Teen injured after fall from Six Flags 'Sky Ride'

[fractalpotato]

News story is here, it doesn't say how the girl ended up stuck in the ride before falling loose. I always wondered about that happening when I rode these sort of things.

Matt

 

[lovin'fl]

Not so sure the bystanders should have told her to drop to them so they could catch her. Lawsuit waiting to happen. How did she end up hanging from basket (like a gondola ride)?

 

[fractalpotato]

Not so sure the bystanders should have told her to drop to them so they could catch her. Lawsuit waiting to happen. How did she end up hanging from basket (like a gondola ride)?

I was surprised to see that, especially when immediately after the camera revealed park security waiting for them. I can't believe the park allowed the bystanders to intervene! I have no idea how she ended up in that position though.

Matt

 

[RedAngie]

I wonder is the safety bar is locked in place. On many of those style of sky rides, the bar is just manually lowered and it's easy for riders to lift it up. Years ago I saw teens lift the bar and jump from the ride at the turnaround point at Rocky Point Amusement Park in Rhode Island. The gap isn't large enough for even young teens to just slip through unless the bar is moved.

 

[book_junkie]

Is it the same type that WDW used to have? If so, you could get out of the security bar easily.

 

[Planogirl]

Maybe she was already dangling when they came upon her? Lots of details missing from this article.

 

[fractalpotato]

I wonder is the safety bar is locked in place. On many of those style of sky rides, the bar is just manually lowered and it's easy for riders to lift it up. Years ago I saw teens lift the bar and jump from the ride at the turnaround point at Rocky Point Amusement Park in Rhode Island. The gap isn't large enough for even young teens to just slip through unless the bar is moved.

Is it the same type that WDW used to have? If so, you could get out of the security bar easily.

Every one of these style rides I've been on the safety bar has been at most held in place by a twisting spring so you had to deliberately open it. While at Hersheypark a few weeks ago I was musing to my girlfriend about this exact scenario when we were in it, she would have preferred I waited til we were on the ground...

Maybe she was already dangling when they came upon her? Lots of details missing from this article.

That's my guess, still begs the question how she came to be dangling though, was she doing something she shouldn't have been or did the ride jolt to a stop and slide her out of something else?

Matt

 

[DisneylandDarling]

I read that a rider was in distress, thus the ride coming to a stop. I assumed it was the teen who was in distress and probably slipped out of the bar herself. The safety features were in working order. so this is the only possible conclusion I can think of. The other child in the ride car seemed fine.

 

[DaisyJ]

Nothing malfunctioned on the ride. I am guessing she was being stupid and it landed her in the hospital. She's lucky she wasn't killed.

 

[bcla]

Every one of these style rides I've been on the safety bar has been at most held in place by a twisting spring so you had to deliberately open it. While at Hersheypark a few weeks ago I was musing to my girlfriend about this exact scenario when we were in it, she would have preferred I waited til we were on the ground...

I had a look at some of the stills, and it's of course one of those old sky rides with the feet dangling. I've been on rides like that, and even brought my then two year old on one (at the Oakland Zoo). It would be difficult to get out of one unless the bar was deliberately unlocked. It's not necessarily that difficult.

Disneyland's original Skyway started off with round baskets. Later they switched to a larger, boxy shaped basket.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Nothing malfunctioned on the ride. I am guessing she was being stupid and it landed her in the hospital. She's lucky she wasn't killed.

Yep. We have ridden it MANY times and so has my husband and his family. She was no doubt screwing around.

 

[Magpie]

This is all based on what I was reading on Reddit (and saw in the video)...

She was apparently indeed "screwing around". In a way I can easily imagine doing myself, when I was her age.

The girl apparently was trying to touch a passing tree with her foot. She slid her butt forward and slipped off the edge of the seat. This caused her to slide under the lap bar. Her little brother tried to hold the bar down so she couldn't fall but people below began shouting that her neck was stuck. So when the man beneath her told her he'd catch her, the brother lifted the bar, which freed her and she dropped into people's arms.

She did not suffer any serious injuries (though I imagine she's very sore today!).

In my opinion, everyone (except the girl, obviously) acted appropriately. Leaving her dangling by her neck while waiting for the authorities to show up would not have been good for her. I would not think there's any risk of a lawsuit here (but I'm not American).

At most, the park may decide to install lap belts (such as they have on the Astro Orbiter). But the ride meets all safety standards and is operating as it's supposed to.

 

[Mizzoufan]

Thankfully, those bystanders were there or she might not be here today.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Saw this on the news and thought the girl must've been fooling around or intentionally trying to get out.

It's not what I'd call a gondola (like the ones they had at MK and DL), more like a chairlift at a ski resort.

Incidentally, there are many ski lifts, particularly in the western US that are very high up and have NO safety bars. We mainly ski in the northeast where there always safety bars, although some people choose to not use them. (First time I skied in Colorado, it freaked me out a bit.)

Anyway, I'm glad the girl is okay, but unfortunately a man who helped catch her suffered a back injury. She did a dumb thing and hopefully learned a lesson.

 

[fractalpotato]

This is all based on what I was reading on Reddit (and saw in the video)...

I haven't seen this on Reddit, could you share a link?

In my opinion, everyone (except the girl, obviously) acted appropriately. Leaving her dangling by her neck while waiting for the authorities to show up would not have been good for her. I would not think there's any risk of a lawsuit here (but I'm not American).

In America, everything is at risk for a lawsuit (including lawsuits) and often frivolous cases get settled before court can throw them out to save money and bad press, it's pretty crappy.

Matt

 

[Magpie]

I haven't seen this on Reddit, could you share a link?

In America, everything is at risk for a lawsuit (including lawsuits) and often frivolous cases get settled before court can throw them out to save money and bad press, it's pretty crappy.

Matt

I think it was in the comments on one of the links on r/news. I don't know where it is now, though, as it's dropped off the first page and I didn't comment so I can't track it that way.

 

[GaryDis]

I haven't seen this on Reddit, could you share a link?

https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/6jfyea/teen_suffers_no_serious_injuries_after_fall_from/

Given the hint that it was in r/news, I just searched that subreddit for "ride" and sorted by New.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Great Escape said there was no malfunction and that the fall was caused by "Human Error".

I read somewhere(probably in the comments section of our local news) that she was trying to touch a tree with her foot.

 

[DVC-Don]

Read today that the police said it was the girls fault after interviews with her and her brother.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

The sky ride was one of the rides I ran when I worked at a local amusement park 20+ years ago. One night somebody decided it would be fun to bounce the car up and down, and ended up having the cable jump off one of the wheels on one of the pillars. The ride was closed all night and the fire department had to be called to evacuate people.

A few years later, the ride was totally removed.

I hated that ride.