Girl's feet severed on ride at Six Flags in Kentucky

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CNN

A girl's feet were cut off Thursday when a free-fall thrill ride malfunctioned at the Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Amusement Park in Louisville, Kentucky, police said.

A cord wrapped around the 16-year-old's feet and severed them at her ankles while she was on the "Superman Tower of Power," a police dispatcher said. The girl was taken to a local hospital.

An unidentified witness told CNN affiliate WLKY she saw a cable on the ride snap.

"The people on the ride just came and hit the ground," she said. "When I got up there, the lady she was just sitting there, and she didn't have no legs. ... And she was just there, calm, probably in shock from everything."



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/21/six.flags.accident/index.html

---

Poor kid. I'm wondering if someone screwed up inspecting that cable. I would think wear should be visible. From what I saw on video at CNN's site this was a steel cable that snapped. I've heard of these kind of accidents on aircraft carriers when the a cable used to hook aircraft snaps.

[madeline_con]

1. This is why I never ride those things.n/t

[poverlay]

2. I imagine she'll never have to work at least. Hopefully they got to her fast enough to do some

quick reattachment.

[BringBigDogBack]

4. Damn!

I hope you're right.

[NEOBuckeye]

6. She might not have to work...

But the hardships she'll face from going through life without her feet, I think would far outweigh any financial benefit she would ever receive through a lawsuit or settlement. I feel bad for her.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

9. I'd rather be poor working class the rest of my life and have the use of my feet.

I do get what you're saying, but really money can't compensate for what she's lost.

[poverlay]

10. Me too. Just the thought of it makes me want to go all Forrest Gump and run across the country! n/t

[silverojo]

25. You can say that again!

Your body is a lot more important than anything else!

[recoveringrepublican]

15. why would she not be able to work?

Even if that was the case, I doubt it would be worth it, if anything that might be depressing when she's older. I'm HOH, profoundly, am looking for work right now. It's depressing knowing I can do a job, but it's hard to get anyone to give you a chance.

[Catch22Dem]

17. I think what was meant was that she's never going to HAVE to work

Since there will presumably be a large settlement. But I agree with Lone_Star_Dem. I'd rater be poor working class and have my feet.

[recoveringrepublican]

20. sorry I need more sleep

was not thinking about it that way. Need to get out of my own pity party.

[poverlay]

23. I never said that she wouldn't be able to work. I said that she wouldn't have to work. I

understand being at home and feeling helpless because you don't have a j o b. My point was the possibly enormous size of the potential lawsuit/settlement.

[recoveringrepublican]

28. I realized what you meant thanks to the poster above.

I'm sorry. Running on too little sleep.

[poverlay]

30. No apology necessary.

May I ask what happened?

[recoveringrepublican]

37. About my little bit of sleep? Just couldn't sleep. nt

[TroglodyteScholar]

42. misunderstanding city

HOH = hard of hearing...but I didn't see anything that indicated it was a recent condition for recoveringrepublican. :shrug:

[recoveringrepublican]

43. nope, it's been 10 years of progressive/agressive loss.

but all my misunderstandings usually are due to my lack of sleep. Since I've been out of work it's like I don't want to sleep, too much to catch up on.

[GregW]

3. This looks a lot like "Drop Zone" at Great America...

A 12-year old boy fell to his death from that in '99

[RamboLiberal]

5. A lot of Parks have this type of ride

I know our local park in Pittsburgh, Kennywood it is called the Pitt Fall. I'm not a huge fan of heights so I've never been on it.

I hope tomorrow every park that has this ride gives their cables an extra inspection.

Don't know how this tragic accident happened yet, but in a lot of accidents of this type some worn part does get overlooked.

On edit - this was the accident you remembered. I remember it now too because the young man who died was handicapped.

August 24, 1999

12-Year Old Falls to Death at Pararmount's Great America

Santa Clara, CA -- A 12-year old boy fell to his death Sunday afternoon while riding the Drop Zone freefall thrill ride at Paramount's Great America.

At approximately 3:20 p.m. Joshua Smurphat, 12, of Sunnyvale, mysteriously fell out of his seat after the four-passenger car began its decent down the 200-foot plus tower.

According to Great America spokesman Timothy Chanaud, "The harness was checked and locked before the coach started, and it was still locked when the vehicle returned to the ground. We simply don't know what happened."

Park officials could not say from what height the boy fell, but it is believed that he died instantly.

Chanaud did say that the boy had "severe mental and physical handicaps, but his disabilities would not disqualify him from riding the attraction."

http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/news/archives/august99/stories/082499_01.shtml

[David__77]

7. What a fricken' nightmare!

I don't like these contraptions - period. I know accidents can happen anywhere, but there's no need for this.

[Up2Late]

8. Oh, Crap, here's a picture of the Ride from 2005

I read on one site that, when it was installed in 1995 it was called "Hellevator."

I think I've only ridden one like this a few times, but I can see how this could happen during a major malfunction.



<http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1357333326068184943NRmsfr?vhost=travel>

And at this link, it says the girl was 13 years old: <http://www.thrillnetwork.com/stories_view.php/2010/girls_feet_severed_kentucky_kingdom.html>

[elocs]

11. I must admit that I feel much safer on these amusement park rides

than the carnival rides that get torn down and hauled from place to place, being operated by people who look like they should be drug tested. Overall, with the number of people who go on these rides each year, I think they are very safe. There is no place which is absolutely safe. You could be sitting in your living room reading the paper and a plane could crash into your roof.

[Divine Discontent]

13. fair rides are GREAT

just when they're run by 12 year olds, they scare me. I ran a merry go round BY MYSELF at 12 for $1 an hour, but my mom demanded $2 an hour (in the 80's) for my weeks worth of work. again, I don't think they'd allow that today, do you think? how I was allowed then is amazing, but there were other kids running rides in the co. fair I worked at. I was a very smart 12 year old, but I was far more responsible than the other kids they hired.

sad about that girl losing her feet. stuff like that happens at the Orlando parks from time to time and they try and hush the non-deaths up, but the deaths make the major news.

www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<--- top '08 items!

[TheMadMonk]

44. Don't bet on it. Fair rides are designed to be...

erected, maintained and operated by idiots.

More often than not, amusement park rides are cutting edge engineering.

[truthisfreedom]

12. I love those free-fall rides! I guess I'll think twice next time.

Maybe 3 times. What a horrible thing to have happen.

[MrSlayer]

14. Hopefully they can re-attach her limbs.

A huge monetary award will not replace the body parts if not but it will help. Either way she should be set for life. I hate to see anything like this happen but accidents do occur. I'm a huge thrill ride fan.

[Tsiyu]

16. Wonder in what ways "tort reform" will limit her settlement

Corporations are now free to damage us in all sorts of ways and we should not expect monetary compensation because that is just doing battle against prosperity.

What are a few feet in the cause of unfettered capitalism?

:sarcasm:

[rodeodance]

18. I hope some one quickly put them on ice------Perhaps they can be re-attached.

[bluetrain]

19. Even if they can reattach them, I doubt they'll be good for much. I tore

all the ligaments and tendons in my right ankle severely and much PT and many years later, my foot sometimes still does not get the signal from my brain to lift up when I'm walking. In other words, I trip a lot. Luckily, my left ankle is fine so most of the time I can catch myself before I would fall.

Hopefully she can get some good prostheses. The ones I've seen on runners seem to be better than natural legs.

Anyway, that's a freaky, fucking terrible thing to happen to a kid. I hope the court puts the money in a trust for her so her parents don't steal it.

[RamboLiberal]

21. Teen who lost feet on amusement park ride has surgery

A teen who lost her feet in an accident at a Kentucky amusement park has undergone surgery, a park spokeswoman said Friday.

Spokeswoman Carolyn McLean said she has been in touch with the 13-year-old girl's family and believed the girl is still receiving treatment at the University of Louisville Hospital.

Hospital spokeswoman Julie Gordon would not discuss details of the surgery or recovery, citing patient privacy.

---

Her feet were recovered by Six Flags staff and were sent to the hospital with her, McLean said.

[LisaL]

24. Seems like an article devoid of useful information.

Anyone would figure out the girl was going to have surgery after her feet were cut off. It's the kind of surgery that is unknown-are they going to try to re-attach the feet or not?

[RamboLiberal]

27. Perhaps the family has put a clamp on info

Seems like there are two extremes in these cases. Either you get the families who are all over the news or the ones that put a clamp on allowing hospitals releasing info. I'm not faulting them though. What a traumatic event to happen when you're just out for an afternoon of fun.

[LisaL]

38. I would like to know if the Drs. tried to reattach the legs.

Right now it doesn't sound as if they did.

[TheMadMonk]

45. Of course they are. They're also wisely not saying anything untill...

...they figure out the likelihood of success.

Boo hoo. Poor media. The perfect cover for a massive Friday night news dump. And they don't have enough details to actually go anywhere with it.

[LisaL]

47. There is no "of course" about it. The legs could be so

destroyed it's not possible to re-attached them.
It all depends on how clean is the cut.

[superconnected]

22. 8 Rides shut down after Ky. Six Flags accident

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Six Flags and another company shut down eight more thrill rides Friday around the country after a teenage girl had her feet chopped off at the ankle on a Superman Tower of Power.

State inspectors, meanwhile, returned to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom where the accident happened to examine the ride, which lifts passengers 177 feet straight up, then drops them nearly the same distance at speeds reaching 54 mph.

It was unclear at what point during the ride the 13-year-old was injured Thursday, said Wendy Goldberg, a Six Flags spokeswoman. The girl was taken to a hospital. She was not identified and details of her condition were not immediately available Friday.

Six Flags has shut down similar rides at parks in St. Louis, Gurnee, Ill., and near Washington as a safety precaution, Goldberg said. Six Flags Over Texas, near Dallas, also has a Superman Tower of Power, but it is not the same ride, Goldberg said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070622/ap_on_re_us/amusement_park_accident

[tammywammy]

26. I worked at Six Flags Over Texas

When they had the fatal accident on a ride. If I remember correctly the accident was in March/April-ish. It was shut down the rest of the year, well into the next season.

[tblue37]

29. I have always been appalled at thrill rides.

The way I figure it, everything is designed and built by human beings. Human beings are imeprfect, and on Mondays and Fridays, or when they have headaches or are depressed, or under any other of a myriad circumstances, they are likely to function at even more imperfect levels.

Certain risks are inevitable, but to seek out such risks just for a thrill seems incredibly silly to me.

In Kansas City, the Hyatt-Regency Hotel's skywalk collapsed in the 1970s because of design flaws. People died.

Certain skyscrapers have been known to send deadly shards of glass down to the street from their windows, because of design flaws.

Designs aren't perfect, and manufacture of even perfect designs can be imperfect

Modern middleclass Americans are not getting enough adrenaline-pumping excitement, I guess, since our lives are so much less dangerous than those of our ancestors, and since we go to extremes to minimize danger generally. So then some people need to seek out extreme experiences to achieve that thrill.

Not me. I am glad my life is not dangerous. Not having to flee or dodge danger leaves me so much more time to do what I enjoy. My kids (adults both) like thrill rides and things like that. They didn't inherit that taste from me.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

31. Hmm

Of course you realize, you're far more likely to die or get hurt of something mundane, like getting out of the bathtub, or falling down stairs.

Right?

[tblue37]

34. Sure--because I DO those things, but I don't go on rollercoasers and

deathdrop rides.

My kids, on the other hand, are way too adventurous.

My son has been whitewater rafting in Europe--in the same place and during the same summer when tourists were drowning doing it. He went bungee jumping in Munich. He is always looking for stuff like that to do.

I have pictures of my daughter petting full grown tigers in Thailand (even belly-rubbing one!). She said they were "tame." (I told her there's no such thing as a tame tiger. One startle and it's all over--as Roy of Siegfried and Roy knows all too well.) She and her boyfriend almost got attacked by a pack of wild dogs in Romania. She plans to work with DOctors without Borders someday. I am almost releived that in order to get a medical degree one must go into debt to the tune of a quarter million dollars these days. That means that for many years after she graduates, she will have to focus on earning money to pay down her huge debt--here in the USA.

Needless to say, both of my kids absolutely love thrill rides.

I am not like that at all. I enjoy life in the slow lane. I never even exceed the speed limit when I drive.

But I have never tried to stand in their way. Just because I am a Nervous Nelly, that doesn't give me the right to tie them to what they would consider a boring life. I do spend a fair amount of time worrying, but I know they are smart, so I have to hope for the best.

[RamboLiberal]

35. Now here's one no way in hell would I do - Half Dome Yosemite

I was amazed to read anyone can do this. No equipment check. No fitness check. Sometmes crowded with people coming up and down and people climbing outside the cables. I was amazed there aren't more deaths. Anyone done it?



The third death in a year on the iconic granite rock in Yosemite known as Half Dome is unlikely to spur additional safety measures or regulations anytime soon, park officials said this week.

The accidental death of Hirofumi Nohara, a 37-year-old Japanese citizen who fell off the immense formation on Saturday, prompted complaints from witnesses about overcrowding and a lack of oversight on the cables that hikers use to clamber up the last 400 feet of the route.

---

Nohara apparently fell after stepping into a crack and twisting his ankle about two-thirds up the last, steepest section of the grueling 8.6-mile hike up to Half Dome. Witnesses said he tumbled sideways and tried to grab the cable support, but it was slack at that point because a pole had come out of its mooring and he couldn't reach it.

He slid down slowly on his back side outside the cables at first, according to numerous witnesses, but began picking up speed until he began tumbling head over heals, eventually plummeting about 300 feet onto a ledge, where he was pronounced dead.

[Codeine]

32. Driving to the grocery store,

hopping a plane to visit Grandma, a fishing trip in the Gulf, going down a stairway, or even the simple act of eating are all far more dangerous activities than thrill rides.

[superconnected]

36. You have to wonder the per capta death rate though.

Without taking that in consideration, you can't really compare the two.

[KittyWampus]

41. Yes, but they are necessary and aren't done with the sole intent of getting an adrenaline rush.

[rucky]

39. Do you drive? n/t

[KittyWampus]

40. yes, I do drive. Because I HAVE to. And I don't INTENTIONALLY seek thrills by getting into my car

to drive for groceries.

[TheMadMonk]

46. I can understand you not liking them. Each to his own.

But if Mondayitis is your primary concern, I'd be far more worried about NEW items, (stereo setting your house on fire, your car deciding to park in someone's living room) than any sort of amusement ride. The degree of regulation and oversight is phenomenal for rides, especially the more modern ones.

Yes sometimes accidents like this happen, but not bloody often. And it's very, very rare that any given cause is repeated not just in specifics, but in kind. A few years ago a large ride came apart as a result of a major bolt failing. The result is that all bolts/pins holding massive cars onto ride have to be x-rayed regularly, every 2 or 3 times the ride is disassembled. My guess at what happened is that nobody gave any consideration to continually tightening and loosening bolts torqued to 2000 lb until one finally failed.

In this case it may have come down to a new bloke and a simple misunderstanding. In construction and transport, a "damaged" cable is one with more than 10% of it's strands broken in a given length (amongst other definitions of damage). In carnival rides, (depending on the cable's function), any discernible damage whatsoever might be enough to necessitate immediate replacement. One bloke says one thing, another hears something else and this happens. Or it could have been some lazy bum who couldn't be shagged climbing all those rungs.

The number of fairground fatalities or injuries is minuscule and a good many of those can be attributed at least partly to idiotic behaviour on the part of riders. The vast majority of activities you might choose to undertake are less safe than an amusement park ride.

[Sparkle]

33. Poor kid! n/t