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Original poster

How does someone fall from a rollercoaster?

129 replies

Sarahfromtheblock · 31/05/2019 16:44

Another tragic fall by a child, age 6 or 7 (papers differ) from a rollercoaster in Lightwater Valley. I have never been and never been on any roller coaster.

Are these children too small and the seatbelts or whatever they have not fitting them correctly? Does the machinery beak down? How does it happen?

OP posts:
FuriousVexation · 31/05/2019 17:24

I've come to accept that I am old by the fact that I used to LOVE LOVE LOVE going to Alton Towers with my son, and that last year I decided "too many rides have broken down" (5 while we were there) and not to go any more.

(This may possibly be rescinded when my anxiety is under better control. right now I can't even watch TV/films with vertiginous scenes)

Pigflewpast · 31/05/2019 17:25

I hate this ride. I had to go on it with my child as he was too small to go on his own. I’d say he was about 8yr at the time. It’s high and you shoot round corners and I think the car is spinning like a waltzer at the same time, I had my eyes shut and tried to shut it out!
There is no way the staff would be saying seatbelts were optional, that has to have been misreported. A girl died on the same ride about 15yrs ago. It’s not a small, kids, ride, it’s fast, twisty and bloody scary.
I’ve seen eye witness reports that his mother wasn’t on the ride, so unclear who he was on with.
The ride is closed but the rest of the park is still open. There’s another ride there, the ultimate, which is a longer roller coaster which often has ambulances called to it, but presumably not because of any failures as it remains open.

TeenTimesTwo · 31/05/2019 17:26

Foxmuffin . Yes it was 20 years ago for me too. Smile

Fairylea · 31/05/2019 17:27

They scare the life out of me to be honest. I don’t think I’ll ever be happy about dc going on them although now they are getting older I can’t keep them wrapped in cotton wool forever. Thankfully such incidents are quite rare.

This was a particularly awful one - www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/caleb-schwab-death-murder-charge-water-slide-verruckt-schlitterbahn-waterpark-a8795486.html%3famp

MauisHouseOnMaui · 31/05/2019 17:28

I read that his mother was on with him.

Which is where speculation comes into it...

Regardless of who he was or wasn't on the ride with though, he should not have been able to board the ride if he wasn't big enough and once on their should not have been able to exit the car while the ride was in motion either intentionally or unintentionally. Something has gone wrong somewhere.

MauisHouseOnMaui · 31/05/2019 17:28

*their = there

FreeYoHairin2019 · 31/05/2019 17:29

It’s horrific. I’m with you OP on wishing these rides would be banned. The paper said today that the boy had deteriorated overnight and is now critical. Poor boy and his poor family. I hope he recovers.

Pigflewpast · 31/05/2019 17:30

Police have confirmed he’s 7yr, he’s now critical but stable.
Last time we were there the rides where almost completely staffed by teenagers. I remember saying it wasn’t safe when we went on the underground ride and the staff were more busy gossiping then checking our safety bar was down.
A lot of the rides there are showing their age , we said we wouldn’t go back as there was a general feel of shabbiness which worried us.

coconuttelegraph · 31/05/2019 17:30

The reports I've read all say that the mother was on the ride and unable to get down straight away to the child, unless that was a female relative that has been assumed to be the mother, horrific either way

FoxSquadKitten · 31/05/2019 17:32

I held onto dd for grim death when we went to legoland and got on a ride on water.

Yes the rapids, I remember taking my kids on that years ago, it was terrible. I had one arm stretched across holding onto my twins and one hand holding on for dear life. They were obviously too small for the bloody thing, they were getting thrown everywhere but the height restriction said they were ok to go on it. Still makes me go cold when I think of what could've happened.

MauisHouseOnMaui · 31/05/2019 17:32

A lot of the rides there are showing their age , we said we wouldn’t go back as there was a general feel of shabbiness which worried us.

Same here, we last went just under two years ago and it felt really run down then so it's probably worse now.

Original poster
Sarahfromtheblock · 31/05/2019 17:35

I’m hoping that with virtual reality getting so good that these rides will close, become old fashioned and naff, and be will take over. Bodies won’t be thrown around but the thrill will be the same. There’s one at the Shard in London that I’m told is superb (if you like that sort of thing 🤮)

OP posts:
Original poster
Sarahfromtheblock · 31/05/2019 17:35

*VR will take over

OP posts:
Pigflewpast · 31/05/2019 17:36

It was 2 or 3 years ago we last went, so I agree it’s probably worse. Our schools rewards trip is to there this year and I know a lot of the students don’t want to go. I imagine more won’t be going after this awful incident.

Shelvesoutofbooks · 31/05/2019 17:37

I am deadly terrified of both height and speed so hate theme parks/rollercoasters but even I thought the rapids were fairly mild, even with 4 yo dd who loved it

SunshineCake · 31/05/2019 17:38

If it turns out the child was too small for the ride is it the parents fault or the staff members fault ?

Pigflewpast · 31/05/2019 17:38

VR rides make all my family vomit,I can’t stand them, but safety wise they’re probably the way forwards

Sparklfairy · 31/05/2019 17:41

BiBiBirdie I did the magic carpet ride too! It was horrible. My mum was clutching me but I just felt I was slipping out all the time. Absolutely terrifying. I'm sorry about your injuries.

Soubriquet · 31/05/2019 17:42

I went on the Tower of Terror in Florida. In our row was a large man. So the safety bar was really quite loose for me

I went on the Jurassic park water drop in Florida years ago....there was a large man in the same row as me and my mum. We were petrified when we went down the drop as we didn’t feel secure.

FoxSquadKitten · 31/05/2019 17:43

even I thought the rapids were fairly mild, even with 4 yo dd who loved it

I think my kids were younger than that but were still allowed on. I didn't realise it was so bumpy or I obviously wouldn't have let them on it.

PocoyoandEllie · 31/05/2019 17:46

There is a water rapid ride at gullivers and I took 4year old DS on it last September as he was over the height limit and wanted to go on. He was thrown everywhere as no restraint and had me holding on to him. He bust his lip on the central part you hold onto as it was so rough and obviously he wasnt strong enough to hold himself upright. It was a teenager operating it and I was so shocked and soaked and busy trying to comfort him I just got off. It makes me shudder now when I think about it.

keepingbees · 31/05/2019 17:51

Someone who's been on the ride beforehand said there was a lap bar and seatbelts which the staff said were optional.
Witnesses said the child was hanging off the back, not quite sure how he ended up like that but must've been terrifying.
I went on Air at Alton Towers as a teen when it first opened. Not sure if it's changed now but all that held you in was the overhead restraints you pull down, and a clip round each ankle. Essentially your whole body weight was supported horizontally by the v shaped chest restraints and I spent the whole ride feeling I was slowly slipping through it.

DonkeyHohtay · 31/05/2019 17:52

I went on the Tower of Terror in Florida. In our row was a large man. So the safety bar was really quite loose for me. I did not feel safe

That's a very different sort of ride though. It lifts you and drops you vertically. You're not moving side to side (except very slowly at the beginning) or being propelled forwards/backwards. If the bar was loose you would lift up off the seat only before plonking back down as the ride stops. - you wouldn't be able to slip under it. In my experience of the US theme parks they are very, very hot on height restrictions and my youngest who was about 2cm over the limit was measured constantly. Too short and you're not getting on, however much you plead. Some rides also have special seats for larger guests.

UK theme parks just seem so amateur in comparison. We had a very poor experience at Legoland with surly youths who were chatting among themselves and found customers a hassle. If you'd argued the toss about a child's height they'd have shrugged and let you on.

So either the safety bar was faulty, in which case anyone else in that car would have fallen too. Or the child was too small/light, in which case it's the ride operator's fault.

megletthesecond · 31/05/2019 17:52

One of DS friends dads bought his DD chunky heeled boots to give her the extra cm height to get on the bigger rides. He told me this when I bumped into him in a shopping centre. Utter bellend Angry.

Shelvesoutofbooks · 31/05/2019 17:53

@foxsquadkitten yes I definitely agree about the bumpiness. And dd was very tall at that age, she was more like a 5-6yo, so I definitely understand how it could have been awful for smaller kids.