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countingcrow
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 134
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So apparently my understanding is the guy who died was too darn fat to be able to fit in the ride restraints, which resulted in them not properly securing him in. I knew it had more to do with the rider then it did with the restraints. Only problem, and glad they are taking care of the problem is the fact the ride should be designed if you are too large for it, the belt shouldn't buckle, or if the restraint bar can only go down so far, it should alart the employees to doublecheck the restaints.
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| 5/8/2004 10:41 AM |
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edh101985
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4293
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No it wasn't! They never said the person was to fat. It said:
"The length of the ride-manufacturer-supplied seatbelts in the first row of each coach will be shortened to conform with all other seatbelts in the coaster. By shortening these seatbelts, those guests who may be too large to be safely accommodated by the restraint system will not be able to ride. "
They were meaning in general people to fat can't sit in the front row. The guy on the ride never even was on the front. They never even tried to properly secure the guy. If they did do their job and check his restraint, he would probably be alive.
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| 5/8/2004 10:53 AM |
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sfne stinks
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10638
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He was in the front row of the car he was sitting in.. if he wasnt how could the people in back of him hold onto him?...if they were in a different car they could not have been able to grab him.
Its good to see that they are makeing changes and not adding StrapOTSR like on PP or just flatout OTSRs...
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| 5/8/2004 11:17 AM |
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CoasterJunkie
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 341
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If you read the official report, it states that the restraints did not fail, but they were not properly secured becuase of the man's "large girth."
The seatbelts in the front of each car are 11 inches longer than the ones in the back of each car (due to the stadium seating, the seatbelts are secured to the car in the same place, but the seats are in different positions), so if someone can't fit in the back of a car, they move them to the front of the car.
The problem with that is, the lapbar can't accomodate the extra 11 inches provided by the lapbar. In order for the lapbars to work properly, they must be secured against the upper thigh, but the victim's lapbar could not be secured down to the upper thigh, but they still allowed him to ride because the seabelt did buckle.
The conclusions the sate came to say that the man shouldn't have ridden in the first place because of his large size and a pre-existing medical conidtion (it is Mass. state law that if you have a pre-existing medical condition, you must notify ride ops). It also said that the difference in seat belt sizes was a contributing factor AND that the ride ops were not doing their job.
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| 5/8/2004 12:06 PM |
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MilhouseTheKing
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 782
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I dont like how they are blaming this 100% on the mans weight, saying he was too large to safely ride it. The ride ops should have noticed and told him so. Also, they should have been checkign restraints throughly enough to notice that his did not hold him in properly. It all comes down to the ride ops, they were the main ones to blame. Im not saying the man was not at falt, he was to some extent. The operaters should have caught him though.
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| 5/8/2004 2:30 PM |
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coasterphil
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 9182
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I agree, the ride ops are more to blame for this accident than the man's size.
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| 5/8/2004 3:27 PM |
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adderrick
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 37
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Fact:Guy too large to ride the coaster. Fact: SF employee didnt properly check the restraints. These are facts that cant be argued. This is the second time that a SROS coaster was dispatched without a passenger properly secured in. Luckily the other person was only injured and lived to tell about it. Now regardless both people should of had more common sense when getting on the coaster. I know when i ride a coaster i check, double check, and triple check to make sure that my restraint is on good and tight because Im not going to die at an amusement park for not having common sense. If you too big for a ride get off of it, simple as that. DOnt expect an amusement park to accomodate you just because you are overweight. It isnt a handicap and dont expect folks to cater to it either. Now once again like i said both people are to blame, the dispatcher needs to take more pride in their job and freaking do it while the passenger needs to set off a red alarm when they feel they're not properly secured. Now because of these 2 carelessnesses, the ride is getting modified when it doesnt need to be.
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| 5/8/2004 4:32 PM |
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MST3K_FREAK6666
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1450
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The man had cerebral palsy and was apprently trying to wiggle out of his safety restraint. This isn't really necessary.
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| 5/8/2004 7:20 PM |
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kermat13
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 425
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So the fact that your fat means you should go to the amusement park, is that what people are trying to say? I'm "fat" and I think that is incredibly rude and discriminatory. For those saying "you can lose weight", think of it as a credit card--it's easy to build up a large balance but takes alot of time to pay it off.
Imagine the embarrassment of not being able to fit, now couple that with the fact that you just waited in line for 2 hours, isn't that enough trauma, and I do mean trauma for one person. Then someone has to point and laugh hysterically, think about that for a while.
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| 5/8/2004 8:35 PM |
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CHILLERLC1
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 7399
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I'm glad they have a sample seat out front.... but not at the exit/handicap entrance.
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| 5/8/2004 9:14 PM |
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sfne stinks
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10638
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Just now on fox they played one of the 911 calls and the later said "were at THE Great Adventures and ..oh whethe _ _ _ _ are we... mass.. and he fell out the roller coaster. the superman roller coaster... he fell out"
also in a boston news paper they had something on it called "To Fat To Fly!"... wow what the HELL IS WRONG WITH THEM?! why would they have said that... its very rude and not needed at all.. even if he was the wolrds fattest man... this man went for a day of fun at sfne and DIED.......
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| 5/8/2004 10:15 PM |
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adderrick
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 37
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Hey if you're too fat for a ride, that isnt my problem or the amusement parks problem. These are 3 to 25 million dollar peices of machinery and it will accomodate MOST people but no matter what you will never be able to accomodate everyone. If you ever been on a flying Vekoma or B&M creation there is actually a weight limit. Not necessarily because of your weight, but because the coaster cant handle the stress of it. There is a lot of stress put on the track of coasters like that. Now for those of use who are REAL coaster enthusiats know ahead of time which coasters we wont be able to ride. me myself I know I wont fit comfortably on a Premier or Arrow coaster cause they are made so small that it isnt made for someone with a 6'4 stature. So what do i do? I sit uncomfortably, and do you hear me complaining? nooooooo. That is what is wrong with society today, everyone is quick to blame someone else about their problems instead of looking in the mirror first. If they did that, they be a happier person.
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| 5/8/2004 10:49 PM |
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Chip
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 7137
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Kermat13, that's why we have test seats at the entrance. Some people fail to see those or they think they'll fit in the restraint.
It's not discrimination, either. I don't like when this term is thrown around for amusement park rides. It's not like they're just turning you down because you're overweight. It's for your own safety. Discrimination is when a kid with sideburns isn't allowed to buy a candy bar because the guy behind the desk doesn't like sideburns. If they were turning you away just because you were overweight and it wasn't a safety issue, then it'd be discrimination. But the fact is it's for your safety.
Let's face the facts: Mordarsky was too fat to ride. His stomach probably caught the lap bar and kept it too high. It should have been secured on his lap. Secondly, Mordarsky had cerebral palsy and should not have been allowed to enter the line. Third, the ride host did not check his restraint or push it down to the required position. A few people are at fault here; mostly Six Flags New England employees and Mordarsky's party. But the truth is Intamin's restraint did not fail. Mordarsky was not properly restrained.
I wonder what modifications they'll make. Aside from what's mentioned in the article, they may change the restraints to something like Top Thrill Dragster: wider lap bars and a curved T-bar.
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| 5/9/2004 1:31 PM |
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PANTSFREE
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1336
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It was because the retarded workers didnt check an entire side of train's restraints. and of course the whole fat guy thing
well this sux, at least they won't be adding OTSR though...
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| 5/9/2004 2:48 PM |
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Steven
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 7465
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Chip, his Cerebral Palsy itself was not the issue. He had other medical conditions that should have prevented him from riding. There isn't much they can do about the CP because of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Also, when they denied him previously, it was on the other medical conditions (which really weren't disclosed), not his CP.
Please make sure we get facts straight before we comment on them. Below is a quote out of the accident report, which tells me something other than the CP might've caused it...
"...the victim had a 'top to bottom' chest scar presumably from a prior medical surgery as well as severe bruising on both sides of his torso presumably as a result of the ejection. Additionally, the first responders noticed a medical alert tag on the victim. Due to the possibility of a pre-existing health condition that could have a significant influence as a contributing factor, the Department officials have requested the assistance from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in order to seek an autopsy of the victim. Complete results of the autopsy were not available at the time of this report.
Following the accident, the family indicated to the press that Mr. Mordarsky suffered from cerebral palsy, which is a medical condition that affects the muscles of a part or side of the body, sometimes the entire body. Uncontrolled reflex movements and muscle tightness (spasticity) occur with varying severity. Mr. Mordarsky was approximately 5’3” in height and weighted +225 pounds."
My reasoning... I've seen several people with CP ride coasters without any problems. Most of their problems involve stuff that controls their voluntary muscular functions (moving an arm, leg, etc.). They can still hang on and can fit under restraints just fine. At the same time, it doesn't apply to all people with CP. I'm guessing he may have had a major surgery such as heart surgery, which would easily be grounds for denying access to the ride.
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| 5/10/2004 10:31 AM |
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More about News
May. 8th, 2004 -- AGAWAM, Mass. -- Six Flags New England announced today that changes will be made to the restraint system on the Superman roller coaster to enhance the safety of the ride. "A thorough investigation of this ride has been collectively conducted by park staff, Six Flags safety engineers and safety experts, independent safety engineers, the ride manufacturer as well as the Department of Public Safety and the Agawam Police Department," Ron Sevart, general manager and vice president, Six Flags New England explained.