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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Teenager that tragically died in Orlando

278 replies

Pointlesspolice · 25/03/2022 20:59

I have just looked at the Daily Fail headlines and a 14 year old has fallen from a ride and sadly died . Absolutely shocking and the poor guy wasn’t properly strapped in …he was overweight and was probably too embarrassed to get assistance with his seatbelt.
I am absolutely sickened by the comments from people,racist and fat shaming…where do these vile people get their thoughts from ? I despair 😞

OP posts:
jesuisavecukraine · 25/03/2022 22:25

@SoupDragon

An exert from the OP..

@jesuisavecukraine you conveniently omitted the next sentence which says I am absolutely sickened by the comments from people,racist and fat shaming…where do these vile people get their thoughts from

I didn't "conveniently" miss it out I the OP victims blamed by saying

he was overweight and was probably too embarrassed to get assistance with his seatbelt.

In fact by adding the next sentence it shows them up to be a hypocrite as well as a victim blaming, as she is calling out people as vile for saying exactly what she has just said.

lljkk · 25/03/2022 22:25

Wow, 6'6" at 14yrs old. Just ... wow.

WiddlinDiddling · 25/03/2022 22:25

I don't see how the OP is victim blaming at all - he was overweight, he may or may not have been embarrassed to ask for help, those are facts/likely scenarios - not shaming.

It doesn't matter, because as a 14 year old or as a rider, its NOT his responsibility to check if he's safe to ride!

SoupDragon · 25/03/2022 22:26

I didn't "conveniently" miss it out

You absolutely did.

SophieSoSo · 25/03/2022 22:26

@WiddlinDiddling that’s really interesting I didn’t know that about the lights, is it common knowledge or do you have some experience in this field?

Suzi888 · 25/03/2022 22:26

@Ionsion

Wow, I’m disgusted that 15% of people have voted YABU
Me too. There aren’t many decent people left in the world.

Poor lad Flowers RIP

Dontcallmebabylalala · 25/03/2022 22:27

It’s a horrible tragedy. I feel sick knowing I allowed my children to go on similar rides. Now if something can come out of this young men’s death is people thinking twice before using the rides like this. Is it really worth to risk your life like this? This kind of experience is now off my list. People checking the safety are usually so young. And I did think there’s an automated system that wouldn’t allow the ride to start unless everything is locked. Obviously not. Poor poor child, poor parents.

SophieSoSo · 25/03/2022 22:28

@Thatsplentyjack

I won't go looking!
The start of the video has been all over the news, that’s where you can see the lights.

It sounds like the full video is on Twitter, but I won’t look Sad

newgymmy · 25/03/2022 22:28

Surely you can still rightly blame this on the staffs negligence while also stating the fact that he looks to have been overweight and may have felt embarrassed to draw attention to the problem with his seat. Does it need to be one or the other? It's not blaming him I don't think?

There's no doubt it's not his fault.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 25/03/2022 22:30

@ThePennyJustDropped

Absolutely tragic. Poor young man and his family, so heartbreaking.

And completely agree about very slim people too, I once thought I was going to watch my DD die on a ride due to this. She managed to hang on but I've never been so scared in my life because I could see the only thing saving her from falling about 4 storeys was her own grip. The ride we were on has since changed to require a minimum weight as well as height, I think this should be more standard.

Yeah I remember once when I took my son on the pirate ship at Drayton Manor when he was only just the right height. He was really skinny and the issue was that the bar that pulled onto our laps obviously only went down as far as the biggest person on the same row. Then it locks in place, doesn't it, and before you can get anyone's attention the ride just starts! There was too big a gap where DS was sitting. He was only young and didn't have the strength to keep himself upright so he ended up with his body sliding down and off the seat and slowly going under the bar. I was powerless to do anythign but hold onto him to stop him falling off his seat. No-one took notice of me shouting as people scream on rides anyway, don't they? And it's not like I could put my arm up for attention as I was hanging onto him with all my strength.

I was so traumatised that my legs were shaking when we got off adn I was too shocked to even say anything. But ever since then I've realised how easily these things could happen. The ride operator was very young and wasn't paying proper attention to us. It was unsafe.

I was so sad to read about this latest accident. They're avoidable.

XenoBitch · 25/03/2022 22:30

Your car ride to a theme park is more dangerous than the rides there.
Modern rides have a ton of safety mechanisms in place... and the rides themselves service over a thousand people each day.
You only hear when things go wrong.

Boxowine · 25/03/2022 22:30

People really are terrible. I feel terrible for his parents and do people not realize that they can see comments like that?

jesuisavecukraine · 25/03/2022 22:32

Oyou are doing a poor job of suporting the OP.

OK include the next sentence from OP and it makes her even more UR as she is also a hypocrite as well as a victim blamer.

She says (paraphrasing) the boy is overweight and probably too embarrassed to say anything.

Next sentence, but people on other sites are bue for fat shaming him.
Total hypocrisy, fat shaming and victim blaming in those 2 exerts from OP.

HellToTheNope · 25/03/2022 22:32

His death is result of negligence. The ride operator should have checked and secured his harness and belt or if he/she deemed the boy unsafe in the seat they should have asked him to get off.

We have no proof that negligence was involved whatsoever. This boy could have taken the harness off himself. Stop spouting shit when you don't know all the facts.

Inastatus · 25/03/2022 22:34

@lljkk

Wow, 6'6" at 14yrs old. Just ... wow.
@lljkk - your only contribution to the very tragic death of a 14 year old is how tall he was ?! Wow just Wow!!!
Daffodilz · 25/03/2022 22:34

Many years ago as a uni student a big boned girl fell out at Hull fair...

Original poster
Pointlesspolice · 25/03/2022 22:34

@jesuisavecukraine…can you explain why you think I am victim blaming? I am saying the complete opposite!

OP posts:
SophieSoSo · 25/03/2022 22:36

@HellToTheNope

His death is result of negligence. The ride operator should have checked and secured his harness and belt or if he/she deemed the boy unsafe in the seat they should have asked him to get off.

We have no proof that negligence was involved whatsoever. This boy could have taken the harness off himself. Stop spouting shit when you don't know all the facts.

Well there is a video showing that his harness wasn’t on properly, and that the light on his seat wasn’t lit up to confirm it was locked in…how the fuck would he take a locked in harness off himself?!
newgymmy · 25/03/2022 22:37

Saying someone is overweight is fat shaming now?

underneaththeash · 25/03/2022 22:38

DS is tall and a bit fat - that could have been him.

They had another death 2 years ago Quote:
It is the second accident at the park in two years. In 2020, a park employee died while working on the StarFlyer ride.

GrandTheftWalrus · 25/03/2022 22:38

Apparently one of the crew was saying there was no seat belts it was 2 bits of plastic that clicked together. In the picture you can clearly see its not closed. If they had properly checked they would've seen it wasn't shut.

tttigress · 25/03/2022 22:39

Quite surprising at a theme park, surely they could have sensors for this sort of things like in your car.

You would expect something like this to happen at the local fayre.

jesuisavecukraine · 25/03/2022 22:39

@Pointlesspolice my posts explain exactly why.
You say he was overweight and probably too embraced to say anything.

That is victim blaming, fat shaming and hypocritical. especially as you go in to say others on other sites are vile for fat shaming.

Just because you say it in a "nice" way whilst dragging DM commentators who aren't quite so eloquent and are more blunt, and yes alot of the time vile, doesn't mean what you have said is acceptable.

HellToTheNope · 25/03/2022 22:39

Well there is a video showing that his harness wasn’t on properly, and that the light on his seat wasn’t lit up to confirm it was locked in…how the fuck would he take a locked in harness off himself?!

It could be faulty, it could be many things. The point is the investigation has not determined what exactly has happened, and so many people are immediately blaming the ride operator when they might not be responsible. Thank god the vast majority of you aren't detectives.

Original poster
Pointlesspolice · 25/03/2022 22:41

@jesuisavecukraine…yes the poor guy was overweight but am NOT blaming him !! The ride operators should have identified the risk and not allowed him on the ride!
You have missed the point of my post …read it again!

OP posts: