Fatal Amusement Park Accidents
World’s Tallest Roller Coaster Planned for Florida
U.S. Thrill Rides President Michael Kitchen recently confirmed that the world’s tallest roller coaster will be built somewhere in Florida. When asked where the thrill ride will be built, Kitchen was evasive, saying that it would be unfair to the lucky amusement park to reveal the location before their choosing for marketing purposes. Kitchen confirmed that the new coaster will have a maximum height of 525 feet and that it will also be the longest roller coaster in the United States at around 8,000 feet of track.
NTSB Cites Lack of Safety Protocols in Fatal 2009 Disney Monorail Accident
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently finished its investigation into a fatal amusement park accident at Walt Disney World near Orlando. In their final report, the NTSB said that a lack of adequate safety protocols contributed to a 2009 collision between two monorail trains at the park that killed a 21-year-old employee. The NTSB’s 14-page report was the culmination of an investigation the agency conducted over more than two years in connection with the July 5, 2009 accident. The report said that one train traveling in reverse struck the front of a following train, killing the driver of the second train, a Kissimmee man.
Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Cited for Lax Worker Safety
A top federal regulator recently cited popular Orlando amusement parks SeaWorld and Walt Disney World for poor commitments to worker safety, pointing to recent deaths at both theme parks. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulator said that he was putting Florida theme parks “on notice” following several amusement park accidents that led to serious injuries or fatalities in recent months.