On Thrillnetwork it says a family is sueing the park saying that while riding American Eagle backwards caused their 11 year old daughter brain damage. Pretty retarded if ya ask me!

[url]http://www.thrillnetwork.com/article.php?sid=509&mode=thread&order=0[/url]

This is easily one of the most rediculous things I have heard.
1. How did they come to the conclusion that American Eagle caused the problem?
2. If you suffer brain injury and bleeding, you ARE going to feel it right away, right? Also the girl is a serious skater so that too can cause problems.

I swear, the family just wants some of that big theme park budget...

My question is - How are they actually going to prove that the coaster did it? She was an ice skater- you can't tell me thats SAFER than a coaster- look at all the times you spin and jump and fall! I would also think that she would felt effects from it not to long after the ride and not later tht evening! :rolleyes:

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I left my heart in Sandusky!!!

It all sounds pretty stupid to me, considering that girls lawyer just assumed that the injury came from riding American Eagle backwards. Thats like saying you went to the park and when you got home you noticed you had a scraped knee, so you automatically assumed it was from the time when you jumped off the swing. This is all going to blow over, this girl won't be able to find any evidence that riding the coasters, especially American Eagle backwards, caused anything to do with her injury.

I feel sorry for the girl, but yet again, I am against her.

This little girl's lawyer sounds like Ed Markey, jr. Hes going to bash rollercoaster safety by making all these false claims just to try and get tons of money from Six Flags and get his name in the paper. I highly doubt hes going to win though. They have no case! If American Eagle backwards gave the girl brain damage, then the thousands of people that have already ridden it should have brain damage too by their logic, but they don't. and why are they targeting a 21 year old coaster in the first place???

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I agree that the #1 place they're getting the idea that the coaster causes the damage is from the negative publicity that Ed Markey has been whipping up. What's more, this will likely be on local news stations across the country (it was here, more than a thousand miles away), making even more bad -- and more likely than not false -- publicity. Unfortunately, a likely outcome of something like this is that Six Flags will settle out of court for several thousand dollars, and more people will get the idea that they can make a quick buck claiming injury from the amusement industry. That means less money is available for the parks to use to make the rides safer in the first place, build new ones, and incorporate various other improvements.

Sue-happy people make me sick. :sick: What happened to the good old days when an accident was just that, an accident? You might as well sue the city for posting a too-high speed limit when someone hits your car, or something like that.

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Walk Beyond...

Another person passing their problems off on someone else. Everyone wants something for nothing. I like how they say AE wasn't meant to run backwards when there are plenty of other rides that run backwards, and the turning of a train around doesn't change the g's or anything lol. Like Melissa said, more than likely they got the idea from all of the negative publicity that is going around about rides. Maybe some of these people should have watched crossfire or the debate on the mourning show. That way, they'd understand the real issues and how safe the rides are.

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"Cedar Point has a wide variety of wooden coasters" - Discovery Channel

It still amazes me that Markey's list can prove anything. If you look at it, you will see lots of un-known data, it isn't just rollercoasters, the list starts with the first case from 1964 and it includes world wide cases. Now, how can this list even be takes seriously when its 40 years old and isn't just rollercoasters. Plus he's using his list to try to get US laws passed. Thats like saying in Spain 30 people and 2 people from the US get killed from wearing toeless socks, and because 32 people got killed, the US needs to regulate socks.

I hate how Markey just makes up statistics and expects to get away with it! I say impeach this lunitic!!

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I don't feel like manually adding my Track Record, so I'm just going to tell you it's 210.
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The assumption really makes little sense. AE has been run backwards in the past, and many other woodie racers have. How come this is just happening now? I mean, I doubt it was one thing's fault. I think it's probably a combination of things. The skating probably gave her some good bumps to the head and some shakes (well, probably tons because she does it like every day), and the pre-existance of all this just had the coasters push it over the edge. If she would've went ice skating instead of a trip to SFGAM, she could have had the same injury, and not be suing SF.

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Good think she didn't come to PKI. I mean we have he Racers running backwards and they have been forever!

That's so ridiculous. Many coasters run backwards and they don't have problems.

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Top 5 coasters: El Toro, S:RoS at SFNE, The Voyage, Millennium Force, Cornball Express

I don't know about American Eagle specifically, but does it always run backwards or was this a special event (I know some parks do this for holidays / Halloween, etc.)? If the coaster does not normally run backwards, then there might be a case (according to the lawyers) that it wasn't designed to do so, which means that those forces were not specifically monitored for riding that way, blah blah blah. In short, that could lead to a payoff, if nothing more than to avoid the press. It could also end that sort of a special event, since no one wants to get sued more than once for the same thing.

Of course, if it always does this, I don't think the case would have any merit, because the stresses and forces would all have been measured, documented, and approved before the ride went into operation. Accidents happen, folks.

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Walk Beyond...

Well Melissa, they did it for Halloween and starting this year it runs backwards on one side.

This is not the first full season American Eagle Blue has run backwards. Several years ago, they did the exact same thing with no problems all season. I can confirm this because I have ridden it backwards in other years besides for fright fest.

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This case just makes me angry for some reason.

Both my grandma and dad have had strokes. I have therefore spent a lot of time in hospitals, and it is true that most of the time people know as soon as they are having a bleed in their brain. Not all though. Sometimes if it's gradual and building up somewhere (like a huge clot in the brain stem) people don't know right away. Plus kids like to hide it if they feel sick.

i found an article about this somewhere that has tons of quotes from the parents being all worried about their daughter never being able to skate again. None worried about her health. It always comes back to the skating.

It could just be the press overdoing it, but I have to wonder if these parents would have sued at all if this hadn't ruined their perfect little championship skater. Is that the only reason they're upset? It seems like it in the articles I've found.

Coasters are not known to cause strokes in everyone. Some people have malformed blood vessels in their head and other things (yes, even people who are 11. In fact, some kinds, including one called an AVM, generally burst before a person turns 30 or never at all!) and any sort of pressure, stress, g forces, what have you, could make one rupture. But the same thing could happen on a plane, or a carnival ride, or even just sitting down watching tv. It didn't have to be a coaster.

*sigh*

Hmmm....... first we have people got brain damage on Fujiyama, then Goliath........... and now a woodie?

What's next, brain damage on a Roller Skater or Tivoli coaster?

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Personally i think that if she rode all of the coasters she would have a better chance of getting the money she wanted by blaming it on shockwave.

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Top Five 1)TTD 1)Raging Bull 3)Montu 4Deja Vu 5)MF

they blamed it on american eagle and not shockwave because they have a better case if they can prove neglegence on the park and they are trying to do that by claming ae was not designed to go backwards

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by TooTired [/i]
[B]they blamed it on american eagle and not shockwave because they have a better case if they can prove neglegence on the park and they are trying to do that by claming ae was not designed to go backwards [/B][/QUOTE]

I have to agree with that statment, however I do think that Great America will be able to prove (if they have to, they'll probally settle out of court) that it was designed to run backwards.

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Kyle Rehm

I know all of that but i was just saying that if the judge were to ride ae backwards and shockwave back to back what do you think would be more convincing? I really dont think that they will get any money though, and i hope that they don't

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Top Five 1)TTD 1)Raging Bull 3)Montu 4Deja Vu 5)MF

Correct me if I am wrong but AE does not have much banking on some of the curves? If this is true then a ride going backwards raises the risk of injury because the rider is no longer able to predict the forces on the body. Most rides designed to go backwards have the level of forces greatly reduced for the riders saftey. Also, the back of your neck is a very vulnerbal area of the body and when going backwards that area is taking forces higher then normal activities. Also, injuries caused by force do not have to appear immeditly but can take days and even months to show up ask anyone that was involved in an accedient. And lastly, I am not saying the ride did cause her injury but in a civil case all that has to be shown was the ride was more likely to have caused that injury. What this means is in a Suit of this nature the family does not have to prove conclusively the ride caused the injury but the ride was probley caused it two different levels of proof. That is why the family can win this case but rollercoasters have no negative effects, the latter requires a higher level of proof to be published in journels.

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[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by KumbaKing [/i]
[B]Correct me if I am wrong but AE does not have much banking on some of the curves? If this is true then a ride going backwards raises the risk of injury because the rider is no longer able to predict the forces on the body. Most rides designed to go backwards have the level of forces greatly reduced for the riders saftey. Also, the back of your neck is a very vulnerbal area of the body and when going backwards that area is taking forces higher then normal activities. Also, injuries caused by force do not have to appear immeditly but can take days and even months to show up ask anyone that was involved in an accedient. And lastly, I am not saying the ride did cause her injury but in a civil case all that has to be shown was the ride was more likely to have caused that injury. What this means is in a Suit of this nature the family does not have to prove conclusively the ride caused the injury but the ride was probley caused it two different levels of proof. That is why the family can win this case but rollercoasters have no negative effects, the latter requires a higher level of proof to be published in journels. [/B][/QUOTE]Obviously you have not been sued all you have to do is convince a judge that your ride couldn't have caused this and you win.

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[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by raser [/i]
[B]Obviously you have not been sued all you have to do is convince a judge that your ride couldn't have caused this and you win. [/B][/QUOTE]
First of all, if this case does not settle this case, with the information known to the public at this time, will not be thrown out by a judge so it will be a trial and a jury decides the weither the defendent is liable or not then the jury decides a reward if the decide the defendent is liable. You might disagree with the merits of this case but first you should know how the legal system works, I am not intending to flame you but I am using you as an example of the lack of information of the civil courts on this board. The only way this case can be thrown out before a trial and/or settlement is if Six Flags can find evidence the girls injury was caused by another action or were a precondition which she was either aware of/should have been aware of. Six Flags can win a jury trail if they can show the girls brian condition was spontinous and would have occuried if the ride ran forward or backwards.


I would like to know what if the family is able to prove that the ride was responisble for the the girls condition would you blame the family for bringing this claim then? Would you want to know if something you love could kill you? Would you still go on the rides?

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and its not like eagle whips u around that much anyway. they might prove this because the ride is bumpy or something.

First, does the family have scientific proof that AE is designed way beyond human limits? Something like Gs and jerk data of the entire track?

If a coaster is really causing any damage, acceleration (Gs) or jerk (rate of change of acceleration) is the culprit.

But what if other coasters or flat rides she had ridden in the park other than AE have even higher jerks or accelerations?

But if they win, then people with brain problems will flood amusement parks to get injured in order to sue for millions. What will the world become if that really happens?

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Planes, cars, coasters......... anything fast.........

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by condor27 [/i]
[B]First, does the family have scientific proof that AE is designed way beyond human limits? Something like Gs and jerk data of the entire track?

If a coaster is really causing any damage, acceleration (Gs) or jerk (rate of change of acceleration) is the culprit.

But what if other coasters or flat rides she had ridden in the park other than AE have even higher jerks or accelerations?

But if they win, then people with brain problems will flood amusement parks to get injured in order to sue for millions. What will the world become if that really happens? [/B][/QUOTE]

We do not know if they do or not. And the family does NOT need scientific proof because each side will have experts and its the expert that explains the proccess the best that is usally belived by the jury. It would not matter the complaint is probley written in a way where the make a claim against the park in general with AE belived to be the specific case. All this does is help both sides to focus on one thing instead of wasting money on other issues.


If a person has a known brain injury and then rides a ride the CANNOT win a case. The reason being they took a risk they knew could case injury against both warnings on the ride and warnings from healthcare officals. How many people with brian problems would actualy be able to ride a rollercoaster. And how many would take the chance of sudden death for a small chance of a settlement. The chances of any punitive damage being in the millions is almost non exestinent in todays age the reason for a possible high payout in these cases is because brian injures are extremely expensive to treat and care for so most of the money is spent on medical and related expenses not new cars.

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I wish it was like Jerry Springer where we could all go to the court house, and yell out stuff when the prosecfutor said something we didnt like. Ah, how much better the world would be.

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[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by coasterguy1 [/i]
[B]I wish it was like Jerry Springer where we could all go to the court house, and yell out stuff when the prosecfutor said something we didnt like. Ah, how much better the world would be. [/B][/QUOTE]

I agree, except I wouldn't be going to a court house, I'd be going to the Capitol building in DC and yell at Markey everytime he opened his big fat lying mouth.

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Life is a rollercoaster, enjoy it, b/c the ride is always too short (If someone's already said this, sorry, I didn't mean to rip it off ya)

Maybe we can just go to the court house and boo the snot out of the suing family (I've always wanted to do that to N*SYNC, but this would be cheaper and a little more meaningful). Maybe we'll get lucky and the IAAPA Pres. and like 10 of us were on the jury. "We find the defendent SFGAM not guilty, and sentence ourselves to one week at SFGAM with no lines." Yeah, and monkeys would fly out of my butt :D.

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