Check out some of the world's worst roller coaster crashes
If you're a fan of amusement parks and love roller coasters, the last thing you expect to have to worry about is whether or not you're at risk for life while having fun. However, although there are specific regulations on the maintenance and safety of these structures, created precisely to ensure the physical integrity of those who venture into them, the truth is that accidents sometimes happen. Terrible accidents ...
1 - Big Dipper
Considered to be the world's worst roller coaster accident, it occurred in 1972 at Battersea Park Fun Fair in England. The Big Dipper was the park's main attraction and, unfortunately, the structure was made of wood and rope. The problem is that these two materials wear out much faster than the metal used today, and one day the rope that pulled the carts up the mountain broke.
To make matters worse, the security mechanism that prevented the wagons from going backwards didn't work, causing everyone to run down ungoverned to the boarding area. The disaster left five dead and 13 people seriously injured.
2 - Mindbender
The crash with this roller coaster happened in 1986 in Aberta, Canada, and was caused by the lack of bolts on the wheels of the last toy car. Famous for having a triple loop, on one of the turns the last cart came off the tracks, crashing into a concrete wall.
The blow caused the protective bars to disintegrate, and eventually the entire train slid backward until it hit a pillar. The accident killed three people and injured several people.
3 - Puff the little dragon
Just looking at the mini roller coaster above would you imagine that someone could be life threatening? For in 1989 this toy, considered the slowest and safest toy in Lagoon Park in Utah, caused the death of a 6-year-old boy named Ryan Beckstead.
Ryan was able to break free of his seat belt and stand on the toy just outside the cart, being dropped from a height of just over 1 meter. But it wasn't the fall that killed the boy. Ryan died when he climbed the tracks to try to get back to the toy, being hit in the head by the train on one of the turns.
4 - Fujin Raijin
Japan's worst accident occurred in 2007 at Expoland Park, when Fujin Raijin wagons derailed, killing one person and injuring others 19. Investigations into the disaster revealed that the train axle had not been changed in more than 15 years, and After the roller coaster reopened to the public, inspectors discovered that another axle - from another train - was also about to break. The park has been closed. Good!
5 - Batman: The Ride
It is not always necessary to be on a roller coaster to be life threatening. An example of this was the case of a stupid boy who decided to break into the track area of Batman - one of the attractions of a Georgia amusement park - to rescue the cap that had flown from his head while in the toy.
You know what happened? After jumping off the guardrail, the little roller coaster hit the boy hard, which was beheaded. See how ironic: besides losing his ridiculous cap, he lost his mind too.
“(Dis) honorable” mentions
Saved by the pounds
Had it been skinny, the toy's seat belt would not have held the boy in the video above. The mother of the ball thought it was fun!
Head
Here's a good example of why there are those warnings that ask us to fasten your seat belt and keep your arms in the cart. Fortunately, the big-headed boy in the video just came back with a nice cock home.
Happy ending
The video you just saw shows what could have ended very badly. It displays the moment when the cable that pulls the carts bursts right out of the wagons, causing them to return back to the boarding area. Two people were injured.
