Intamin belts

I was reading on www.rideaccidents.com and happen to come across this article about the seatbelts being added to Intamin coasters due to this accident and possibly the few others that happened on this ride.

RideAccidents.com said

In May, 1999, a rider was ejected from Intamin's Superman Ride of Steel roller coaster at Six Flags Darien Lake theme park in New York. The victim, a 37-year-old man, was thrown from the ride near its end. He suffered only minor injuries. Investigators determined that the passenger restraint system was working properly, but that the man, who was 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed about 400 pounds, was too big for the ride. The man later won a $4 million lawsuit against the park. The jury found that the park was negligent in its failure to properly train employees to assess a rider's potential risk for ejection.

In the wake of the Darien Lake accident, seatbelts were added to the lap bar restraint systems on all similar Intamin roller coasters.

Hopefully this won't get locked because I'm not trying to start a flame or anything about the ride or the park, because I've never been there. I am just curious if this was the event that sparked CP having to put the belts on MF and TTD or if there was another event(s) that caused it.

*** Edited 5/19/2006 4:38:32 AM UTC by Carpy***

Not exactly sure what you're talking about. MF and TTD have always had belts. There was someone killed on SROS in, I believe 2004, causing intamin to issue a rule that the belts had to be shortened and rerouted. That's what has caused the big uproar, but those coasters have always had seltbelts. No offense, but you're way off on this one.

Yea, that's why I posted about it lol. Trying to increase my knowledge overall about the events and such.

Just putting the puzzle together and need a little help sometimes. Thanks for posting about that.

Unfortunately, accidents such as that are the reason for such restrictive belts and safety procedures on Cedar Point's Intamin coasters.

Atleast there trying to make it safe, it might suck not being able to ride, but it's better then being dead...

I actually saw two people that couldn't ride last time I was on Millennium Force. One of them was a 11 year-old kid. It must of been so embarrassing... and they must of been really pissed-off after waiting all that time to ride.

My first ride on MF last year I didn't have a problem, but when I tried to go again later in the day I couldn't fasten the belt and I had to get off. At the time I weighed 230 lbs., so all seatbelts are not the same. I guess I should of tried to remember what seat and train I was on the first time.

Congratulations Carpy. You just started the 1,000th thread regarding seatbelts at Cedar Point.

Carpy said:
I am just curious if this was the event that sparked CP having to put the belts on MF and TTD or if there was another event(s) that caused it.

DRose said:
Not exactly sure what you're talking about. MF and TTD have always had belts.

However, since this happened before either were built, this may have caused a design change that caused belts to be added to MF.

This would also go a long way towards explaining the theory (maybe its more than that) that Intamin belts are meant as a measuring device for the lap bar and not as a safety restraint.

It was the 2004 accident right before CP opened that caused the change in policy to where no you have to be able to pull so much of the belt through the buckle when it is fastened.

ah, see, that's what I was wondering; if this was the single incident that caused it or if it was something else I was missing. I'm just trying to put the puzzle together and trying to learn more about everything.

Thanks for the posts everyone. This topic wasn't meant to argue about what you think of the belts.