amusement park . Problems with the braking system , which have railroad train to collide at the station , became manifest almost immediately after the Speedracer ride were present in 1976 . From 1976 to 1979 , there were at least 11 illustration of train jar , resulting in an unknown turn of injuries . No solutions were put in place to rectify the problem .
On March 29 , 1980 , two trains collide again . This time the fortuity resulted in the destruction of a 14 - year - sometime male child and the injury of eight other passenger . The Marriott Corporation failed to notify the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission about the refuge luck . The incident was settle for just $ 70,000 . This hardly seems equivalent to the enormous loss of a human life sentence .
10. A Grandmother Killed at Six Flags New Orleans
Rosa Donaldson , a 52 - year - old from New Orleans , was taking care of her four - class - old grandson for the summertime . She purchased season expire to the zoo , the aquarium , the museum and the Six Flags New Orleans amusement park . July 10 , 2003 , was suppose to be an entertaining eventide at Six Flags . It turned out to be an awful tragedy instead .
The male child was getting ready to depend upon one of the park new attractions , the Joker ’s Jukebox , which lie of 30 cars that spin out on six moving arms . Donaldson entered into a restricted area to insure that her grandson was decently secure just as the operator start up the drive . One of the spinning cars hit her on the mind and another one hit her in the abdomen immediately afterwards . Donaldson phlebotomize to death before she come at the hospital . The ride now play a guard announcement before it set about .
9. A Mother and Daughter Killed on New Jersey Roller Coaster
On August 28 , 1999 , a roller coaster at Gillian ’s Wonderland Pier in New Jersey suffered two mechanically skillful failures while earn its ascent to the highest point in the ride . As the car approached the superlative it suddenly engross 30 foot down the Benny Hill , at an extreme speed , towards a 90 - level slant in the track . Kimberly Bailey , 39 , and her eight - class - old daughter Jessica were sent fly to their deaths .
The first mechanical failure happened with the pull chain that is designed to deplumate the car to the top of the hill and detach moment before the car begin its decent down the launching hill . In this subject the drag chemical chain disconnected before the car get hold of the top causing it to roll rearwards down the trail . The 2nd mechanical nonstarter take place due to a faulty anti - rollback equipment . This tragedy induce the only fatality at Gillian ’s Wonderland Pier in its 86 - class story .
8. The Krug Park Big Dipper Roller Coaster Accident
On July 24 , 1930 , one of the risky roller coaster chance event in American story happen at Krug Park in Omaha . The accident was the result of a defective deadbolt that was supposed to hold a brake shoe in office . The brake shoe luxate and got caught beneath the rear wheel of one of the cars , causing the car to come off the track and smash though a frail safety rail . As the car plummet downward to the ground it pulled the other three car down with it , go out the passengers crushed underneath the wreckage .
Four people were killed and 17 others were seriously injured . The Omaha City Council immediately banned all roller coaster within the city . By 1940 , Krug Park was impel to close up its doors permanently . The area became a public space with three ball subject field , a playground and a swim pool and was renamed Gallagher Park .
7. A Grandmother Killed and a 4-Year-Old Paralyzed in Indiana
This fortuity is just infuriating . On August 11 , 1996 , Old Indiana Fun Park made every mistake they could possibly make . A derailed miniature gearing claimed the life of a 57 - yr - old nan and left a 4 - year - previous paralyzed from the thorax down .
The investigating give away that the gear was travel much faster than its design stop number of 12 miles per hour . The hustler applied the brake but the brakes were either damage or wanting , and most of the anti - derailment gadget were n’t installed . The speed indicator was fail and the track was litter with debris . The condom inspector , who examined the ride doubly in the three months lead up to the accident , admitted that he was n’t qualified for the job . Even the green ’s own platter showed that the miniature train had jump 79 time in the two calendar month forego the fortuity . The owners acknowledge negligence and the ballpark declared bankruptcy a few months afterward .
6. Six Flags Coaster Claims the Life of a 52-Year Old Woman
On July 19 , 2013 , Rosy Esparza was almost break up in half while riding the Texas Giant roller coaster at the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park . The victim expressed business about her safety harness after she had board the ride . One of the operators assured her that she was properly secured and the roller coaster start its calamitous ride . As the roller coaster rounded a twist , Esparza ’s constraint came loosen and she was thrown 75 foot onto a metallic element cap .
An investigation set about directly . Two months afterwards the drive reopened with redesigned restraints , seat belt , and a trial seat at the entering to ensure that rider could ride safely . Esparza ’s family filed suit against Six Flags and the drive ’s manufacture , Gerstlauer . In response , the park and Gerstlauer sued each other over the responsibility for the accident . Both companies eventually strain an undisclosed settlement with the dupe ’s household .
5. Accident at Expoland Killed One Person, Injured 19 Others
Fujin Raijin II , a 6 - machine standing roller coaster , derailed on May 5 , 2007 , at Expoland in Suita , Osaka , Japan . The “ Children ’s Day ” accident claimed the life of 19 - year - old Yoshino Kogawara , and injure 19 other passengers when the train nail into a guardrail . An investigation revealed that professional neglectfulness was the cause of the accident .
One of the axles cracked while the train was entering midway through the 3,500 - understructure form . It was chance on that none of the axles had been replaced during the 15 age that the curler coaster was in operation . A calendar month after the accident , authorities reprimand Expoland when similar problem were found on another train . In July 2008 , three employees agreed with the allegement of professional neglect , admitted to advisedly postponing the ride ’s mandatory review , and admitted that they had submit a fake rubber report even after visible cracks begin to appear on the damaged axle .
4. Fire Kills Eight Teens at Six Flags Adventure in New Jersey
Some of us have had the experience of being mildly spook in a distinctive amusement park Haunted Castle . fictile monster , scary noises and frame that bolt down out of nowhere are all part of the fun . On May 11 , 1984 , the Haunted Castle at Six Flags Adventure in New Jersey , offer a truly terrifying experience when a sudden fire engulfed the construction and claimed the lives of eight teenagers .
time of day after the fire was declare under control , fire fighter discovered the eight body in a poke . Initially they were mistaken as mannequins . The castle was considered a “ irregular structure ” and , despite recommendations from the park safety advisor , the Mungo Park was not need to install sprinkler or smoke sensor . For these reasonableness , Six Flags was found not hangdog of aggravate manslaughter . The families of the eight victim charge civil suit against the park and were awarded over $ 18 million for their loss .
3. Three Killed on World’s Largest Indoor Triple Loop Coaster
On the eve of June 14 , 1986 , the West Edmonton Mall in Canada was packed with citizenry pay heed a concert , typical evening shoppers , and others waiting for a opportunity to hinge on the world ’s largest indoor roller coaster , The Mindbender . The ride had been shut down twice that evening when the operator heard a metallic sound coming from the train . When the ride reopened , 12 the great unwashed gleefully got on .
Shortly into the ride the train jump and hurled two bodies up to 100 pes . Tony Mandrusiak , 24 , and his fiancé Cindy Sims , 21 where violently killed when the ride derailed . Sims was partially decapitated when her body was thrown into a concrete ledge . A third death , David Sager , 24 , occurred moment after the derailment when his railway car stalled upside - down during one of the loops and his body fell from the ride onto the plaza storey . Nineteen other people were also injured .
2. Space Journey Ride in China Kills Six People
Ecoventure Valley of Overseas Chinese Town is a pop amusement green in Shenzhen , China . One of their main attraction , Space Journey , is truly unique . The ride simulates a rocket launching by speed into the airwave at twice the rate of graveness while spin and shake its 11 four - person cabins . On June 29 , 2010 , this thrilling ride became a catastrophic nightmare .
allot to eyewitness , there was a king outage and an explosion second before one of the drive ’s cabin amount informal and collided with the other cabins . The cabin dropped 50 foot , and hurled passengers into the ground . The chance event killed six people and seriously hurt 10 others . astonishingly , the ride had pass along its maintenance inspection just eight days before the stroke , which has heightened the concerns regarding the safety of Chinese amusement parks .
1. The Deadliest Roller Coaster Accident in History
Wooden curler coaster have a reputation for being possible death traps . They outwear out apace and require a bully deal of maintenance . Even the small amount of negligence can result in a huge catastrophe . This was the situation at London ’s Battersea Park Fun Fair in May of 1972 . The parking area ’s main attraction , the Big Dipper roller coaster , became the internet site of the baneful roller coaster accident in account .
As the ride was being pulled to the top of the launching hill the face lift chain detached from one the trains and the anti - rollback mechanism malfunction . The train came hurtle back down the hill and smash into another gearing wait in the boarding sphere . Five children were killed and 13 others were seriously offend . The roller coaster was never reopened and the Battersea Fun Fair was closed two years by and by as a result .
