Riders Shaken By Wild Thing Accident(AP) Eighteen people suffered minor injuries in an accident on the Wild Thing roller coaster at the Valleyfair amusement park Sunday, authorities and park officials said.
Fourteen people were taken to St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee, while four refused medical attention, officials said.
The 14 suffered mostly strains and sprains but no broken bones, and they were all treated and released by 8:30 p.m., hospital spokeswoman Lori Manke said.
"They're all doing very, very well," she said.
A park spokesman said the cause of the accident wasn't immediately determined.
The rear car on one of the roller coaster's ride trains separated from the others about 4:25 p.m. at a point where the trains slow down as they enter the ride station, Valleyfair spokesman Bill Von Bank said. The Wild Thing reaches speeds of up to 74 mph, but it would have been braking and going much slower at that point, he said.
The car came to rest tipped on its side on a platform along the track but did not fall to the ground. Park officials covered it with an orange tarp. The rear car of those that remained attached to the train appeared from aerial video to be slightly off the track.
Bailey Merchant, 12, of Shakopee, said she was in the rear car when the middle car of the three on the train started jerking and smoking. She said the middle car then "fell right off the track and made the last car turn over."
As she left the hospital Sunday evening, Merchant said she fell out of the car but her friend was stuck, so she helped her get out. Then they ran off, she said.
But when her friend realized she was missing her hat, they went back to the ride. Merchant said a police officer on the scene asked them if they'd been in the accident.
"We were jerked and twisted and it started to hurt really badly," she said.
Merchant said she was told she'd be sore Monday. Her mother, Tracy Theis, said she learned of the accident in a call on her cell phone from a nurse at St. Francis.
"It's very scary," she said. "You don't ever want to get that phone call."
Katelyn Churchich, 16, of Oakdale, said she was in the middle car when it happened.
"It started jerking and moving around, like, not right," she said. "We kind of heard scratching and we didn't know anything was wrong until we smelled metal grinding with each other, and then when we looked back one of the cars was tilted on its side."
People were screaming, crying, jumping out and running away, she said.
Nicole Triplett, 20, of Apple Valley, was in the first row of the back car with her boyfriend when it happened, and said she must have passed out.
"I remember waking up and looking at him and the other cart," she said.
Triplett said hospital staff took x-rays and told her not to go to work Monday because she had probably suffered a mild concussion.
Valleyfair, which is owned by Cedar Fair LP, of Sandusky, Ohio, said its maintenance officials were investigating the accident, but that it was too early to determine why the car separated from the others.
Von Bank said the Wild Thing had been in operation for 10 years without any similar problems. He said the park would contact testing companies, the ride manufacturer and independent consultants as it investigates.
The Wild Thing will remain closed until further notice, but it's not clear how long that will be, the spokesman said. The amusement park itself remained open.
Merchant said the accident won't keep her from returning to the amusement park, "but probably not that ride ever again, because I love Valleyfair."
Churchich, who was treated for neck and back pains, said that not only would she go back, she'd ride the Wild Thing again.
"I think that it was a one in a million chance, and I just happened to be there. But we all got kind of lucky because no one died or anything," she said.
But Triplett said she's had enough.
"I will never go on a ride ever again in my life," she vowed.
(c) The Associated Press, 21. Mai 2006
Bilder vom Coaster: http://www.rcdb.com/ig137.htm
Failed mounting bracket blamed for roller coaster accidentBy Associated Press
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SHAKOPEE, Minn. (AP) — A failed mounting bracket caused last weekend's accident on the Wild Thing roller coaster at Valleyfair, which injured 18 people, the amusement park said Thursday.
Inspectors determined that the mounting bracket in the braking/slow down area right before the train enters the station failed, damaging the rear axle on the fifth car, which caused the sixth car to separate from the train, Valleyfair said in a statement.
It's still not clear when the Wild Thing will reopen. The statement said inspectors will ``thoroughly inspect and test all aspects of the ride'' and make appropriate modifications.
``When these corrective measures have been completed, the ride will be inspected and tested before reopening to our guests,'' the statement said.
The accident happened as the ride train was braking as it approached the exit station Sunday afternoon. The rear car came to rest on its side on a platform along the elevated track. Eighteen people suffered minor injuries, which sent 15 of them to the emergency room of a Shakopee hospital.
The ride is being inspected by Valleyfair maintenance officials and people from Barr Engineering, Braun Intertec and the ride manufacturer, the statement said.
No government agency is involved in the investigation. While some states inspect amusement park rides, Minnesota leaves that to park owners and their insurance companies.
Valleyfair said the inspection team is being guided by standards developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials, which describes itself one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world.
Valleyfair is owned by Sandusky, Ohio-based Cedar Fair L.P.
Quelle
Gruß,
Patric
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