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View Full Version : Disneyland Roller Coaster Injuries Revealed by State - LA Times, 9/18/03



Darkbeer
09-18-2003, 02:03 AM
Disneyland Roller Coaster Injuries Revealed by State (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-disney18sep18,1,726597.story) - Los Angeles Times, 9/18/03

QuikQuote: Two dozen people have said they were injured on Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad since 2001, according to state documents released Wednesday.
The documents track injuries ranging from a fatal heart attack to minor complaints of dizziness. Follow-up state investigations and ride inspections did not reveal any safety problems.

SteveK
09-18-2003, 08:32 AM
The reality is that if you pulled the same data for some other "thrill" rides and Disneyland, you'd probably see similar numbers...especially if "minor complaints of dizziness" are included. I get minor bouts of dizzines every time I go on SM or Cal Sreaming.

The public and news will focus on this ride solely due to the recent accident. Unfortunately, reports presented like this will only make the park look worse when in reality i'm betting that if you pulled the same reports for Magic Mountain, you'd see far more issues than Big Thunder.

The focus doesn't need be be on whether people got sick on the ride (that's an assumed risk of riding a rollercoaster). They need to focus on whether the ride itself was faulty and if poor maintenence or ride design led to the accident.

-Steve

SacTown Chronic
09-18-2003, 08:55 AM
Must be a slow news day for the LA Times. People actually getting dizzy on a coaster? Stop the presses! What caught my eye is that people actually had the nerve to complain of dizziness after riding something like Big Thunder.

The LA Times out to send a reporter over to Mad Tea Party. Talk about a potential scoop.

Disneyphile
09-18-2003, 09:39 AM
And to think I could have filed complaints all along for each time I get dizzy on Star Tours. :rolleyes:

tod
09-18-2003, 12:19 PM
I went on California Screamin' and got a dreadful headache. I dunno, maybe it was the speed or the loop-the-loop or something.

To see if it was an isolated incident, a few weeks later I went on it again. Got the same dull ache right behind the eyes.

I went over to First Aid, got a couple of aspirin, and haven't been on California Screamin' again.

--T
who just got his million-point pin from FedEx
:fez:

Main Street Magic
09-18-2003, 12:37 PM
oh geez, if they ever decide to do an article on Mission Space at Epcot, they will have several volumns of documentation on "feeling dizzy".

gliterrboy
09-18-2003, 12:59 PM
The news this morning reported that BT is rated 7th in incidents at the park, meaning SIX rides are worse than it. It didn't mention the other 6, but that sounds a little scary.

Ghoulish Delight
09-18-2003, 01:05 PM
Originally posted by gliterrboy
The news this morning reported that BT is rated 7th in incidents at the park, meaning SIX rides are worse than it. It didn't mention the other 6, but that sounds a little scary. Scary?! Theser "incidents" probably include people throwing up after the teacups, or having a little motion sickness after Star Tours.

24 people in 2 years getting a little sick, or bumping their knee on the lapbar on the way out is hardly something to be scared of.

SacTown Chronic
09-18-2003, 01:19 PM
Originally posted by tod
I went on California Screamin' and got a dreadful headache. I dunno, maybe it was the speed or the loop-the-loop or something.

To see if it was an isolated incident, a few weeks later I went on it again. Got the same dull ache right behind the eyes.

I went over to First Aid, got a couple of aspirin, and haven't been on California Screamin' again.

--T
who just got his million-point pin from FedEx
:fez:


I'm afraid that is a little TOO sensible. You should have complained and had them remove the loop. What's wrong with you man?:)

Andrew
09-18-2003, 01:22 PM
Originally posted by gliterrboy
The news this morning reported that BT is rated 7th in incidents at the park, meaning SIX rides are worse than it. It didn't mention the other 6, but that sounds a little scary.

Is that seventh of currently operating attractions or seventh all-time? For example, many people were hurt climbing out of PeopleMover cars, but the PeopleMover is no longer operating.

Is it seventh of total accidents or seventh as a percentage of riders? The highest throughput attraction is, I believe, Pirates, so if you want to look at it on a percentage basis, one injury on Big Thunder is probably "worse" than one injury on Pirates because it's a greater percentage of total ridership.

sleepyjeff
09-18-2003, 01:23 PM
My back kills me the next morning after a ride on the Matterhorn.

Now I never report this so I doubt that it counts as an "incident".

I imagine "incidents" are injuries that require some sort of immediate medical attention. A little dizzy no....so dizzy that you feel you might faint..YES.


BTW: I still ride the Matterhorn as soon as I feel better....it's worth the bad back:)

MonorailMan
09-18-2003, 01:51 PM
Just more media spin, to make DL look bad.... ;)

hbquikcomjamesl
09-18-2003, 03:03 PM
Hmm. I usually don't have many ill effects from thrill rides (but then again, I'm not one to overindulge in them). I do distinctly recall that last November, following my first (and so far only) experience on ToT (during which I was the guy with a hand over his breast pocket, trying to avoid losing any Visa chits, guidemaps, or $60-90 fountain pens), I was walking a bit funny for a while.

Scene: The entrance to the ToT queue.

Family group entering just ahead of me:
"We have reservations."

Me, entering the queue about 30 seconds later:
"I bet a lot of people have 'reservations' about this place!"

tod
09-18-2003, 03:09 PM
Originally posted by SacTown Chronic
I'm afraid that is a little TOO sensible. You should have complained and had them remove the loop. What's wrong with you man?:)

I didn't have time to chase it through the court or wait for them to rebuild, my head hurt right then.

--T
:fez:

mcampisi
09-19-2003, 05:01 PM
Has anyone stopped to compare the number of accidents and deaths between the 5 Disney parks and all of the Six Flags parks. For crying out loud! While I do not think the fact that because LESS accidents happen somewhere that it is acceptable in anyway, but I think people want to blow this out of proportion because it occured at Disneyland.

One week after I went to Knott's back in 99 I think it was, I caught pnemonia a week later and while I was in the hospital, some guy got hit by a loose board on Ghostrider and was killed. I had been on that thing myself a week earlier! I don't recall it making every news station as a top story or being on the front page of the local paper.

EDITED FOR SPELLING

dasrock
09-19-2003, 11:37 PM
after the yearly disneyland trip i get an ache in the wallet area :D

Tigertail777
09-20-2003, 12:43 AM
The reason that people are making a big deal out of it, is because Disney has always flaunted its safety as a selling commodity. They have always took great pains to emphasize how safe their parks are. I have never seen six flags do that, in fact they really wont tell you how safe their rides are one way or another. But Disney has always given a percieved market value to their safety, by emphasizing how wholesome it is for the whole family.
We look at those big young adult aimed rides and think its suicide to ride them to begin with so there isnt much sympathy publically if something goes wrong: you knew the risks just by LOOKING at the thing you could tell there was a fair amount of risk.
However Disney is different: look whole familys are riding together, younger kids can ride this too if young kids can ride it must be safe. Not to mention the theming (in this case disguising what it is: a rollercoaster) makes it seem safe. And as I said before, on top of all of this, Disney has always told the public their number one concern is safety, emphasizing that they are somehow safer than other parks.
To add to all of this is Disneys past track record; relatively few deaths in the past, and especially while Walt was alive, so this makes this accident stick out like a sore thumb... especially if it wasn't the guest's fault in any way.
Then to top it all off, maintenance at the parks is at an all time low... even people who don't go often can percive how standards have fallen from past years, so its not too much a stretch in logic to assume that some part of that accident must have had something to do with upkeep at the attraction. I personally beleive they have stretched their maintenace workers far far too thin, it would be almost impossible to do a credible job of upkeep on all the attractions needed with the number of personel, and the shortness of hours. This is exactly why Walt had the park closed 2 days a week in the old days: so they had time to do the upkeep right.

CoasterMatt
09-20-2003, 05:23 AM
Originally posted by mcampisi
One week after I went to Knott's back in 99 I think it was, I caught pnemonia a week later and while I was in the hospital, some guy got hit by a loose board on Ghostrider and was killed. I don't recall it making every news station as a top story or being on the front page of the local paper.


Maybe because it NEVER HAPPENED LIKE THAT!!!!

On August 23, 1999, 5 people were injured when a non weight bearing trim piece of wood popped up and hit them while they rode Ghostrider. The most serious injury required some stitches, but there were no fatalities. Knott's immediately made changes all over the entire ride (not just in the problem area), to be sure that there wasn't a repeat or worse.

SacTown Chronic
09-20-2003, 08:19 AM
Originally posted by dasrock
after the yearly disneyland trip i get an ache in the wallet area :D

Which by sheer coincidence is near a body part that is a little "tushy". Or is it a coincidence? Only Disney knows for sure.