List of incidents at independent amusement parks

This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various independently-owned amusement parks, water parks or theme parks. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy.

The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, or deaths that occur at an independently-owned park. While these incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities due to where they occurred, they usually fall into one of the following categories:

• Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to break park rules.
• The result of a guest's known or unknown health issues.
• Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance.
• Act of God or a generic accident (e.g. slipping and falling), that is not a direct result of an action on anybody's part.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Main article: Pleasure Beach Blackpool

Space Invader 2

On July 21, 2000, an 11-year-old boy died from head and body injuries after falling out of the carriage during the ride. The victim had reportedly fell out of his cart due to heart attack.

Coney Island

Main article: Coney Island

Polar Express

• On August 5, 2007, a restraining lap bar broke causing an unidentified 15-year-old girl to fall out of her seat and into the center of the ride where she was briefly knocked unconscious. The ride was running in reverse at the time. The victim was taken to the hospital with head and leg injuries, and complaining of neck and back pain.

Dutch Wonderland

Main article: Dutch Wonderland

Sky ride

• On July 19, 2008, a 44-year-old woman from Ann Arbor, Michigan lost about a centimeter off the tip of her left index finger when it was caught in the safety bar.

Expoland (Japan)

Main article: Expoland

Fujin Raijin II

• On May 5, 2007, a 19-year-old from Higashiomi, Shiga was killed and nineteen other guests injured when the Fujin Raijin II derailed at Expoland in Suita, Osaka. An investigation revealed that the ride derailed due to a broken axle. None of the ride vehicle's axles had been replaced for fifteen years. Following this accident, similar coasters at other Japanese parks were voluntarily shut down and inspected to see if they could have the same axle flaw. Expoland was cited by authorities for faulty maintenance when similar axle cracks were found on a second train a month later. On July 15, 2008, three former Expoland employees—the director and administrative manager, the head of facility and business department, and the head of the technical division—agreed with the allegation of professional negligence and violating Building Standards Law. They admitted to purposefully postponing the coaster's regular inspection, even though a visible crack was noticed months earlier, as well as submitting a false inspection report.

Hersheypark

Main article: Hersheypark

• Of the 1.4 million visitors to the park in 2006, 55 people were injured at Hersheypark during the year, none seriously.

Holiday World

Main article: Holiday World

The Raven

• On May 31, 2003, a 32-year-old from New York City, New York died after falling out of the The Raven roller coaster during the ride's 69-foot (21 m) drop. Witnesses told investigators they saw the victim standing up in the car as it neared the drop. An investigation after the accident showed that the victim's seat restraints were working correctly and no mechanical deficiencies were found on the coaster. The coroner's office ruled the death as accidental. However in 2005, the victim's family members filed lawsuits against both Holiday World and the Philadelphia Toboggan Company; the manufacturer of the coaster trains. The lawsuits were settled out of court in 2007. Terms of the settlements were undisclosed.

The Wave

• On July 4, 2007, a 29-year-old woman from Fort Wayne, Indiana collapsed near the edge of The Wave pool, falling into the shallow water. Lifeguards attempted to revive her, but she was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital. An autopsy showed that the woman died of congestive heart failure.

Bahari River

• On June 20, 2009, a filter pump used to treat the water used on the ride malfunctioned, resulting in a larger than normal amount of liquid bleach and muriatic acid to be released when the pump was turned on. Twenty-four people, including guests and park staff, complained of troubled breathing and nausea and were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Kennywood

Main article: Kennywood

King Kahuna

• On July 6, 2008, twenty riders were stranded upside down for ten minutes when the King Kahuna ride malfunctioned and unexpectedly stopped for an undetermined reason.

Thunderbolt

• In 1999, there was an accident on the Thunderbolt when the operators failed to brake the train coming into the station and it collided with the train being loaded. Thirty people were injured in the crash. After the accident, the headlights on the cars were partially removed because the electrical system did not hold up well to the vibration of the cars.

The Whip

• On May 31, 2002, a 29-year-old female guest from Monroeville, Pennsylvania was killed when the roof of The Whip ride collapsed during a microburst. On July 20, 2007, a trial jury awarded the victim's family US$1.21 million. A second trial will determine liability between Kennywood and the company that built the structure.

Knoebels

Main article: Knoebels

Scenic Skyway

• On June 13, 2003, a man was seriously injured in a 30-foot (9.1 m)-fall from the Scenic Skyway chairlift ride at Knoebels Amusement Park. The man was a member of a group home for mentally disabled people and was riding alone. The man was airlifted to a local hospital and recovered. The ride opened just 2 weeks prior to the accident. Inspectors found no problems with the ride.

Speed Slide

• On March 2, 1999, an attorney representing two girls who sustained injuries while riding a water slide at a Pennsylvania amusement park discovered a history of complaints of injuries made by riders after they had ridden the same ride. Fifteen injuries had been reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Ride and Measurement Standards in recent years, including six reports of injuries to riders' genital areas. The Speed Slide, also known as the Super Slide, is a 40-foot (12 m) vertical drop water slide attraction. The tort lawsuit filed sought $9,200 in medical costs and at least $50,000 in damages on behalf of one girl, age 11. The suit also sought $5,300 in medical costs and at least $100,000 in damages on behalf of the other girl, age 12. The park was charged with negligence, failure to monitor the amount of force of the water and its effect on riders, failure to fix defects, and failure to provide adequate warnings to riders.

Krug Park

Main article: Krug Park (Omaha)

Roller coaster

On July 30, 1930, four people were killed and 17 injured when a bolt on the coaster came loose, causing four cars to fall to the ground. As a result of the incident, the Omaha City Council passed an ordinance banning roller coasters in the city.

Lake Winnepesaukah

Main article: Lake Winnepesaukah

• On April 19, 2003, a crowd disturbance described as a "near-riot" involving 500 to 700 youths took place outside the park in Ringgold, Georgia after management decided to close the park 90 minutes early. Catoosa County Sheriff Phil Summers claimed the incident was caused by parents leaving their children unattended at the park with little or no money, thus unable to participate in the park's activities. When sporadic fighting began in the crowd, the decision was made to close the park early, which escalated the fighting. Law enforcement agencies from Georgia and Tennessee were dispatched to the scene when the crowd began to disrupt traffic on roads surrounding the park. After the incident, the park instituted a new policy of requiring visitors under 21 years of age to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Visitors also will be required to purchase some sort of admission.

Luna Park Sydney

Main article: Luna Park Sydney

Ghost Train

Further information: 1979 Sydney Ghost Train fire

Nickelodeon Universe

Main article: Nickelodeon Universe

• In April 1998, a dime-sized plastic nut in the ride "The Mighty Axe" (now known as Tak Attack) came loose, causing the ride to come to a stop with the riders stuck upside down at the very top. The loose nut had interrupted the power to the seating platform. The five riders were stuck for about an hour before park mechanics were able to get them down.

• On Saturday, August 1, 1998, a 12-year-old boy fell off the log chute. When the boat neared the top of the chute, the boy began to panic and reached outside of the log to grab a railing. The ride operator attempted to stop the ride, but the log had already began its descent down the major drop. Losing his grip, he fell off the chute, falling onto the landscaping rocks. The boy died from his injuries. O.D. Hopkins Associates, Inc., the manufacturer of the ride, inspected it and found it was in proper working order. It was Camp Snoopy's first fatal accident.

• On Saturday, August 15, 1998, an 8-year-old girl died of a heart attack after she rode the Screaming Yellow Eagle (now known as Danny Phantom Ghost Zone), a rotating platform ride. She had a history of heart problems for the five years before her death. The ride was working properly.

• On November 4, 2007, a conveyor belt on the log chute malfunctioned, causing one log to crash into the other. However, there were only minor injuries. The ride was inspected and fixed. It reopened on November 15, 2007.

• On May 14, 2008, four people were slightly injured, suffering minor leg injuries when the Backyardigans Swing Along malfunctioned, apparently spinning at a faster-than-normal rate. The ride was shut down when it became apparent that it was malfunctioning and remained shut down until maintenance crews located and fixed the problem. On May 18, 2008, The ride was inspected and fixed. It reopened on May 19, 2008.

• In October 2008, an autistic boy climbed over a fence onto the catwalk of the Pepsi Orange Streak at the point where it enters the cave of the log chute. An employee was able to get to him before the roller coaster released another train. No one was hurt.

Old Indiana Fun Park

Main article: Old Indiana Fun Park

• On August 11, 1996, a 4-year-old girl was paralyzed from the chest down, and her 57-year-old grandmother was killed after the miniature train ride at the Old Indiana Fun Park derailed and overturned as it approached a curve. The two victims were crushed under the weight of the cars. An investigation showed that the train was traveling much faster than its design speed of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h).

Overseas Chinese Town East

Space Journey

• On June 29, 2010, 6 people were killed and 10 were injured when a Space Shuttle-simulator ride called Space Journey fell to the ground in Shenzhen, China. According to eyewitnesses, one of the rides' 12 cabins came loose in an explosion while spinning and collided with other cabins. Some cabins dropped 50 feet (15 m) and ejected passengers. Another eyewitness claimed that a power shortage caused the accident.

Playland

Main article: Playland (New York)

Dragon Coaster

• In 1988, an 8-year-old girl choked to death while chewing gum on the ride.

Mind Scrambler

• On June 29, 2007, a 21-year-old female park employee from White Plains, New York was killed when the ride was started by a second employee while the victim was still assisting guests with their safety restraints. Park officials stated that a safety precaution (put in place after the 2004 Mind Scrambler incident) was not followed. A report issued by the State's Labor Department on August 24, 2007 stated that the ride operators were running the ride improperly. The Ride Owner was cited for providing inadequate training. Due to this incident the Mind Scrambler was closed.

• On May 22, 2004, a 7-year-old girl from New Rochelle, New York was killed when she fell out of the ride after her restraining bar opened.

The Whip

• In the 1920s, a 19-year-old man was killed when whipped off of the ride.

Ye Old Mill

• On August 3, 2005, a 7-year-old boy from Norwalk, Connecticut died of blunt force trauma to the head after he climbed out of a boat on the Ye Old Mill ride, where he became trapped underwater by a conveyor belt. The victim's family sued the county that owned Playland, and on March 24, 2009, the defendants were ordered to pay US$1.25 million, as well as create a scholarship in the victim's name. The scholarship will be awarded annually to the Playland employee who exhibits excellence in safety and customer service.

Guest altercations

• On July 4, 2006, a 43-year-old woman from Queens, New York drowned after walking into a 40-foot-deep man-made lake that is off-limits to swimmers. An autopsy showed the victim had a blood alcohol level several times the legal limit.

Siam Park (Thailand)

Main article: Siam Park City

Flume ride

• On October 23, 2007, one woman was killed and five others injured when the ride vehicle fell 20 metres (66 ft) to the ground from the top of the lift hill. Park management said that there was a drop in electric power, causing a water pump to fail to control sufficient water level on the ride.

Water slide

• On January 12, 2008, 28 children, ages 10 to 13, were injured when they fell two meters to the ground after the final sections of the corkscrew water slide collapsed.

Water Park of America

Main article: Water Park of America

• On May 22, 2006, a 39-year-old man from Lakeville, Minnesota suffered a bruised spinal cord while attempting to ride the FlowRider wave ride on a boogie board. As a result, the victim had two titanium screws and a plate inserted into his neck to stabilize vertebrae and relieve pressure on his spinal cord. Doctor reports stated that the victim was almost paralyzed, but he has regained some movement in his limbs shortly after surgery.

Water Works Park

• On August 5, 2007, an unidentified 10-year-old girl suffered severe internal injuries while riding the speed slide at the Denton, Texas park. The accident report filed by the on-duty lifeguards stated that the injuries were caused by the victim's failure to follow park rules while riding the slide to keep her legs crossed at the ankles. The park rule regarding crossing ankles on a water slide is common in the industry, and is one method, along with wearing a wet suit, used to prevent water slide injuries such as the "water ski douche injury" or the "straddle injury."