Ride accidents at the park.

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C

Crackel

Apr 29, 2010
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Virginia Beach, VA
I don't know if this forum already exist but i could not find it if it does.

I found a website today which has all of the accidents in the last 15 or so year at the park. Most of these are rider error. http://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/busch_gardens_williamsburg/accidents/.

Does anyone have any ride accidents stories?
 
Here are a couple accidents from the 80s.

On June 13, 1989, a storm-related accident occurred when a tree fell on Nessie and a train with 25 passengers slammed into it.

Here's the Daily Press article - http://articles.dailypress.com/1989-06-14/news/8906140197_1_busch-gardens-loch-ness-monster-seven-car-train


A girl fell into the Rhine from the Skyride on June 1, 1985.

60481_10151554292936796_205950057_n.jpg
 
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That'd be the reason for the block system :p

(Not necessarily this particular incident, but just to avoid this in the future)
 
Few years ago, Griffon slammed into a giant, roof-mounted balloon prop which was being used for Illuminights in France. A fast-moving storm had swept into the park, and the winds literally tore the balloon from its anchorage on the roof of one of the buildings near the ride. The wind took the balloon in the direction of the tracks, and it caught on the netting rigging where the riders come up from under the bridge after the first drop. The cartload of people slammed into the balloon (which was now straddling the tracks and still about halfway inflated). It hit with such force, that the bang was startling. The cart was stopped at the top of the next drop. The storm came in full force before they could evacuate the people on the ride. The people were literally lashed by the heavy rain and winds, while lightning was frequent and very dangerous. It took about a half hour for them to get everyone down the stairs at the 2nd drop. One person was wheeled out of the ride exit on a wheel chair, one or two people were wheeled out on gurneys. The rest of the people were shaken and soaked. A terrifying thing to witness, for sure. My wife and son would've been on the next cart (we thought they were on the cart that had smashed into the balloon). Once people in the queue heard the bang and saw what happened, they started pouring out of the queue and away from the ride building. I don't think I've ever been as frightened as I was that day. Needless to say...the rest of the roof-mounted balloon props vanished very quickly...
 
^ The park had already started to deflate the balloons right before the incident occurred. Also, our first sentence says the ride smashed into the balloon, I would like to say I have never seen a ride move its location while in operation :p

Also, we might as well add the Verbolten injury. A apparently drunk male was riding the orange train on Verbolten, when he came back to the station he had some type of laceration that emitted pretty decent amounts of blood, the train was removed and the ride tested shortly and then things went back to normal.
 
Party Rocker said:
^ The park had already started to deflate the balloons right before the incident occurred. Also, our first sentence says the ride smashed into the balloon, I would like to say I have never seen a ride move its location while in operation :p

Also, we might as well add the Verbolten injury. A apparently drunk male was riding the orange train on Verbolten, when he came back to the station he had some type of laceration that emitted pretty decent amounts of blood, the train was removed and the ride tested shortly and then things went back to normal.
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I did hear that the balloons were in the process of being deflated, but the storm came in incredibly fast. Probably one of the fastest moving storms I've ever seen. About 5-10 minutes (tops) from partially overcast to wicked winds, then storm from hell. LOL The ride rammed the snagged balloon, which was laying across the track, yes :) The last I heard about the incident (from the head 'safety guy' for the park, if I remember correctly) was that nobody was seriously injured (thank God). I assume the balloons were like a think canvas. When they stopped the ride, the balloon was caught in the wheels under the cart. The people in the front row of the cart did meet the balloon full-face on. They had to wait to bring the people down the stairs because of heavy rain and lightning. My kids were younger then, and we thought for sure that they would never ride a coaster again (we were pretty much all sobbing at the exit when they came running out of the queue with everyone else)...but the next day, we took them right back to ride Griffin, and everyone was happy. So thank God, no lasting effects. I will always remember what happened every time I cross that bridge, though. There's more to the story, but I'll leave it at that.

I wasn't aware of the Verbolten injury. Jeez. Wonder what happened with that drunk??
 
flamanar said:
The ride rammed the snagged balloon
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Correction: The ride * vehicle* rammed the snagged balloon ;P

The full Verbolten story (as interpreted by Party Rocker as informed by members of BGWFans):

One weary day, the park was open for business as usual. A man who appeared to be drunk waited in line. As he approached the station he was able to take a seat firmly in the orange train. The harness was then engaged and he was ready for his journey through the Black Forest. The train got off to its start as usual. Upon reentering the station our drunken friend has oozed blood all over the brand new harness and car. As the harnessed was released he tried to make a quick escape from the ride. Attendants ushered him to stay nearby as First Aid was dispatched. He was then captured by First Aid in the ride photo/video portion of the gift shop.

Ride operators worked furiously to remove the train immediately from the track, releasing all other guests from the other trains, then shutting down the ride for quick testing to ensure the rides safety standards. The orange train did not return back to the track; employees spent the rest of the day and night scrubbing away the blood stains out of the car. The orange train did not return the next day. It is also very irrelevant to this story that the red train was not in use the following day as well.

To this very day, some say the man had smashed his head upon his own harness which caused such a laceration on his head. Others still say it is highly illogical and that it was mostly the result of the jerkiness from the second launch. While some other others say that it was the fault of a loose article beaming straight at his forehead. We may never know the true story behind this tragic day when the organe train was soiled by this drunken man who could not keep his blood off the ride.

The End?
 
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I think he may have pulled out a camera or something, trying to video the ride (which is dumb, cuz, dude, your on video) but on the second launch the camera slammed into his head! Just a theory.
 
Party Rocker said:
...Others still say it is highly illogical and that it was mostly the result of the jerkiness from the second launch...
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Yes, because of those enormous, hard shoulder restraints, cramped cars, tight track, butterfly elements, and tight turns right there...[/sarcasm]

I've always found Verbolten to be very smooth...or at least nowhere near rough enough to bash somebody in the forehead. Then again, Hurler is considered 'smooth' in my book...Does anyone agree with this reason?
 
Honestly, this sounds like someone had a phone or camera and it flew out of their hands and hit the guy in the face. His row partner could have had their hands up and hit him in the face after the Rhine drop too.
 
As I posted on the AC thread, let's not forget Fabio on the debut ride of Apollo's Chariot trying to eat a live goose.

Crackel said:
I found a website today which has all of the accidents in the last 15 or so year at the park. Most of these are rider error. http://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/busch_gardens_williamsburg/accidents/.
Click to expand...

I just read through this link, and I feel the need to report the danger of riding Curse of DarKastle...They throw knives and stuff, plus, that tour guide seems awfully unstable.
 
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