Today Thu Fri
It is forcast to be Clear at 11:00 PM EDT on June 19, 2013
Clear
23°/13°		 It is forcast to be Clear at 11:00 PM EDT on June 20, 2013
Clear
25°/14°		 It is forcast to be Partly Cloudy at 11:00 PM EDT on June 21, 2013
Partly Cloudy
25°/16°

12 Comments

news

No Friendly Drop Zone To Help Me After

By

2007_6_23WatchYourFeet.jpg
CityNews and the Toronto Star are reporting that Canada’s Wonderland has closed its free-fall ride, the Drop Zone (named after the Wesley Snipes skydiving movie) due to a grisly accident on a similar ride in the States.
On Thursday, a cable snapped on the Superman Tower of Power at Louisville’s Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom and severed both feet of a 13-year-old girl above her ankles. The Six Flags and Cedar Fair chains (the latter of which owns Wonderland) subsequently shut down the free-fall rides at their parks across the U.S. and Canada, pending an investigation. A photo linked to in the comments section of an article from the Louisville Courier-Journal shows just how close riders’ feet get to the cables on rides like Drop Zone.
References to the ride appear to have been deleted from Kentucky Kingdom’s website. A Google search also turns up some conspicuously broken links.
This is not the first time the 230-foot-tall Drop Zone—Vaughan’s CN Tower—has been closed due to an incident in the U.S. A September 2, 1999 article in the Toronto Star reported:

On Aug. 22, a 12-year-old boy died when he slipped out of harness on the Drop Zone, a stunt tower where riders are strapped into a seat and then dropped in a free-fall, at the Great America Park in Santa Clara, Calif….Like other Paramount Parks in North America, Canada’s Wonderland has temporarily shut down its Drop Zone until the results of the California investigation are known.

According to WKRN Nashville, there have been twenty-four amusement park accidents across the U.S. this year.
Photo of Wonderland’s Drop Zone by destructogirl on Flickr.

Comments

  • kelly

    i was at wonderland yesterday.
    the ride was open despite what the media was telling us.

  • Stovepipe Sam

    Of all the ways to die, getting killed on some ride that whips you up/down/back/forth really fast has got to be the most pointless. I fail to understand why people pay $36 admission fees just to wait in lines for hours for the privilege of getting whiplashed while putting their lives at the mercy of dope-smoking 16 year olds who run the rides.

  • exPCWemployee

    Wonderlands Drop Zone had a similar kind of accident a few years ago when I worked there. Nobody was hurt though, so it didn’t get any press at the time.

  • Steve

    Good Grief.
    Sick.
    Stovepipe…you read my mind.
    Sometimes I think people would pay money to stick their (or their children’s) hands in a wood-chipper if you put some shiny objects and loud music to it.
    “Whatarush! I can feel my body getting colder!”

  • meathole

    Wonderland was GREAT when you were mid teens, walking around meeting chicks..SMOKING!!!
    In all of thetime i have gone to Wonderland Drop Zone was the most intense ride i have eve been on.

  • Paige

    “I hate amusement park rides!”
    Really? What’s next? I hate rainbows? Kittens? Justice?
    You’re the type of person who carries (and uses) Purell at all times, aren’t you?

  • Steve

    OK, not sure who Paige is quoting as saying they hate amusement park rides…but I don’t recall kittens, rainbows or justice CUTTING OFF THE FEET OF A LITTLE GIRL!
    But apparently it has to be one extreme or the other…Purell or decapitation, because obvisouly if there’s no threat or potential of a limb being severed…what’s the point? You’re just not living.”Dude, stick your tongue in the socket!!”
    And to think, the French could’ve charged for the Guillotine.
    “Line up, cheel-dren for the, how you say, Decapitator!!!!”
    But really, do stop by and ask the young girl if she had fun and it was worth losing her feet.
    Ask her if she wants to go again.

  • Marc Lostracco

    The chances of losing one’s feet on an amusement park ride (or even getting hurt at all) are virtually nil. I’d feel much safer going on 5,000 Drop Zone rides in a row than getting into a car to drive to Canada’s Wonderland in the first place.
    I was at Wonderland years and years ago when some guy threw his frisbee into the water where the gigantic waterfall is and he drowned trying to retrieve it, despite the signs warning people not to jump over the wall into the water because of the danger. As a result, the walkway through the mountain behind the waterfall was closed permanently.
    These large theme parks have impeccable safety records, and most accidents happen either because of people being stupid or because of pre-existing health problems. The Six Flags accident was horrible and obviously the fault of the park, but taking your kids to Wonderland is hardly the same thing as letting them make toast in a bathtub or play in a wood chipper.

  • Steve

    I agree Marc, that statistically parks are relatively safe. I was being sarcastic with the wood chipper remark.
    I’m not suggesting people stop going to these parks (if you can afford them, that is).
    Obviously, this was negligence on someone’s part and someone has to answer for this.
    Feet don’t grow back.
    And making toast is OK, but making toast in the tub is to the extreme! Rock!

  • Penny

    I rode the drop zone on July 7th…but hadn’t heard the terrible news about the 13 yr old girl who was injured recently! We noticed before we went on, that two of the groups of seats were closed but 3 were open…didn’t think anything of it though. I’ve always loved that ride but not sure I could go on it again after hearing what happened. I’m kinda glad I didn’t hear that story before I went on it…because I got to enjoy the ride safely this time and probably wouldn’t have gone it if I’d heard what happened. But I also kinda agree that your chances of getting into a fatal car accident are much higher. I guess it’s just a matter of personal choice…if you love the thrill of the rides…like I do…then I say go ahead and enjoy them. If you don’t care and can live without them…then don’t go on them…simple as that.

  • http://null JimboCadillac

    This is a terrible thing to happen, but having worked as a Seasonal Mechanic at Wonderland, I have to defend them.
    I have never seen more stringent safety measures than those used at Wonderland. They have about 40 full time mechanics who have very impressive backgrounds from Mechanical Technologists to former Helicopter Mechanics.
    The mechanics get to the rides at 6am every day and check over all the safety systems until the guests come in at 10am. If we removed a bolt from the ride, it’s thrown away and replaced. They also invite independent inspectors to evaluate the rides and procedures. Wonderland also adds extra safety equipment to the rides that you may or may not be able to see. A good example are the seat belts that have been added to many of the restraints.
    I know that some of the newer rides operators may not instill the utmost confidence, but the behind the scenes mechanics are all top notch. My time working there has given me a great appreciation for the safety measures to build into my designs as a mechanical engineer for a company that builds wheelchair lifts.
    As for the overall safety of the rides, coasters have fewer injuries per km traveled than any other form of travel.
    Enjoy the park.

  • Jessica Lawrence

    mommy in scared