lkgeo1
2006-05-26 14:14:35 UTC
Bracket blamed in Valleyfair accident
15 injured when car separated from train
BY DAVID HANNERS
Pioneer Press
A malfunctioning mounting bracket on the track of the Wild Thing roller
coaster caused a derailment Sunday that injured 15 people, officials at
the Valleyfair amusement park said Thursday.
An inspection team made up of park maintenance workers, two engineering
firms and the ride's manufacturer said the bracket damaged the rear
axle of the fifth car in the roller coaster train, causing the sixth
car to separate from the train.
The injured riders were in the sixth car. They suffered sprains and
other injuries when the car came to an abrupt stop and tilted on the
track.
The Shakopee amusement park issued a short statement saying the
mounting bracket caused the incident, but park spokesman Bill Von Bank
said he wouldn't answer further questions.
"I can't speak to anything that's beyond what's on the statement at
this point," said Von Bank. "The investigation is still ongoing, so
there are things we don't have answers to."
Von Bank would not say whether engineers had determined what caused the
mounting bracket to fail, nor would he say what equipment the mounting
bracket held.
The statement said that Valleyfair, along with the company that built
the ride and two Minneapolis engineering firms, would "thoroughly
inspect and test all aspects of the ride and will make the appropriate
modifications to the ride."
It said the ride would then be inspected and tested before it is
reopened to the public.
The investigation is likely to be the only one into the Sunday incident
involving Wild Thing, one of Valleyfair's most popular rides. Minnesota
does not regulate or inspect rides at "fixed" amusement parks, and
there is no federal oversight.
A study last year by two researchers at the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention in Atlanta found that, on average, four people die each
year in incidents related to amusement park roller coasters.
A California man who runs an organization with a Web site where people
can report complaints or problems with roller coasters said Wild Thing
is generally thought of as being safe.
"The public feedback we receive on Wild Thing is really positive," said
Jason Herrera, who founded the Amusement Safety Organization. "We were
quite shocked when we heard about (Sunday's accident)."
Herrera, who is a safety consultant for Sears, Roebuck and Co., in
Santa Barbara, Calif., said that since there is little state or federal
oversight of amusement parks, riders must educate themselves about the
risks.
"I started the organization to compile information for the public, to
let them know what's going on out there," he said. "There are
particular ones (rides) that we receive a lot of negative feedback on.
We forward it to the parks. Even if the ride is self-regulated or the
park is self-regulated, it's in their best interest not to send a ride
flying off the track."
Sunday's incident happened as the train was nearing the platform at the
end of its three-minute run. In that section of track, brakes slow the
train - which reaches speeds of 74 mph - and then stop it at the
boarding platform.
Herrera said that while increased regulatory oversight of amusement
park rides would probably make them safer, he believed it should be
done on the state level, not the federal level. At present, 39 states
regulate amusement park rides.
15 injured when car separated from train
BY DAVID HANNERS
Pioneer Press
A malfunctioning mounting bracket on the track of the Wild Thing roller
coaster caused a derailment Sunday that injured 15 people, officials at
the Valleyfair amusement park said Thursday.
An inspection team made up of park maintenance workers, two engineering
firms and the ride's manufacturer said the bracket damaged the rear
axle of the fifth car in the roller coaster train, causing the sixth
car to separate from the train.
The injured riders were in the sixth car. They suffered sprains and
other injuries when the car came to an abrupt stop and tilted on the
track.
The Shakopee amusement park issued a short statement saying the
mounting bracket caused the incident, but park spokesman Bill Von Bank
said he wouldn't answer further questions.
"I can't speak to anything that's beyond what's on the statement at
this point," said Von Bank. "The investigation is still ongoing, so
there are things we don't have answers to."
Von Bank would not say whether engineers had determined what caused the
mounting bracket to fail, nor would he say what equipment the mounting
bracket held.
The statement said that Valleyfair, along with the company that built
the ride and two Minneapolis engineering firms, would "thoroughly
inspect and test all aspects of the ride and will make the appropriate
modifications to the ride."
It said the ride would then be inspected and tested before it is
reopened to the public.
The investigation is likely to be the only one into the Sunday incident
involving Wild Thing, one of Valleyfair's most popular rides. Minnesota
does not regulate or inspect rides at "fixed" amusement parks, and
there is no federal oversight.
A study last year by two researchers at the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention in Atlanta found that, on average, four people die each
year in incidents related to amusement park roller coasters.
A California man who runs an organization with a Web site where people
can report complaints or problems with roller coasters said Wild Thing
is generally thought of as being safe.
"The public feedback we receive on Wild Thing is really positive," said
Jason Herrera, who founded the Amusement Safety Organization. "We were
quite shocked when we heard about (Sunday's accident)."
Herrera, who is a safety consultant for Sears, Roebuck and Co., in
Santa Barbara, Calif., said that since there is little state or federal
oversight of amusement parks, riders must educate themselves about the
risks.
"I started the organization to compile information for the public, to
let them know what's going on out there," he said. "There are
particular ones (rides) that we receive a lot of negative feedback on.
We forward it to the parks. Even if the ride is self-regulated or the
park is self-regulated, it's in their best interest not to send a ride
flying off the track."
Sunday's incident happened as the train was nearing the platform at the
end of its three-minute run. In that section of track, brakes slow the
train - which reaches speeds of 74 mph - and then stop it at the
boarding platform.
Herrera said that while increased regulatory oversight of amusement
park rides would probably make them safer, he believed it should be
done on the state level, not the federal level. At present, 39 states
regulate amusement park rides.