Everyone loves amusement parks. These are wonderful places where everyone can have fun, relax, and get their dose of adrenaline (who is with me on a roller coaster?). No wonder these places are called amusement parks, right?
However, in reality, not everything is so rosy here. Unfortunately, in the history of the existence of amusement parks, there have been many shocking incidents in them. Of course, some of these incidents are due to park owners breaking the rules or employees not following them, in some cases parental negligence is to blame.
However, the fact remains that these accidents have left a stain on the reputation of amusement parks as safe place for relaxation and adrenaline.
Here are 15 of the creepiest accidents in amusement parks.
Metterhorn Bobsled, Disneyland, Anaheim, California
The Metterhorn Bobsled with its steel slide is a model of the Metterhorn Swiss Alps. In 1964, it was the site of the first accident at Disneyland: a fifteen-year-old boy was injured after he climbed out of a trailer and fell. Three days later, he died as a result of his injuries.
Big Dipper, Bettersea Park, London, UK
The Big Dipper, a wooden slide in London's Bettersea Park, has witnessed one of the most tragic accidents in amusement park history. In May 1972, the trailer, which was raised to the start, fell off the rope and rolled back, crashing into another trailer. 5 children died and 13 others were injured in the accident.
Steel slide, Derin Lake, Derin, New York
In July 2011, Iraq War veteran James Hukimer, who lost both legs in an attack, died after falling off a metal slide at the Superman-inspired theme park Derin Lake in New York City. The slide was closed but then reopened after it was admitted that James's death was operator error. He was not supposed to let Hakimer on the attraction due to his disability.
Cyclone, Coney Island, New York, New York
Cyclone is one of the most unfortunate rides in the US. It was built in 1927 and has so far taken the lives of three people. In May 1985, a 29-year-old man died as a result of standing on his feet in a trailer and hitting his head on a cross beam. Just three years later, a 26-year-old man died after falling from the Cyclone. In July 2007, a 53-year-old man broke his neck while riding the Cyclone. He died a few days later.
A series of accidents involving children in various regions of Russia forced the authorities to tighten their supervision of attractions and amusement parks. Despite this, accidents that kill and injure amusement park and amusement park visitors continue to occur.
In 1999 in the Sokolniki Park in Moscow, five children were injured in the accident of the Caterpillar attraction.
In the same year, a woman crushed by a 5-ton boat died in the Moscow Gorky Park on the Flying Carpet attraction.
In 2002 in the Park. Gorky in Moscow, as a result of the spontaneous stop of the Whirlwind carousel, 8 people were injured, including children.
In 2002 in the Park. Kirov in St. Petersburg on the attraction "Seventh Heaven" killed an 18-year-old boy. Due to the rupture of the fasteners on his legs, he fell from a height of 10 meters onto the asphalt.
In 2003 in the Park. Gorky in Moscow, 21-year-old Belarusian Dmitry Gurinovich died on the Tarzanka attraction. An elastic band tied to his legs broke, and he fell into the water from a height of 60 meters.
April 2004 In Moscow, in Lianozovsky Park, during the rotation of the Surprise carousel, a rotating platform collapsed with people on it. As a result of the accident, injuries varying degrees 16 people received gravity, including one of them - a fracture of the spine.
June 26, 2004 in Volgograd, due to a marriage made by the manufacturer, the booth of the Galaxy mobile carousel, in which there were two visitors, came off. A 15-year-old girl was seriously injured, her 17-year-old friend died in the hospital.
In 2005 in Smolensk on the attraction "Loping" during the operation of the carousel, a 13-year-old boy unfastened the mount on one of his hands, as a result of which he fell out of the attraction onto the asphalt. The victim lost a leg up to the knee, received multiple fractures and a concussion.
January 4, 2006 in the city of Bezhetsk, Tver region, a tragedy occurred: 12 summer teenager together with his friend came to the city park, where he spun the platform of the attraction "Surprise" and tried to climb on it. As a result, the boy received swipe and died a few minutes later. The tragedy occurred due to the fact that the attraction was not blocked.
May 8, 2006 in Ufa, there was a failure at the Corsair attraction, as a result of which about half of the 22 people on it hung upside down. The visitors managed to be released with the help of rescuers only two hours later.
June 14, 2006 in the city of Severodvinsk Arkhangelsk region on the site near the Drama Theater, a strong gust of wind overturned an inflatable slide on which there were children, five of them were injured. The most severe injuries were received by children who were at the very top of the hill, they had multiple fractures of arms and legs, as well as craniocerebral injuries.
June 17, 2006 in the city of Blagoveshchensk (Amur region) there was a tragedy on the attraction "Cosmonaut". At the moment of rotation, a 68-year-old woman fell out of the attraction. She suffered a head injury and died on the spot.
May 2007 in the park of the Soviet District of the city of Omsk, during work, the door of the cabin of the Simulator Skat attraction arbitrarily opened, and a 5-year-old girl fell onto a metal structure. The victim was hospitalized in the pediatric traumatology department clinical hospital with a diagnosis of "compression fracture of the 9th thoracic vertebra".
June 14, 2007 In the Central Park of Culture and Leisure "Attraction" of the city of Yugorsk in the Ural Federal District, an accident occurred in the children's attraction "Helicopters". During the skiing of a group of 11 children with a teacher, the supporting structure of the structure was destroyed, as a result of which the cabins with passengers fell. As a result of the incident, five minors and one adult were injured.
June 24, 2007 in Khilok Chita region At the inflatable attraction "Trampoline" weighing 500 kilograms, installed in the yard of the school, the stretch marks were cut off by a gust of wind. After flying 30 meters through the air, the trampoline hit the wall of a brick garage. At that moment, there were seven children on the ride. When falling to the ground, four children were seriously injured, and four-year-old Vika Zhitkova died. The accident occurred due to non-compliance with safety rules. The operation of the trampoline is prohibited when the wind strength is more than three points, and on this day a storm warning was announced and the wind strength reached six to seven points.
April 23, 2008 in the park of culture and recreation of the city of Berdsk Novosibirsk region A seven-year-old boy fell off the Ferris Wheel and died. The child decided to take a ride on the attraction, which the park workers left turned on and unattended in the evening. He grabbed one of the booths with his hands and together with it began to rise up, hanging in the air. But a few minutes later the child's hands could not withstand the stress, he fell from a height of 26 meters and died on the spot.
May 1, 2008 An incident occurred at the Moscow Zoo - a children's train derailed and overturned. At the time of the accident, there were 8 kids in the train, six received minor injuries and scratches, two girls, 6 and 7 years old, were hospitalized.
May 12, 2008 in the park of Veliky Novgorod during the performance of the Tula amusement park "Fantasy", touring in the city, a carousel fell. 11 people were injured. The collapse occurred for technical reasons. A puck broke off in the people-lifting device of the carousel and it high altitude collapsed down, crushing the resting legs.
July 9, 2008 in the Lazarevsky district of the city of Sochi, on the wild beach of the village of Volkonka, a girl died when the water ride she was on collided with a boat. The girl, along with her husband, rode the water attraction "tablet", which was tied to a jet ski. With a sharp turn, the circle hit the side of the boat, which was 300 meters from the shore. From a blow to the head, the girl died instantly. Her husband was not hurt.
August 20, 2008 in the city amusement park "Dragon" of Makhachkala, the seats fell off the attraction "Arrow" due to a break in the metal cable.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti, ITAR‑TASS, IA Regnum, IA Bashinform
Mortality on adult attractions is comparable to mortality in car accidents, the death of children is comparable to death in road accidents
Last week, 21-year-old citizen of Belarus Dmitry Gurinovich died in the capital's Gorky Park on the Catapult attraction. The essence of this one of the most expensive rides (ticket price is 1600 rubles) is that the cables attached to two poles are hooked on a person’s belt and stretched. The tension force is calculated by a computer that takes into account the weight and height of a person. Then the cable holding the belt is fired, and the person soars into the air. This time, when the attraction was launched, the young man fell off the rubber cable and fell from a height of 60 meters onto a concrete slab. According to preliminary data, one of the carbines securing the rubber cable could not stand on the Catapult. The details are yet to be investigated. In the meantime, the "Catapult" and another no less popular attraction "Bungee" are temporarily closed.
It must be said that this is far from the first tragic incident for Gorky Park. As, however, for other Russian entertainment venues. In particular, the other day in the Cheryomushkinsky Intermunicipal Court of Moscow, hearings on the Transvaal-Park case began. Transvaal in Yasenevo is the largest water park in Europe. On weekends, an adult ticket costs 790 rubles for three hours. During the year of the Transvaal's existence, three people have already died in it. Among them is the famous stuntman Valery Saprykin, who performed the most difficult stunts in many films, for example, "Brotherhood" and " glacial period". All the tragic incidents took place on the same slide called "Cyclone". At the same time, the management of the park is perplexed: why is there so much attention to these deaths? There are only three deaths per 430 thousand people who have visited the park, while about 700 people die on Moscow beaches during the season.
There are no official statistics on ride accidents in Russia. Doesn't do it and Russian association Amusement Parks and Manufacturers (RAPPA). Although, according to press reports, serious accidents happen all the time. Every year in the country, about a thousand children die from the impact of heavy swings and carousels, several thousand are seriously injured, and tens of thousands of fractures and bruises are accounted for. In the city garden of Tver (pah-pah-pah) the situation is more or less favorable. According to director Vyacheslav Orlikov, for many years there has not been a single tragic event. Perhaps because their serviceability is checked annually by the Interregional technical commission, which is located in Vladimir and was created at the initiative of the park management. And when “Surprise”, one of the most dangerous rides, was installed in the Tver city garden about 15 years ago, it (perhaps because of the danger) was quickly removed.
CONTROL IS VOLUNTARY
In terms of overseeing the serviceability of attractions, the Tver city garden is an exception. Today in Russia there is neither a structure that carries out technical supervision of attractions, nor common rules their operation. There is only one organization whose members undergo certification and annual testing of park equipment. But joining the association is voluntary. Thus, only the owner controls the health of the mechanisms, and then, if he wants. State bodies not concerned about such things. In addition, unlike other countries, we do not have compulsory insurance for the public having fun on the merry-go-round, therefore, in case of something, there is, in fact, no one to make claims.
It turns out that the life and health of visitors to amusement parks depend only on honesty and professional competence the carousels themselves. Meanwhile, the danger posed by the rides is obvious to everyone. Not in vain last year for the first time in the framework of International Exhibition-Fair"Attractions and entertainment RAPPA-SHOW-2002" worked international seminar Amusement Safety. Having independently estimated the statistics of incidents on domestic attractions, manufacturers and owners of electric swings and slides sounded the alarm.
First of all, concerning the legislation in the field of the entertainment industry. If you follow the old instructions, 90 percent of all attractions in Russia must be closed. No new laws have yet been passed, and binding documents certifying rides, even in major cities no.
WITH HEAVY LEGS
However, it's not just that. In Europe and America, the legislation is regulated, the rides are not only more interesting, but also more reliable. However, there are even more accidents and tragedies. In the foreign press, a number of accidents and disasters on attractions and playgrounds are described in sufficient detail. For example, during the entire period of functioning of the California Disneyland, 55 people died in it. In 2002, 9,200 people who were injured on rides turned to doctors in the United States. This is 24 percent more than four years ago.
At a London amusement park in May 2000, a rollercoaster car on great speed fell off the rails and flew 20 meters. A 28-year-old woman died. On the same day, a 13-year-old girl died in the same place due to a faulty carousel. In the spring of 2001, a short circuit occurred in one of the roller coaster cabins in Germany. A fire broke out and 54 people were injured. In July 2002, in Egypt, a young woman died after falling out of the booth of the Tornado ride. In June of this year, one of the carriages derailed in the amusement park of Brest, killing a young woman.
By the way, along with the visitors, the workers of the attractions also suffer. For example, last year a 58-year-old employee american park entertainment went on the rails of a working attraction. There, he was overtaken by a fatal kick, which a 14-year-old girl stuck out of a trailer that was rushing at a speed of 80 km / h along a roller coaster. The employee died on the spot, and the girl received a slight leg injury. The list of tragedies can be continued for a very long time. In addition to fatal accidents, there are many cases of brain damage caused by riding Russians and roller coaster. According to supporters of limiting progress in this area, the technology and design of such attractions are ahead of scientists' ideas about harmful effects acceleration on human body.
MONEY IS SPINING
It is clear that, no matter how much they talk about the dangers of rides, they will still ride them. The entertainment industry is a gigantic industry with billions of dollars in circulation. Suffice it to say that in the United States its turnover is three times the military budget. The attraction of this business lies in the extremely fast return on investment. As a rule, money invested in children's attractions is returned within one year, in family attractions - in a year or two, extreme - in two or three years, and in the future they already make a profit. In Russia, this industry is just beginning to develop. Today in our country, according to RAAPA, there are 650 functioning parks, of which 30 can be called large. On the acute shortage of places for cultural recreation you don't have to talk to the kids.
However, the misfortune of the Russian entertainment industry is that most of the parks, including the Tver one, are municipally owned and drag out a miserable existence: the rides are old, obsolete and have long been bored by visitors. From municipal park no one wants a profit. Somehow it works, okay. Meanwhile, now the demand for entertainment is actively growing, and parks simply cannot but reckon with the spirit of the times. Private capital rushed into this area - and, as practice shows, more than successfully. True, this primarily concerns the production of attractions. Now in our country, according to RAAPA, more than 160 enterprises are engaged in equipment for amusement parks (one and a half times more than last year), and most of them are small businesses. Among the leading enterprises in the industry, experts name primarily the Mir plant (Moscow), NPP Kulttekhnika-South (Krasnodar), Attraction JSC (Yeisk), NPO Center-8 (Minsk), AirPalace (St. Petersburg). ) other.
At the end of 2002 State Duma the Law on technical regulation which came into effect this summer. It is assumed that this law will close access to the Russian market for obsolete, outdated imported attractions, whose share is still very significant in the Russian market. On the one hand, the document clearly stipulates safety requirements, in each industry they should be placed in a special, common for all technical regulation. On the other hand, complete creative freedom is proclaimed: previously mandatory standards become voluntary, that is, from now on, no one will be able to dictate to the manufacturer what and how to do it. How the law will affect our security is unknown. But in any case, the amusement park will remain eternal point attraction for children and their parents. The main thing is that when buying a ticket at the box office of the same "Surprise", people remember that it can be not only pleasant.
An amusement park is laughter and fun, balls and ice cream, carousels and roller coasters... However, the latter can become not only a source of joy, but also the cause of a real tragedy. After all, rides, like any technology, break down from time to time, and this can be fraught with serious injury and even death of a person - as in these cases.
Death of two people in Australia
In October 2016, four adults died in front of their children on the Fast Thunder River in Dreamworld park in Australia. The loose circular spinning seat on the waterslide broke and stalled in the drop zone. A seat with six passengers following him overturned and fell into the engine shaft. Only a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl miraculously managed to escape. The parents of the children sitting next to them died before their eyes.
Death on the waterslide
This tragedy happened on water slides at the Schlitterbahn water amusement park in Kansas City. 10-year-old Caleb Schwabb found himself in the same seat with two very obese women. The boy was put in first, the ladies behind him. From the disproportionate weight distribution on the fastest section of the slide, the nose of the cart broke away from the surface, and it crashed into a metal structure. The women escaped with fractures, but Caleb, in front of his distraught parents, was cut off his head with an iron rod. Subsequently, it turned out that the attraction was in good order, just a light boy should have been put in the middle. However, after the incident, the attraction was closed permanently.
Phone of death
Rollercoaster riders often lose items from their pockets while riding. After the attraction closes, they are picked up by attendants and returned to their owners. But 45-year-old James Young, who lost his cell phone on the Raptor ride in Sider Point Park in Ohio, did not wait. He climbed over two two-meter fences with warning signs and was already looking for a phone when he was hit by a rolling cart of an attraction. Young's family tried to sue the owners of the park, claiming that the fences enclosing danger zone, should be higher in order to exclude access to the attraction while driving, but, of course, they lost the court.
Tragedy in Zhaooh Park at
In February 2017, a tragedy occurred at the Zhaohu amusement park in the city of Chongqing in southwest China. While riding the rollercoaster" Space trip"A 14-year-old passenger's seat belt suddenly broke, and she fell down from a great height. Having hit a metal fence, the girl died on the spot. As it turned out, the technical condition of the attraction has not been checked since 2013. The girl's parents received compensation of $ 100 from the park owners 000.
Death in the restricted area
Aisha Lishawn Ferguson, 17, from South Carolina, died on the Batman ride at Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park after climbing into a restricted area around the attraction. The teenager wanted to pick up a cap that fell off while skiing, and was hit to death by a cart that drove up at a speed of 75 km / h. The force of the blow was such that Eisha's head was blown off. A teenager who climbed over two fences and ignored signs warning of danger was found guilty of the incident - and his own death.
Woman falls off ride in front of daughter
This incident happened at Six Flags Amusement Park in Arlington, Texas in 2013. Rosa Ayala-Gaona Esparza, 52, came to the park for the first time and decided to ride the Texas Giant rollercoaster with her daughter. However, during the movement, the safety handle unexpectedly unfastened, and the woman, in front of her daughter, who was sitting in a nearby cart, fell down from a height of 30 meters, breaking to death. As the investigation showed, the fault was the rather large dimensions of the deceased, which did not allow the handle to be fastened to the end, and the inattention of the attendant, who did not pay attention to this circumstance during the check.
Fire at the Ghost Castle
This incident happened in the same Texas Six Flags Park on May 11, 1984. "Ghost Castle" was built as a horror room with dark corners and mechanical ghosts. At that time, one boy in the group was very afraid of the dark, and his friend, in order to help him, decided to light them with a lighter. From one awkward movement of the lighter, the plastic lining of the lock instantly ignited. Firefighters immediately arrived at the scene. They managed to evacuate some of the visitors, but eight teenagers from 15 to 18 years old died, suffocating in the smoke.
Death at Disneyland
Debbie Stone worked at Disneyland's America Sings attraction, raising money for college. There were several revolving walls in the attraction, and one day, while escorting another group of visitors, Debbie somehow got between the main and revolving walls. Visitors and other employees saw Debbie being squeezed by the wall and heard her screams, but did not know how to help the girl. Debi was crushed to death. Her parents sued the owners of the park, receiving a small amount of compensation for their daughter's death.
Roller coaster tragedy
The Big Dipper ride at London's Battersea amusement park was in trouble. In 1972, a fire broke out here, fortunately, there were no casualties. And in 1972 it happened here real tragedy. During the movement, one of the carts broke the drive, and it rolled back, pulling the entire train with it. On acceleration, the last car could not stay on the rails and, turning over, hit the railing. Five children were killed, more than ten people were seriously injured. After the incident, the attraction was immediately closed and dismantled, but this did not help: the number of visitors to the park fell so much that in 1974 it was forced to close.
School trip ends in tragedy
11-year-old schoolgirl Eva Jannot died in the British amusement park Drayton Manor, where she came with her class. While riding the Splash Canyon water ride, a girl got up from her seat in the middle of the ride to swap seats with a classmate. However, at that moment, the inflatable raft they were riding hit a rock. From the push, the girl was thrown into the water, and she instantly went to a depth of two meters. Got her out already dead. The investigation showed that during the fall she hit her head hard and therefore could not even try to escape.
Three Deaths in Keans Island
June 1991 was an unlucky month for Kings Island Amusement Park in Ohio. Three visitors died here in one day in two tragic accidents. The first incident happened in the pond next to the beer yard. A drunk visitor fell into the water, and one of the employees was assigned to pull him out. But while he was helping the unlucky visitor to get ashore, a short circuit occurred in one of the cables, and the water in the pond instantly became energized. Both men were killed on the spot. Almost at the same time, at the other end of the park, a visitor on the Flight Commander ride unfastened the safety bar, and she, having fallen out of the cart, crashed to death on the ground.
As the character of one said famous novel, the trouble is not that a person is mortal, but that he is suddenly mortal. No one can know the date of their death, and although it can come at any moment, the last thing people expect is that they risk dying while visiting an amusement park - after all, who, going on a fun weekend, thinks about death? But do not forget that the "old woman with a scythe" can hide anywhere - in order to die, it is sometimes enough for a person to slip on the street and bite his tongue, what can we say about the "roller coaster" and other extreme entertainment.
You probably shouldn't remember this compilation every time you go to an amusement park, but once you've beaten the urge to ride the rides, it could save your life.
1. Kings Island, Mason, Ohio
June 9, 1991 was a black day in the history of the Island of Kings amusement park. It all started when one of the visitors fell into a pond located in the park. His friend, 20-year-old William Hayskot and an employee of the "Island", 20-year-old Darrell Robertson tried to save the unfortunate, but in the end all three got hit. electric shock, which for Hayskot and Robertson became fatal. Just an hour later, another tragedy occurred - 32-year-old Candy Taylor fell from one of the most extreme rides and crashed to death.
Rumor has it that since then the park has been haunted: customers have repeatedly reported seeing a ghostly girl in a blue dress and other strange characters, clearly not from the world of the living. These stories became so popular that the SyFy channel dedicated one of the episodes to the Island. documentary series"Ghostbusters".
2. Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire, Wales
16-year-old Hayley Williams in April 2004, along with her family, arrived at the Oakwood theme park to have fun - no one imagined what a carefree weekend would turn out to be. While riding a roller coaster, Hayley fell out of the cart and fell from a height of 30 meters, receiving injuries incompatible with life.
The investigation found that park staff routinely failed to check patrons' harnesses and seat belts prior to launching the ride, resulting in Oakwood being fined £250,000 (approximately $384,000) for negligence. After the incident with Hayley, the attraction was closed for a year, and then renamed "Soaked".
3. Action Park, Vernon, New Jersey
The reputation of "Action Park" is hopelessly damaged by several accidents that have occurred here in different years. This is due to various factors: the terrible technical condition of the rides, careless employees and complete absence management control. In the entire history of the park, at least six people have died here, and many have been injured. Among the dead, one was electrocuted, another died of a heart attack, three drowned and another crashed when the cart of one of the attractions on which he was riding derailed.
In 1998, due to numerous health claims, Action Park was closed. A few years later, it was renamed "Mountain Creek" and reopened, providing proper level security and hiring responsible personnel.
4. Discovery Cove, Orlando, Florida
"Bay" is part of " sea world"- a huge theme amusement park where adults and children can literally plunge into the world of marine animals, communicate with tropical fish, and play with dolphins, otters and monkeys.
59-year-old British tourist Keith Clark, who came to swim in the wonderful pools of the park, did not know how it would end for him. Clark suffered from hemophilia (blood clotting), and he managed to cut his leg on a piece of coral. A few days later, Keith's condition deteriorated sharply, he passed out right at the airport before being sent home to the United Kingdom. Clark was taken by special flight to the UK, where doctors did everything possible to save his life, but the man died of sepsis.
5. The Cyclone, Coney Island, New York
Now the amusement park on the Coney Island Peninsula is going through better times: in the 1920s and 1930s, its popularity was much higher, but the famous old rides, including the Cyclone (the world's first "roller coaster", which, by the way, are called "Russian" in some European countries), opened in 1927, and the Wonder Wheel is still in operation. Despite the fact that at the heart of the slides - wooden structure, the attraction quickly won the love of Americans, because they had never seen anything like it. The excitement was fueled by the fact that at the time of the opening of the Cyclone, one trip cost only ¢25 (now you have to pay $9 for pleasure).
The world's first rollercoaster killed at least three people, the last victim of the attraction was 53-year-old Keith Shirasawa, who in 2007 broke his neck on one of the first turns of the attraction
6. Gulliver’s World Theme Park, Warrington, England
For Salma Salim, a 15-year-old girl with Down syndrome, going to the World Park was the last thing she saw in her life: riding the Ferris Wheel - Salma fell from a height of about six meters and later a short time died from a traumatic brain injury.
Later it turned out that the girl had to go with her mother, but the Wheel staff considered her too heavy and put her in a separate booth. Unfortunately, neither Salma nor her mother owned English language enough to explain why a girl shouldn't be left alone.
Apparently, Salim, shortly after the start of the trip, got out of the chair (although, as the investigation showed, the seat belts were fastened) and fell out of the cab. After the incident, the park was fined a large amount.
7. Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia
One of the most popular attractions of the Six Flags amusement complex in Georgia, the rollercoaster "The Batman: Ride" (can be translated as "Walk with Batman") in 2008 claimed the life of 17-year-old Aisha Lishaw Ferguson. During the trip, Ferguson lost his headgear, hoping to get it, the young man climbed over the fences and got right on the rails, along which at that time another train was rushing at a speed of 80 km / h. The boy died on the spot, thus repeating the fate of the park gardener, who was hit by The Batman: Ride six years before the incident with Ferguson.
8. Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, Louisville, Kentucky
Batman is not the only superhero whose meeting can end badly for the layman. The Superman Power Tower ride at one of Kentucky's premier amusement parks also caused the death of a customer. The "tower" is one of the most extreme entertainments: first, passengers are thrown up several times, and then they can enjoy the state of free fall for a few seconds.
On June 21, 2007, 13-year-old Caitlin Lesitter bought a ticket for the attraction, hoping to experience the thrill, the girl, however, did not expect that the "Tower" would be her grave.
During Caitlin's flight, one of the cables broke and wrapped around the girl's neck and legs. The young passenger was able to free her neck, but did not have time to do her legs, and when Lassiter reached lowest point flight, they were torn off. Surgeons managed to sew only the girl's left leg, and the "Superman Power Tower" was dismantled.
9. The Big Dipper, Bettersea Fun Fair, London, UK
As part of the 1951 festival dedicated to Great Britain, Bettersea amusement park organized a fair at which it presented the attraction " Big Dipper» - British version"roller coaster". Although the "Medveditsa" was far from the most winding and whimsical "hills" of our time, it was not without casualties.
A little over twenty years after the opening, in 1972, a terrible accident occurred on the attraction: one of the train cars unhooked and rolled into reverse side, as a result of which five underage passengers of the Medveditsa were killed and several were injured. The popularity of the "Fair" among adults and children fell sharply, and in 1974 it ceased to exist.
10. Haunted Castle, Six Flags Big Adventure, Jackson, NJ
The "castle" was a typical "panic room": visitors walked around the dark rooms, where they were frightened by ghosts and monsters. Many of them were convincing enough, but the guests of the Haunted Castle experienced the real horror on May 11, 1984, when a fire started in the attraction building.
Most of the thrill-seekers managed to get out, escaping with burns and poisoning. carbon monoxide, however, eight teenagers remained in the "Castle" forever. All exits from the attraction were blocked, as a result of which young people were burned alive. Their bodies were so mutilated that relatives were able to identify the dead only by the impressions of their teeth.
During the investigation, it turned out that elementary norms were not observed in the "Castle" fire safety, for example, there were no smoke detectors and an automatic fire extinguishing system. Six Flags sued to have the attraction recognized as a temporary structure, and its management managed to avoid liability.
11. Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Virginia
Unlike other stories in this collection, the incident that happened to the Italian fashion model and model Fabio is not tragic, but rather comical.
During the opening of the Busch Gardens amusement park, the Italian was invited to be one of the first to ride the new Apollo Chariot attraction, and while Fabio was enjoying the ride, a goose flying over the attraction crashed into his head.
The fashion model was immediately provided with all the necessary medical care(his nose was damaged), and, unfortunately, history is silent about the fate of the bird.
