[quote]LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The president of Swiss ride-maker Intamin said a failed cord on Six Flags' Kentucky Kingdom's Superman Tower of Power is what caused a girl's legs to be severed while she rode it on Thursday.
Intamin president Sandor Kernacs said his company provided the ride to Kentucky Kingdom about 14 years ago, but did not supply the cord.
Dispatchers said they were notified of the accident around 5 p.m. Thursday. Officials said both the teen's feet were detached above the ankles.
According to Kentucky Kingdom's Web site the Superman Tower of Power is 177 feet tall and drops riders at 54 miles per hour.
“We seen the cable break loose soon as it got to the top on the right-hand side,” said Chris Williams, who witnessed the event.
Treva Smith said it snapped again as the ride descended.
“The people on the ride just came and hit the ground,” Smith said.
Williams said she saw the teen maimed.
“As the ride came down, the wire swung left, struck the young lady on the back side of my children,” Williams said.
Williams’ daughter Amber said she gave up her seat to the 13-year-old and was sitting on the other side of the ride. Williams rushed toward the ride to find his daughter. As Smith raced to find members of her group, she said she made a gruesome discovery.
“When I got up there, the lady, she was just sitting there and she didn’t have no legs,” Smith said. “She didn’t have no legs at all. She was just calm, probably in shock from everything.”
Smith said she saw no blood and the girl wasn’t crying, but the same couldn’t be said for many who witnessed the incident on the ride formerly known as the Hellevator.
“My son’s over there tripping out, man,” Williams said. “You want to come to a park and feel safe you know. We’ve got season passes. We’re not coming back for sure.”
But other visitors aren’t so worried.
“Every park, one in a million maybe something happens,” park visitor Kenneth Lay said. “But I have no fear.”
On scene EMT personnel were on hand to immediately transport the girl to a hospital. As of 10:34 p.m. Thursday there was no word on her condition.
Inspectors arrived Thursday night to begin determining what happened. They said they checked checking the cable in question.
The ride was shut down and was scheduled to remain so until the investigation has been completed. On Friday, Six Flags spokeswoman Carolyn McClean said the company is shutting down similar rides in other parks. King's Island in Cincinnati, which has a similar ride from the same manufacturer, announced that ride will be closed until it has been inspected.
Intamin is considered a leader in the design of amusement park rides. It has supplied some two dozen different styles of rides at amusement parks around the world. The company is responsible for a number of rides similar to Superman Tower of Power, and is credited with inventing the first free-fall ride.
Ttttt
So my fear of those free-fall rides has some merit. I knew I wasn't crazy. "We're performing inspections" my ***. They're supposed to to that all the time. :mad:
We all know she can't ride that thing again, only for the simple fact that she no longer meets height requirements.
This is why I don't like thrill rides. If something goes wrong, you're going to get ****ed horribly.
Hence why they call it a thrill ride, LOL
Meh, I don't think it's any good to quit going on amusement park rides because you're worried about an accident occuring. The odds have got to be somewhere in the area of getting struck by lightning.
Heh, good point about the drive there being statisticly more dangerous.
Difference is, people feel in control while driving, while you're physically restrained and pretty much helpless on a thrill ride. but lol statistics are for losers
superman is such a dick
Christopher Reeves was ****ed by the name of superman. Hes a curse.
PANZEES
Anyway, this doesn't change my view on theme parks. It happens. Either way I still need to buy a seasons pass to my park. :(
little b*tch was asking for it.
Huh. Sucks to be her.
First Superman shoots George Reeves, cripples Doomsday, then he ****s over Christopher Reeve. And now, he's going after little teenage girls?
I wish this thread was invisible because every time I see the name of it I imagine myself on a ride that dipped too low and my feet slamming into the pavement and tearing off and the image doesn't go away for like a ****ing hour!
[quote=s0ul;613117]I wish this thread was invisible because every time I see the name of it I imagine myself on a ride that dipped too low and my feet slamming into the pavement and tearing off and the image doesn't go away for like a ****ing hour!
But dude, her feet were severed off from a suspension cable. She never touched ground.. again.. on her feet.
I know, it's just what I imagine happening to me because it's the most gruesome way I can imagine being defeeted by a rollercoaster.
I wonder what people on the ground were thinking when two feet just fell from the sky.
Tough stuff, man, that's really going to make her life that more difficult.
[quote=Trigger;613908]Tough stuff, man, that's really going to make her life that much more difficult.Just a side note, here: everything will make your life "that much more difficult," no matter what is going on. I lost an hour of sleep, so my life is going to be that much more difficult. The question is, how much is "that much more?" Is there really a grading system? It all varies back and forth depending on the situation, but is there any way one situation relates to the next? Let's take two scenarios and see if we can do anything with them:
I just lost my job, paying my bills is going to be that much more difficult.
I just lost a lot of teeth, chewing almonds and tearing meat off of steak is going to be that much more difficult.
Now, we mix the two:
I just lost my job, it's going to be as difficult as chewing almonds or tearing meat with a bunch of missing teeth to pay my bills.
Sweet, it works. However, try the first two "that much more difficult" stories.
I just lost both feet in an accident at an amusement park, life is going to be that much more difficult.
I just lost an hour's worth of sleep due to inability to come, life is going to be that much more difficult.
I just lost both feet in an accident at an amusement park, it's going to be as difficult as facing the day losing an hour's worth of sleep due to an inability to come.
****, not so good...
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[quote=s0ul;613117]I wish this thread was invisible because every time I see the name of it I imagine myself on a ride that dipped too low and my feet slamming into the pavement and tearing off and the image doesn't go away for like a ****ing hour!
I thought of the same thing when I saw the thread, don't feel too bad. My other thought was that big boat that swings back and forth fell into a lake filled with ravenous piranha's whose favorite part of the body was the feet, and that's all they would eat.
Did I mention that I'm as high as a kite and my teeth are green? Merry ****ing Christmas.
depends on the person:
moron: are those my feet?
helpless idealist: Oh no! poor inocent child!
Sinister sociopath: ...lunch?