Tian Fei / EPA
Part of the Overseas Chinese Town East amusement park in Shenzhen, China, has been closed following Tuesday's deadly accident.
Posted on 06/30/2010 2:56:14 PM PDT by Cheap_Hessian
BEIJING — A space shuttle simulator ride plunged 50 feet to the ground at a popular Chinese amusement park, killing six people and injuring another 10.
Survivors said there was a power cut and they heard a loud explosion moments before the drop, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Wednesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Tian Fei / EPA
Part of the Overseas Chinese Town East amusement park in Shenzhen, China, has been closed following Tuesday's deadly accident.
Note to self:
Do not purchase Amusment Park Rides at Walmart.
And the wife thinks I’m crazy for refusing to go on amusement park rides maintained by long haired, reefer toking high school kids.
It will be interesting to see how many smart-ass comments there will be about 6 people getting killed.
I don’t think you’re crazy at all. I live about 60 miles from a huge amusement park - Cedar Point, in Sandusky, Ohio. My brother worked there one summer while he was in college (a lot of college kids do) and after I heard the “inside” stories, that was pretty much the end of my fervor for amusement parks of all kinds. I stopped going on rides about 15 years ago - I just don’t trust the rides or the people running them AT ALL. I have a lot of things I enjoy and I do not feel I am missing out. Like I told my friends, when you are terrified, it sort of takes the fun out of it.
SNAP!!!
Hmmmm, they seem to have stolen one of our space shuttles.
Please elaborate—my kids drag me there 3-4 times per year.
Sad. Shows that you never know when it will be your time.
What's the typical injury/fatality rate on amusement park rides? I'd bet one would have a greater chance getting injured or killed in an auto accident driving to the amusement park than getting injured or killed on a ride.
As one who was a reefer tokin long haired high school kid always out for mischief, I don’t blame you!
What crashed?
This China accident is their most current story:
In one of the deadliest amusement ride accidents in modern history, six people were killed and at least ten were injured when a space shuttle simulator malfunctioned at at Ecoventure Valley theme park in Shenzhen, China. The indoor ride, called Space Journey, consists of 11 cabins, each with the capacity to hold four passengers. Witnesses said that there was a loud noise, smoke filled the air, the lights went out, and machine oil started to spray. They said that some of the 44 riders on board were ejected from their cabins, which crashed into each other and fell 40-50 feet to the ground. According to one witness who survived the catastrophe, "All the cabins but the one we were sitting in were destroyed. Some people fell onto the rail and some fell on the ground. Some people died instantly and were just hanging dead in their seats."
The number one cause of accidents? Those blow-up rides for little kids (moonbounce and slide-type rides; they tend to get blown around by the wind).
Yes. Even counting “county-fair” type rides, which are much more dangerous, there are very few fatalities. On the other hand, there are a lot fewer passenger-miles on roller coasters than in passenger cars.
I ride amusement park rides all the time, and I read the web sites about all the accidents, so I know what to avoid. I no longer ride any portable rides that move too fast, or go too high that I think I could be hurt seriously if they fell apart. I’ve watched those little kid coaster sliding over a foot back and forth on piles of 6-inch timbers used to “level” them, and just waited for it to fall over.
Interesting that they have a shuttle. Not something one would immediately identify as Chinese.
Wonder what happened? Did it blow an O-ring?
Just that you have a bunch of college kids running the rides and you can make your own judgment. I don’t remember details because it was in the 1970s. I just remember thinking, “yikes.” My brother said there were some careless things done in inspections and so on.
However, I am sure there is a safety record that is public and can be checked on. I do not recall anything in the news at all that even comes to mind. I have heard horror stories about Six Flags and, of course, those little carnivals that travel through town are major offenders. A little kid here in Ohio was electrocuted about three years ago because some ride wasn’t grounded or something. Lawsuit was settled about a year ago and I don’t recall the details.
Life is a risk. I just am old and a worrier now.
RIP.
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