Raptor gate injury

A man was injured by the Raptor gate on Sunday. He said it was caused by employee error, but park officials say that he attempted to go through the gate while it was closing.

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-news/man-says-he-was-injured-by-...edar-point

Either he wasn't paying attention when they said the gates were closing, or there was something else that wasn't stated in the article. I mean, how can you not tell/see the gates are closing?

It's not like they instantly close either. You have plenty of time to get out of the way.

From now on, employees will have to individually approach each guest waiting behind said gates, say the word "scan", spin in a clockwise circle, reapproach each guest and learn something new about them, say the word "ready", and THEN the gates can close. Don't worry though, guests won't even notice the difference in procedure. Safety first!

Customer responsibility.

While were at it, maybe we should teach guests the Hokey-Pokey!

Wicked Twister Fan said:

I mean, how can you not tell/see the gates are closing?

As evidenced by the story over on Coasterbuzz, where a young man leapt a fence to retrieve a hat lost on a Crazy Mouse, and then managed to place his head where it could be hit by the undercarriage of a car on the track...

....people can be astoundingly oblivious to their surroundings.

I can't begin to count how many times guests are in the way of the gates closing. And the thing is, Raptor's close quick too. I guarantee he wasn't paying attention, was waiting in the loading chute even though the gates were open for a while, and thought he saw an empty seat and bee lined for it, thinking he could make it before the gates closed. It happens all of the time, and it definitely won't be the last time

noggin said:

Wicked Twister Fan said:

I mean, how can you not tell/see the gates are closing?

As evidenced by the story over on Coasterbuzz, where a young man leapt a fence to retrieve a hat lost on a Crazy Mouse, and then managed to place his head where it could be hit by the undercarriage of a car on the track...

....people can be astoundingly oblivious to their surroundings.

You do have a point there noggin. I do swear that people are completely oblivious to their surroundings. I see this on a regular basis at the park. Many people stand there looking like deer in the headlights when the gates open and it's their turn to get on. It's like move it people.

That's because most people are too busy sitting on the silver hand rails, texting, or distracted with their friends/family. I know I get distracted with the texting, but I still know when to go through when it's my turn.

Cedar Point has always been a place where people aren't necessarily completely oblivious to their surroundings, but one's attention can certainly be diverted from things right in front of you. Texting and smartphones have only amplified this problem, but even before the aforementioned technology, people are constantly looking up, or over at something in amazement. How many times has someone almost walked right into you because they are gawking at a coaster (or another guest)?

Like I said, customer responsibility all the way, but I can easily see how this can happen. I've been guilty of being nudged in the rear by an air-gate or two while tending to one of my daughters in a line.

So the guy wasn't paying attention or was trapped in la la land, realized he was being left behind by his buddies, and tried to squeeze through at the last minute.

Of course he thinks it was an employee error. Everything is someone else's fault.

This is what happens when you take your kids to see Blue Man Group at too early an age.

TwistedWicker77 said:

and thought he saw an empty seat and bee lined for it, thinking he could make it before the gates closed. It happens all of the time, and it definitely won't be the last time

I could see this happening. I often see the "single riders" (the neon shirts gang) leaping over closing gates on TTD or MF to grab empty seats too. Since its just too difficult to ask for the gates to be opened or (gasp) just wait for the next train!

He better not win a settlement. This should not happen at all, as most of us can see how slow those gates close. He was trying to squeeze in, I can't understand how he got the leg cut up, though. I wonder what employee error he is claiming, they didn't listen when he said to keep it open for him and he went anyway? No real explanation of this scenario. Was his kid on the ride and he got left behind and was trying to catch up?

I love how the warning about the picture possibly being graphic comes after you've already seen the picture ;)

How did the gate cause that injury? I haven't been on Raptor in awhile, but all the gates I'm picturing are rounded on all sides. It looks like a deep laceration.

Additional information:

http://fox8.com/2015/06/22/cedar-point-injury-leaves-man-with-leg-f...-stitches/

My question is, was he drunk/ on drugs when this happened? I mean if he knew the load/unload policy, how on earth did he get stuck? This really boggles my mind.

Definitely call BS on his statements. If his leg was where it was supposed to be it would not have been cut. If he is that familiar with the loading procedure, he should know where to stand. Certainly sounds like he tried to beat the gate to squeeze in to get on the train. I also doubt the ride operator was confused at how to open the gate, that is something they do for every train that comes in. Does CP have cameras in the station?

How could ride operators be "confused" on how to open the platform gates? more likely they were unsure about whether opening them would cause further injury. Also it's interesting how he wasn't trying to squeeze through anything... but his first thought was "I'll slip out of here". taking a step back doesn't require any squeezing or slipping. To chalk it up as a "language barrier" issue is unfair. it doesn't require any speaking to get out of the way of a closing gate. They have yellow lines on the floor marking the gate's position in each coaster station specifically for people like him. Lines that I'm sure he had to have seen after "hundreds" of rides on Raptor. I understand Cedar Point apparently offering to cover his medical bills to prevent further court costs etc. but for him to pursue further "legal action" is the definition of greed.

Did anyone else get the impression from the way things were worded that it wasn't the gate closing on him that caused the gash so much as his attempts to free his leg before the gate was reopened?

Can't fix stupid.