ConceptsAmusement park injuries and deaths*
Introduction
The US Amusement and Theme Park Industry continues to grow in popularity. Amusement parks reported a record $9.1 billion in revenue during 1999. In 1999, the 450 fixed-site amusement parks in the United States accommodated approximately 309 million visitors from around the world.1 Amusement parks owe their popularity, at least in part, to roller coasters, which date back to the 15th-century Russian mountains (Table 1).1, 2Roller coasters continue to set new height and speed records as engineers attempt to outdo each other by building the fastest, most thrilling ride in this increasingly competitive industry (Table 2).3, 4
Amusement park injuries and mishaps have long been considered newsworthy events, but stories have become more common in the last several years. A string of fatal amusement park accidents during a 6-day period in August of 1999 led many to question the safety of amusement park rides and prompted legislative attempts to regulate the industry. On August 22, 1999, a 12-year-old boy fell to his death after slipping through a harness during a 129-ft free fall on the Drop Zone Stunt Tower ride at Paramount’s Great America theme park in Santa Clara, CA. On August 23, 1999, a 20-year-old man fell to his death from the Shockwave stand-up-style roller coaster at Paramount’s Kings Dominion theme park in Doswell, VA. This particular roller coaster reaches a height of 95 ft and maximum speeds of 50 mph. Finally, on August 28, 1999, a 39-year-old woman and her 8-year-old daughter were killed when their roller coaster car slid backward down a 30-ft ascent and crashed into another car on the Wild Wonder ride at Gillian’s Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, NJ.4
Injuries and deaths in amusement parks are not restricted to roller coaster style rides. For example, a 21-year-old man was recently killed on a reverse-bungee catapult ride called the Rocket Launcher in Ontario, Canada. The ride consists of 2 steel towers with a bungee cord connected to each. The cords are stretched toward the ground, where they are attached to the rider’s safety harness and then released, catapulting the rider at high speeds into the air. Before the victim was launched into the air he was told by the “jumpmaster” to “hold out his arms and fly like Superman.” His harness became disengaged, and he launched 100 feet into the air, landing on pavement.4
A Journal of the American Medical Association article in 19855 reported the death of a 14-year-old boy at a waterslide theme park in Utah. The boy was dangling from the side of a waterslide collecting pool when he was sucked into an underwater pipe (12.5 inches in diameter) that pumped water back up to the top of the slides. He traveled underwater 93 ft before becoming lodged in a 90-degree vertical bend in the pipe within the pump house. He was located after 15 minutes, but resuscitation efforts failed.
In this article, we review reports of amusement park injuries and fatalities that have been published in the medical literature. We also review amusement park injury and fatality data collected by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Finally, we review literature on the physics and the physiologic effects of roller coasters that may predispose healthy individuals to injury and make recommendations.
Section snippets
Injuries in the medical literature
A MEDLINE search of the medical literature with no limitations between 1966 and the second week of August 2001 revealed numerous amusement park injuries. These include corneal foreign bodies from bumper car collisions,6, 7 a pneumothorax resulting from “reversed” bungee jumping,8 a report of “roller coaster glaucoma” in a patient with Marfan’s syndrome,9 peritoneal dialysis catheter displacement after a roller coaster ride,10 and lately, more frequent reports of neurologic complications after
CPSC data
In July 2000, the CPSC issued a report on amusement park injuries, using emergency department reports compiled between 1993 and 1999. The data were collected from the 100 EDs in the United States that participate in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). These 100 hospitals represent a stratified sample of the 5,388 US acute care hospitals with EDs and 6 or more inpatient beds. There are 5 strata in NEISS, 4 of which are stratified on the basis of annual ED visits (small,
Physiologic effects of roller coasters
Currently, industry officials and legislators are debating the physiologic safety of roller coaster rides. Some government officials and safety advocates believe that new technological advances and competition within the amusement industry have led to dangerously high G forces that may produce bodily harm. Unfortunately, few medical researchers have studied the specific physiologic effects of roller coaster rides on the human body. In addition, lack of G-force studies directed specifically at
Regulatory oversight
Current federal law subjects mobile amusement parks and carnivals to CPSC investigations. Jurisdiction over mobile parks was granted in July 1981. The CPSC was given the authority to investigate accidents, develop and enforce action plans to correct defects, and act as a national clearinghouse for accident and defect data. Fixed-site parks were to be included in this legislation but, after successful legal challenges from owners of large amusement parks, a “roller coaster loophole” was created.
Recommendations
Although the current risk of injury, hospitalization, and death on amusement rides is extremely low, health care providers should be aware of a worrisome trend in the number and rate of amusement park injuries. CPSC statistics suggest that a statistically significant increase in amusement park ride injuries occurred between 1996 and 1999. Because of weak state oversight and the “roller coaster loophole,” the true number of amusement park injuries is probably much higher than that currently
References (37)
- et al.
Roller coaster–induced vertebral artery dissection
Lancet
(1995) - et al.
Roller coaster headache due to spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak
Lancet
(1996) - et al.
Subdural hematoma following roller coaster ride while anticoagulated
Am J Med
(1997) - et al.
Brown-Sequard at a theme park
Lancet
(1998) International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Web Site
History of roller coasters
Record holders report
Amusement Park Injury Database
- et al.
Fatality at a waterslide amusement park: Utah
JAMA
(1986) - et al.
Corneal foreign bodies: sparks from bumper-car rides
N Engl J Med
(1974)
Incidence and risk factors for eye injuries sustained at fairs: metal particles in the eye after a ride of dodg’em cars [Dutch]
Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd
Pneumothorax after “reversed” bungee jump [Danish]
Ugeskr Laeger
“Roller coaster glaucoma:” an unusual complication of Marfan’s syndrome
Eye
CAPD catheter malposition during a roller coaster ride
Perit Dial Int
Roller coaster headache and subdural hematoma
Neurology
Stroke after roller coaster–induced carotid compression
JAMA
Traumatic pericallosal aneurysm in a patient with no major trauma
J Neurosurg
A roller-coaster headache: case report
J Trauma
Cited by (40)
Approach to blunt, sharp, and transportation deaths
2022, Principles of Forensic Pathology: From Investigation to CertificationPulmonary contusion after bumper car collision: Case report and review of the literature
2018, Respiratory Medicine Case ReportsDetermining Participation Eligibility for Amusement Attractions
2015, Procedia ManufacturingThree cases of cervicocephalic artery dissection in an amusement park
2014, Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular DiseasesRoller coaster-associated subarachnoid hemorrhage-report of 2 cases
2012, Journal of the Neurological SciencesCitation Excerpt :Head accelerations have been shown to range below biomechanical thresholds for traumatic parenchymal brain injury or tearing of bridging veins [4]. Nonetheless, there are a number of reports of subdural hematoma in roller coaster riders, including those that are young and healthy [2]. Altogether, we assume that during roller coaster rides, the combination of stress-induced increases in systemic blood pressure and transient increases in foot-to-head G forces may lead to transient shifting of blood to the brain and hence may be a possible cause of SAH.
Emergency Department Visits from a Local Amusement Park
2011, Journal of Emergency MedicineCitation Excerpt :Roller coaster and other amusement park rides also have been associated with pneumothorax, dislocated intraocular lens, partial hepatic amputation, corneal foreign body, and peritoneal dialysis catheter displacement (16–20). Braksiek and Roberts reported that the risk of being injured severely enough to require immediate medical attention on an amusement park ride was 1 in 124,000 rides, the risk of injury requiring hospitalization was > 1 in 15 million rides, and the risk of being fatally injured is 1 in 150 million rides (based on approximately 900 million rides per year) (21). From 1987 to 2002, there were an estimated 4.4 amusement park ride fatalities per year (mobile and fixed-site amusement park rides combined) (1).
- *
Address for reprints: Robert J. Braksiek, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, 701 Park Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55415; 612-347-5683,fax 612-904-4241; E-mail [email protected].