From what I understand, the victim was a teacher.
Sadly, our society is so focused on wanting immediate resolution to an issue that sometimes we take it upon ourselves to rectify it ASAP. Even if we are not qualified, cleared, trained to do so.
In today's amusement/theme parks across the US, the safety regulation are much stricter than when I worked at King Dominion on the Rebel Yell. We used to go on "Hat Checks" to retrieve anything that had fallen to the ground. We would get a small trash bag and walk along and UNDER the ride while it was in operation. We pick up hats, eye glasses, woman's purses/handbags, park merchandise, and other stuff that I prefer not to go into. (Sorry, cell phones were not an item we worried about because they did not exist back then). The bottom of the first drop was so low to the ground, that it was fenced off in addition to the ride perimeter fence. We had to be VERY ALERT when in that section because I was tall enough that I could stick my head between the tracks. I could have gotten my head knocked off if I stood up when a train was coming down the 1st drop. We also were responsible for adding or removing the 2nd trains from the tracks.
Today, NO ONE is allowed under the ride unless it is in lock-down mode. The ride has to be in an inoperable state while any park employee is under the ride or in the ride path of motion. Usually maintenance folks are the only ones to be able to lock-down a ride. I believe only maintenance personnel are allowed to add or remove a train from a coaster.
Given the stricter safety rules, most parks emphasize that you must secure all looses items. That the ride operators cannot shut down the ride because you lost something. That's why so many parks currently limit retrieval of lost objects until the end of the operating day. And that is why so many folks get irate and want immediate resolution. Then, if they get no satisfaction from the park employees, they take it upon themselves to try and retrieve it themselves. Sadly, with occasional fatal results.
There is no way to get around these current safety regulations. I can understand why parks do not want to have to shut down a ride, especially a coaster, every time a person loses something. Think how much area a large coaster usually covers and having to comb through all that ground looking for something as small as a smart phone. It could take 30 minutes to over an hour to search. And, even then, park workers might come back with nothing.
Unfortunately, the Raptor coaster has several low spots in its layout and most of the ride is close to public pathways. I think it was too much of a temptation for the guy to quickly climb over the fence and try to find his cell phone.
It seems most similar reported accidents happen with suspended coasters. With the coaster cars suspended below the track, people misjudge the clearance and get struck by a passing train. The B&M suspended coaster trains extend down close to 6 feet below the track rails. A tall person's legs might dangle an inch or two below the bottom of the ride carriage.
Like I said earlier, Raptor has several low spots in its ride path. The ground clearance could be between 5-6 feet in those areas. If a 6 foot+ person entered the area when a train was about to pass through, then I can understand why the person did not survive.
I am not sure what Cedar Point could do to improve the ride safety perimeter. Add more explicit warning signs? Maybe the chain link perimeter fence needs to be replaced with a type of fence that KD has around the Dominator; especially for coasters that are along public pathways. That style of fence does not offer any hand/toe holds like a traditional chain-link fence and would be very difficult to climb over without assistance (on both sides of the fence).
In any case, a person lost their life over a cell phone. More than likely a phone that was damaged anyway when it fell from the ride. Sad, just sad, for the family and friends of this man and for Cedar Point.
Sadly, our society is so focused on wanting immediate resolution to an issue that sometimes we take it upon ourselves to rectify it ASAP. Even if we are not qualified, cleared, trained to do so.
In today's amusement/theme parks across the US, the safety regulation are much stricter than when I worked at King Dominion on the Rebel Yell. We used to go on "Hat Checks" to retrieve anything that had fallen to the ground. We would get a small trash bag and walk along and UNDER the ride while it was in operation. We pick up hats, eye glasses, woman's purses/handbags, park merchandise, and other stuff that I prefer not to go into. (Sorry, cell phones were not an item we worried about because they did not exist back then). The bottom of the first drop was so low to the ground, that it was fenced off in addition to the ride perimeter fence. We had to be VERY ALERT when in that section because I was tall enough that I could stick my head between the tracks. I could have gotten my head knocked off if I stood up when a train was coming down the 1st drop. We also were responsible for adding or removing the 2nd trains from the tracks.
Today, NO ONE is allowed under the ride unless it is in lock-down mode. The ride has to be in an inoperable state while any park employee is under the ride or in the ride path of motion. Usually maintenance folks are the only ones to be able to lock-down a ride. I believe only maintenance personnel are allowed to add or remove a train from a coaster.
Given the stricter safety rules, most parks emphasize that you must secure all looses items. That the ride operators cannot shut down the ride because you lost something. That's why so many parks currently limit retrieval of lost objects until the end of the operating day. And that is why so many folks get irate and want immediate resolution. Then, if they get no satisfaction from the park employees, they take it upon themselves to try and retrieve it themselves. Sadly, with occasional fatal results.
There is no way to get around these current safety regulations. I can understand why parks do not want to have to shut down a ride, especially a coaster, every time a person loses something. Think how much area a large coaster usually covers and having to comb through all that ground looking for something as small as a smart phone. It could take 30 minutes to over an hour to search. And, even then, park workers might come back with nothing.
Unfortunately, the Raptor coaster has several low spots in its layout and most of the ride is close to public pathways. I think it was too much of a temptation for the guy to quickly climb over the fence and try to find his cell phone.
It seems most similar reported accidents happen with suspended coasters. With the coaster cars suspended below the track, people misjudge the clearance and get struck by a passing train. The B&M suspended coaster trains extend down close to 6 feet below the track rails. A tall person's legs might dangle an inch or two below the bottom of the ride carriage.
Like I said earlier, Raptor has several low spots in its ride path. The ground clearance could be between 5-6 feet in those areas. If a 6 foot+ person entered the area when a train was about to pass through, then I can understand why the person did not survive.
I am not sure what Cedar Point could do to improve the ride safety perimeter. Add more explicit warning signs? Maybe the chain link perimeter fence needs to be replaced with a type of fence that KD has around the Dominator; especially for coasters that are along public pathways. That style of fence does not offer any hand/toe holds like a traditional chain-link fence and would be very difficult to climb over without assistance (on both sides of the fence).
In any case, a person lost their life over a cell phone. More than likely a phone that was damaged anyway when it fell from the ride. Sad, just sad, for the family and friends of this man and for Cedar Point.