It certainly does appear as though there's been an abnormally high number of theme park accidents in the past couple of months. But I just have to wonder.........is that really the case? Or is it that the media is springing on any park-related incident.....no matter how minor.......simply because Markey has turned the spotlight on park safety and it's a hot-button issue right now?

So what do you think? Has there really been an increase in theme park accidents? Or has the media just made us aware of incidents that we never heard about in previous seasons?

PERSONALLY, I think the media is turning up the heat and broadcasting everything that happens, because of Markey. For example, a few months ago a woman had a heart attack at Universal and they had it on the news. Thankfully, because of fast response paramedics and life-saving portable equipment, they were able to save the woman, so Universal got brownie points. But I was wondering, if this happened five years ago, would it be on tv? I don't remember any mention of accidents a few years back unless they were fatal or major. Now it seems every accident/ injury is being reported.

Here's a site that reports just about every notable accident. It used to be you hardly heard anything of some of these incidents, but we keep hearing more and more of it, when it's really not increasing. You southerners will remember the shark attacks a couple years ago, but they really did not increase, just were televised more.

[url]http://members.aol.com/rides911/accidents.htm[/url]

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"BECAUSE someone like you cared a whole afwul lot, this park is alive where before it was not." -The Street of the Lifted Lorax, IOA

Excellent example, rocketman! And since everyone who has responded to this thread so far is from Florida, I'm sure we can all relate to the shark attack analogy. ;)

But you're right.........it's the same thing. The media blows things out of proportion so that it SEEMS like there's an increasing trend even though there is not.

well im from indiana and understand the analogy...lol..but yeah everything is just getting more media hype than it did so many years ago

i think the media is just turning little accidents that r pretty pathetic into fatal(exaderation) incidents because of markey...well maybe not even markey..maybe cause there lookin for stories or soemthing..i eman after 9/11 any accident of some sort especially in a park could be a good story for them to pik up...but still it aint right to do thast to a park

The string of many accidents these past few weeks reminds me of the one in the summer of 1999. Accident after accident...it was horrible. Every other day the news had something about someone getting trapped, someone fell out, or someone got hit by something...:(

If I'm not mistaken 90% of all coaster accidents are human error. Sorry if my number is too low but wanted to be conserviative:devil:

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I think you are probably right, rasor. Seems like there are too many people that don't fit into a ride securely riding anyway. They are either too big or too small for the restraints--compromising their safety. Also, I hear about many accidents caused by people--employees or gp--being where they should not be.

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captain underpants--fighting for all that is preshrunk and cottony...