WildCat

Quite obviously. :)

Watching the baby today, and for the first time (as far as I have seen) the accident got reported here in Columbus. They showed some POV video of the ride while talking (of course the video ended at the top of the lift hill).

They stated that 9 people were treated for cuts and bruises, and "one was even transported to a local hospital" (emphasis added by the reporter on the word even). Lasted about 20 seconds.

It still seems strange that this didnt get more attention to me, even if it was minor, although now that we know it happened I would say Cedar Point really dodged a bullet with this one, given the fatality that happened on a similar ride in 1994.

Seeing as how I can ride this ride at state fairs, I would say it's time for Wildcat to go into the litterbox-in-the-sky.

I dont see it the same way. I like wildcat. Just because it has one mishap in how long. A fatal accident on one could be a maint issue there. In my years of going to the park i have never heard of an accident on it until this one. I dont see a reason to get rid of it.

Kevin - did they still refer to it as a "rollback"? That is the one thing I'm not liking about how this is being reported. They are trying to make it sound like this is "normal" or how a coaster "should" act if there is a lift failure. Apparently journalism doesn't require investigation anymore, just report the facts you can find and make up the ones you can't.

And I would guess they will keep it, which is fine. I actually wouldn't care either way, as I have never really enjoyed this ride for whatever reason. I agree with you 100% that one accident is not a good reason to get rid of it, I just wouldn't care of they did. For your sake, I hope they keep it. :)

Thank you for respecting my opinion.

Thank you for respecting my opinion.

Dont we all do that here? :)

Kevin - did they still refer to it as a "rollback"? That is the one thing I'm not liking about how this is being reported.

No they didnt. I was listening for this actually. They simply stated that "a car failed to make it up the lift, and fell back into another car." They didnt mention how high it was, etc...and quite frankly, were very matter-of-fact, and didnt blow anything out of proportion, which is surprising.

Interesting. It would still be nice if they would explain what SHOULD have happened (i.e. that there are safety mechanisms meant to prevent this and that they failed). But at least they aren't comparing to Dragster anymore.

I'm wondering, out of curiousity, does something like this prevent anyone here from riding it again? I dont really count, since I'm not a big fan of the ride, but I would be curious from this audience what an opinion would be. I would guess most would (I would as well).

And no, there was no mention of anti roll-backs, etc... Again, I am surprised how little "flowering" of the story there was.

I wouldn't be hesitant at all. I enjoy the ride, and I'm sure whatever the reason is for this happening, it would be corrected 100% before re-opening.

I'm still going to ride it, and hope it is up and running for my daughter to ride for her first time when we go in the end of June. Of course it might give my mother in law a heart attack, but any coaster her granddaughter rides freaks her out. Unfortunately she heard on the radio today at work that there had been an accident on a ride at Cedar Point. I was hoping she wouldn't, she worries too much.

The Associated Press said:
A spokeswoman there (Department of Agriculture) says inspectors suspect a problem with the ride's track.

Take that as you will.

When I posted my earlier comment, the news I had read indicated that nine people had been hurt, and that all had been treated by park first aid. The tenth injury (the person who went to Firelands) was reported in a later Register story.

Someone asked about "incidents" in Ohio...

Definitions appear in ORC 1711.50 and include the following:

(L) “Accident” means an occurrence during the operation of an amusement ride which results in death or injury requiring immediate hospital admission.

(M) “Serious injury” means an injury that does not require immediate hospital admission but does require medical treatment, other than first aid, by a physician.

(N) “First aid” means the one-time treatment or subsequent observation of scratches, cuts not requiring stitches, burns, splinters, and contusions or a diagnostic procedure, including examinations and x-rays, which does not ordinarily require medical treatment even though provided by a physician or other licensed professional personnel.

ORC 1711.55 talks about the owner's responsibilities (I haven't compared it to ASTM F 770, but it seems to relate):

(B) The owner of an amusement ride shall maintain records of all serious injuries involving riders, containing such information as the department prescribes, on forms prescribed by the department. These records shall be made available for inspection by the department on request. In the case of an accident, the owner of an amusement ride shall immediately notify the department by telephone or in person and subsequently file a written report with the department within twenty-four hours of the accident.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

This is really surprising. First off, I feel terrible for those involved in the accident. Best wishes to you. But in all honesty, accidents happen. And for those of you thinking that the inspectors/maintenance personnel looking over the rides take their job for granted.. that's just wrong. I'm 100% positive that they take it very seriously as they put the safety of hundreds if not thousands of people in their hands every day. It's a sad thing that this happened, but a good design is never fail-safe.

^^

So if someone were to break both legs and need casts it would still only be considered a "serious injury" and no "accident" would have to be filed with the department immediately. They could be taken by an ambulance to the ER, casted and sent on their way. While the park just has to make a record of it and keep it on file.

Amazing.

Someone should really look into that. It may be the most absurd thing I've heard in a good while.

^

I dont see why that is amazing. Breaking bones, while of course painful, really isn't that big of a deal in the spectrum of medical problems someone could potentially encounter while on a ride; like, say, getting both feet cut off.

What more would you want them to do other than put it on file? Make a billboard? Call the press?

[Don't post copyrighted material. Link to it. - Walt]

Ok looking at the Wildcat POV I noticed that when the train/car leaves the station it makes 3 unbanked turns before it reaches the lift.

My question is, (and this depends how high on the lift they were when it broke) when it rolls back, at a considerable amount of speed, and hits those sharp little turns that arent banked, wouldn't that give you some whiplash? That just looks like it would hurt being whipped around tight turns like those at, lets say, 20 MPH?

I would have to agree that there would be some sore necks for quite some time, yes. Hence, "bruises and sprains"; I would think the majority of the "sprains" were in the neck area.

Loopy: I completely agree. That's just not right. Even speaking as a fan and defender of parks, this is one statue that should be fixed.

Kevinj: my wife fell down four steps, landing on her leg and shattering her ankle and leg in multiple places. She required four hours of reconstructive surgery, including putting plates, bolts and wires into her body. As a result of her injury, she developed a devastating neuropathic condition called RSD that has prohibited her from working as a librarian and now must file for disability. She's had seven surgical procedures since the fall. So don't tell me breaking a leg "really isn't that big of a deal".