DEATH ON FREEFALL AT ICON PARK

[starlite_]

I read that this kid had been denied entry to other rides at the park due to his size and the staff at the free fall ride told him, essentially, "come over here, we'll get you on this one." That is the story that is being circulated.

He was too large. The harness could not engage fully. It's a terrible, preventable tragedy. His parents have hired 2 attorneys and are seeking witnesses and any photos or video anyone may have.

Sounds like they were trying to cheer him up, how horrible for everyone involved.

 

[DLgal]

After this is all said and done, regardless who is at fault, all parks will on the lookout for ever big boy and girl. And it will be very embracing for those who want to ride, the rides, designed for the kiddos. It’s embarrassing now just wait until this all come down.

Right. Because being embarrassed is worse than being killed because you got on a ride that you shouldn't have. Safety first. Period.

 

[fatmanatee]

It is completely horrifying. I saw it mentioned the teen was 6' 5" and approx 330 lbs. That's a big 14 year old. Maybe that had something to do with the system not operating properly? Not meaning it's his fault - maybe the safety and system is not proper for larger guests?

According to paperwork circulating from a news guy on twitter, his weight was well above the max allowed on the ride.

EDIT: here’s a link to a story about the weight limit…

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/o...-shows-boy-exceeded-attractions-weight-limits

 

[DLgal]

According to paperwork circulating from a news guy on twitter, his weight was well above the max allowed on the ride.

EDIT: here’s a link to a story about the weight limit…

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/o...-shows-boy-exceeded-attractions-weight-limits

Well, that's pretty open and shut. Operator negligence. Lawsuit will easily go in favor of the family.

Exceeded the maximum weight limit by 54 pounds. Sheesh. Those workers failed this kid and his family.

 

[soniam]

I wonder if the ride does a weight check. Otherwise, how do the employees know what someone weighs? With different builds, it's sometimes difficult to tell.

 

[jujubiee4]

The person "operating" it looked really young. I saw a video of another angle where the 14 yr
old kept looking over at the worker. He looked worried to me.

 

[DLgal]

I wonder if the ride does a weight check. Otherwise, how do the employees know what someone weighs? With different builds, it's sometimes difficult to tell.

I mean, someone who is 6'5" can easily be 250 and that would be hard to gauge. But 350 is a different situation. This kid was massive. I'm sure it made him an amazing football player, but he was very clearly spilling out of that seat and that, in and of itself, according to the manual, is a red flag. It says riders must fit within the confines of the seat.

 

[fatmanatee]

I wonder if the ride does a weight check. Otherwise, how do the employees know what someone weighs? With different builds, it's sometimes difficult to tell.

I was curious about this, and apparently there’s a company that sells scales specifically for amusement parks. So the option is there, but really the eye test should have been enough here, he clearly didn’t fit the restraints, no matter what they say about sensors.

 

[soniam]

I was curious about this, and apparently there’s a company that sells scales specifically for amusement parks. So the option is there, but really the eye test should have been enough here, he clearly didn’t fit the restraints, no matter what they say about sensors.

I know they use them at Volcano Bay.

 

[DLgal]

Great Wolf lodge has these scales. And they use them, every time.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

Great Wolf lodge has these scales. And they use them, every time.

Aquatica also and other water parks I have been too. Green light if passz

 

[jade1]

Seems like these days it wouldn't be difficult to have a scale integrated into each seat. And that ride won't leave the ground if even one scale reads high. Same with the buckles. I mean how much did this attraction cost? Would think a lot of safety measures would be included.

 

[DLgal]

Seems like these days it wouldn't be difficult to have a scale integrated into each seat. And that ride won't leave the ground if even one scale reads high. Same with the buckles. I mean how much did this attraction cost? Would think a lot of safety measures would be included.

Physics wouldn't allow that. Scales are very sensitive and have to be calibrated carefully. The forces endured on that ride would break most scales. They are not designed to withstand sudden forces like those at all. Even my tiny electric kitchen scale warns against simply storing items on top of it.

 

[bambialways4ever]

I wonder if the ride does a weight check. Otherwise, how do the employees know what someone weighs? With different builds, it's sometimes difficult to tell.

Well given that the safety harness didn't lock, that should be a pretty good barometer for ride operators if someone doesn't safely fit due to their size.

 

[Jennasis]

It doesn't sound like the harness came undone and opened, rather that it didn't click down far enough to offer adequate support/safety for the size of the child and he slipped under the harness. Does that sound correct? I will NEVER EVER look at the video.

 

[maya213]

I wonder if the ride does a weight check. Otherwise, how do the employees know what someone weighs? With different builds, it's sometimes difficult to tell.

That's a good question. Unless you put the kid on a scale, it's not as easy as it sound to know his weight.

 

[Helvetica]

It doesn't sound like the harness came undone and opened, rather that it didn't click down far enough to offer adequate support/safety for the size of the child and he slipped under the harness. Does that sound correct? I will NEVER EVER look at the video.

The accident report said that the seat was still locked. The poor kid slipped out.

https://nbc-2.com/news/state/2022/0...ida-park-ride-death-says-seat-was-locked/amp/
I guess we’ll have to see as more facts come out, but I really don’t like the design of this ride.

 

[Lewisc]

Water parks weigh guests. Too heavy and the guest might go down too fast going through run off section. Too light and the guest might get airborne

The issue here is more distribution then weigh He was able to slide under the restrain. You don't need a scale to see that he wasn't properly restrained. There is a big issue if the safety system gave the all clear.

 

[maverik85]

It doesn't sound like the harness came undone and opened, rather that it didn't click down far enough to offer adequate support/safety for the size of the child and he slipped under the harness. Does that sound correct? I will NEVER EVER look at the video.

That's correct. From all of the reports the harness was "properly" latched, otherwise the ride would not have been able to operate. However, from a picture before the ride started there looked to be a significant gap between the seat and the harness allowing room for him to easily slip out, especially with a lack of a safety belt to catch him. The angled nature of the seats where they tilt downward during the drop probably added to this. Basically the ride operated properly but with the allowed gap, lack of belt, and slope of seat were a perfect storm for him to slip ride out of it once the breaks hit. If anyone of these things was different he might have been alright. Would not be surprised to see seatbelts added to this before it reopens. The harnessess properly need to have a tighter setting where they need to come down further before getting a greenlight as well.

 

[DLgal]

That's correct. From all of the reports the harness was "properly" latched, otherwise the ride would not have been able to operate. However, from a picture before the ride started there looked to be a significant gap between the seat and the harness allowing room for him to easily slip out, especially with a lack of a safety belt to catch him. The angled nature of the seats where they tilt downward during the drop probably added to this. Basically the ride operated properly but with the allowed gap, lack of belt, and slope of seat were a perfect storm for him to slip ride out of it once the breaks hit. If anyone of these things was different he might have been alright. Would not be surprised to see seatbelts added to this before it reopens. The harnessess properly need to have a tighter setting where they need to come down further before getting a greenlight as well.

Absolutely spot on assessment. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it was the tilting downward feature that ultimately resulted in this death. Had the seat remained upright, or been tilted slightly backward, this kid would probably still be alive.

The harness WAS engaged, it was just not engaged *fully enough* to prevent the kid from slipping out. It left a too large opening and coupled with the strong force of the deceleration, and the tilt, allowed him to slip through. The forces created during a free fall are significant and no amount of hanging on would have been enough to overcome it.

Sadly, according to the boy's father, via his best friend who was sitting next to him, the victim began "freaking out" during the ascent because his harness didn't feel locked down. He was telling his friend "why is this thing moving...what's going on?" and then he actually said to his friend "If I don't make it down, tell my mama and daddy that I love them." Completely heartbreaking.

I wouldn't even entertain getting on a ride like that if there was no secondary seatbelt. I can't even believe that was an option on this ride vehicle, especially with that tilting mechanism. A harness can fail, and there needs to be a backup in place when you literally have a riders bodyweight leaning fully against it.

ETA: As a matter of fact, I wouldn't even want a fabric seat belt. I'd want a solid metal piece between the legs of the seat that comes up and MEETS the harness, that the harness has to click into. I'd want the harness locking at the top AND at the front. Like one giant seatbelt.