Today we discuss the HBO documentary Class Action Park and the story behind the dangerous amusement park. What do you get when you combine teenagers, a water park, New Jersey, and alcohol? Read next: Stuck in quarantine, these guys built roller-coasters in their backyards. how to safely take your kids to amusement parks, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. But you may be asking yourself this question: how in the hell was this possible and how could they ever get insurance for a place so dangerous? Action Park came out at the right time and only could have existed during the 80s. I wasnt technically allowed to ride my bike outside of my neighborhood, but we would often ride to explore old abandoned homes. The infamous Cannonball Loop, a waterslide featuring a vertical loop, was introduced to the park in 1983 and lasted only a month before it was closed due to Ocean City, New Jersey. The Cyclone climbs to85 feet high, includes 12 daunting drops, and speeds across the track at 60 miles per hour. The ride has been permanently shut down since then but makes customers wonder what else isn't safe there. As most of us know, the biggest issue with the Sea World parks, including Discovery Cove, is that the animals are unhappy and agitated. On two separate occasions the trains have malfunctioned, leading to stalls and crashes that injured a total of 46 people. They may need to rethink that for marketing reasons. Needless to say, the former operations director was arrested, and the ride was permanently shut down. I dont think we had that person., Brian, now 35, grew up in West Milford, the next town over from Action Park. Ocean City in New Jersey at Gillian's Wonderland Pier is one of the biggest attractions in the area. He was too young to go on most of the rides himself, but he did watch in fear as his then 30-year-old uncle risked his life sitting on a square of carpet while he sped down a mountainside. The river had underwater fans that kept the water moving. Park mechanics had to let the air out of the air cylinder to bring the ride back to the station. In 2014, Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City was racing to produce the worlds largest water slide to be featured on the showXtreme Waterparks. Over the years, a number of them have sued the park for personal injuries. The one at Six Flags: New England has a particularly sketchy history: in 2001, 22 people were sent to the hospital after a train collision, while in 2004, a man with cerebral palsy was thrown from the ride to his death. Since these attractions bring in a ludicrous amount of money a year, it's highly unlikely there will be changes. Andy, who released a book about Action Park this year, spent his youth working in the park, which consisted of three themed areas. As pointed out in the documentary, Mulvihill created his own phony insurance company called London and World Assurance, Ltd. You may want to avoid this one unless you really like being a daredevil. I laid low as my friends seemed hell-bent on suffering a major head injury by days end. First, they paved the entire park with black asphalt. Bill Benneyan/HBO Max. They say theres no such thing as bad publicity, but in the case of Action Park, the negative press reports caught up with them. (In Action Parks defense, they did eventually add a canopy. Six Flagsis an all-American amusement park that everyone wants to go to. Some places Ive been to werent trying to create the illusion: they were genuinely unsafe. So, go at your own risk. A man was struck by a metal plate and never recovered. Mulvihills company, Great American Recreation, was $48 million in debt and backed into a corner of bankruptcy, up to its ears in lawsuits and an insurance fraud indictment. Since then, there have been six people who had extremely unfortunate experiences there. courtesy Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer). Action Park simply refused to pay rent or taxes. Yep, people actually met there end thanks to the poor safety management at the park,according to RideAccidents. While most amusement parks discontinue dangerous rides like Thunder River Rapids, its still important to know how to safely take your kids to amusement parks. This ride, the crown jewel of the Kings Island amusement park in Ohio, is exactly what you might imagine when you hear the words terrifying roller coaster. When it opened in 2000, it was the only wooden roller coaster to be rankedamong the top ten rides in the country, thanks to its record-breaking height, length, drop height, and speed. Finally, someone asked if this was safe. Sports Illustrated recently published a 3,300-word article under the headline, Remembering Action Park, Americas Most Dangerous, Daring Water Park. And in 2014, Cory Booker, a United States senator from New Jersey and a Democratic presidential candidate, wrote on Twitter, Ive got stories 2 tell. Now a documentary is on the way. These legitimate miniature speed boats were treated like bumper boats with users ramming the hell out of each other. In the Documentary, they tell of kids being rammed and launched straight out of the ride. There's good reason the park earned the nicknames "Traction Park" and "Class-Action Park," as no fewer than six people have been killed at the park over the years, with causes including everything from drowning and electrocution, to being hit in the head with a giant rock. Although no less than 15 lifeguards were on duty, there was a totally preventable event that occurred in 2008. But that wasnt the main problem: the water was actually freezing cold spring water with live trout in it. Everyone was doing it, and if there was one type of peer pressure that worked on me, it was proving that I was scared of nothing. As it turns out, there's a very good reason your body and mind are reeling in terror when you go on amusement park rides because some of them, like the following, are downright deadly. Someone apparently broke their neck. Were their connections to the mob? #ActionPark, Why a Fake TV Simulator is the Perfect Addition to Your Home Security System, Princess Bride Trivia: 25 Inconceivable Facts About The Beloved Film, Richard Belzers Last Words Were, F*** you, Motherf*****!, 11 Things You Need To Consider Before Creating An Employee Wellness Program, Head Injury at The Alpine Slide July 8, 1980, George Larsson, Jr., a 19-year-old employee at the parks ski resort, Drowning at The Tidal Wave Pool July 24, 1982: 15-year-old boy, Electrocution at The Kayak Experience August 1, 1982, a 27-year-old man from Long Island, Drowning at The Tidal Wave Pool August 27, 1984: Donald DePass, 20-year-old from Brooklyn, Drowning at The Tidal Wave Pool July 19, 1987: Gregory Grandchamps, 18-year-old. Heres another one: They took a giant ball with another ball inside. In many situations, the thrilling nature of the park came at the cost of safety. Fights and violence were common, as the clientele were not exactly the elite of society. A. It seems unfathomable how this place continued to operate. Ellie is a news and contributing feature writer for Theme Park Tourist. He sustained a fatal head injury when his head struck a rock, the site says. Holding up to 1,000 people at a time and sporting meter-high waves, around 30 people needed to be rescued from it daily. Mt. While there have been no major injuries reported at this park, it's only a matter of time before something goes wrong. 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While this photo looks dangerous enough, it wasn't the reason why Valleyfair's Soak City Waterpark in Shakopee, Minnesota, was deemed one of the most dangerous parks in the U.S. The infamous Cannonball Loop, a waterslide featuring a vertical loop, was introduced to the park in 1983 and lasted only a month before it was closed due to overwhelming safety concerns. It was a horrible experience for me and my father, my family, when people would drown. I remember some guy yelling, LET GO! So I did. What Other Night-Time Events Could Avengers: Power the Night Inspire at Disneyland Paris? It's one of the most popular amusement parks in the world, but people might think twice after hearing about dangerous working conditions. Its not that we are any better for how we handled things, we just didnt know any other way. Youd be flying down the side of a literal mountain and suddenly see that the person in front of you had gotten scared and stopped and was inching their way down, you know, because it was scary. Several different theories were offered up, with explosions, fires, crashes, or even a simple power outage all being blamed for the deaths. Throughout the slides life, at least 14 people were injured on the attraction. Undoubtedly, Americas most dangerous amusement park remains nostalgic for those who spent their summers there as a kid. After minutes of sitting on the track, anticipating the stomach-dropping sensation to come, riders realized there was an issue. Rules arent just being avoidedtheyre not even being enforced. Well, it did. Carley Lerner is a freelance writer and former editorial intern for Reader's Digest. Pripyat Amusement Park in Pripyat, Ukraine was supposed to open on May 1, 1986, but five days before its scheduled opening, the Chernobyl disaster occurred nearby, resulting in thirty deaths in the months following the According to The Seattle Times, Waterworld California in Concord is responsible for harming 32 teens. As youre riding down it, kids are shooting out of the tubes next to you. Discover Where to Coast with the Ultimate Rollercoaster database of roller coasters and amusement parks. At least Alabama Adventure Amusement Park in Bessemer shut down the Wild River Gorge Ride after it overturned and trapped numerous riders back in the summer of 2009. Danger, however, isnt really a sustainable business. You didnt have lifeguards helping you on the real Colorado River, so they decided you didnt need them here. Deadly or not, teeth were often lost sometimes embedded in the top of the loop and it proved dangerous enough that it was only operational for about a month. I began hearing the war stories of kids who had been. It sounded like American Gladiators in water. When you were at the top of the ride, there was a guy with a hose whose job it was to squirt you down, so you didnt burn off all your skin going down a dry slide. Was Three Mile Island an Accident Waiting to Happen. But according to The Amusement Safety Organization and The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, there are places in the U.S. that are substantially more dangerous than others. At an amusement park down under, a faulty water pump lead to a water ride raft being stranded. Cyclone. When Action Park was first opened in 1978, over 100 swimmers had to be rescued from one of its wave pools. The trauma of it all only made me want to go more. Everything was dangerous. Mulvihill could do whatever he wanted. At its highest point, the ride climbed to 218 feet tall, dropped 214 feet, and soared to 78 miles per hour. The Hong Kong government. She loves trying new things (snacks) and can often be found sitting on a park bench writing out a new food review for practice. Three years later, a power outage at Luna Park brought the roller coaster to abrupt stop along its journey, and riders were once again obliged to walk down the steep steps that line the track. Not only was the Alpine Slide among the parks premier attractions, in July 1980, it was also the site of the first fatality on the premises when a 19-year-old employees sled jumped the track, and he suffered a fatal head injury after striking a rock. Perhaps the most deadly attraction, however, was the Tidal Wave Pool. Alpine Slide consisted of riding down a winding concrete path on a cart; visitors were not given helmets. The Tagada may not be as fast or as steep as a roller-coaster, but it is certainly more dangerous. I just hung there, 20 feet above the water. This event resulted in tragic results for the family involved. In our opinion, parks like these should be shut down and these animals should be rehabilitated and released. You wouldn't think a ride at Disney World would be among the most dangerous, but EPCOT's Mission: Space has claimed numerous casualties since it first opened back in 2003. Additionally, a man was thrown off the ride in 1999 when the park first opened. Then, on the way down, when you actually skin your knee, youre like, I knew I shouldnt have done this. After you survived, though, you did feel a real sense of accomplishment.. Almost all of them have had to do with their dangerous rides or their poor maintenance. This ride was set up next to the Cannonball, and let you out into the same water, he says. All of my older cousins seemed nervous going and thats never a good sign when youre 12, he tells me. I loved it and it was safe but the next day the ride was closed because someone fell off their kayak and was electrocuted by the electric currents.. I heard the rumors of someone dying in it.. So, unless you are very healthy and can handle crazy roller coasters, you may want to give this one a miss. Eventually, they got in trouble for selling worthless stocks. Once the water pump malfunctioned, these four people were thrown from the raft instantly. You get one of the most dangerous amusement parks of all time. Amusement park rides, unlike horror movies, actually do kill people. During the first few years of operation, Action Park saw the most injuries come from the alpine slide where carts would regularly derail after brakes failed to malfunction or the driver (most often children) did not apply the brake in time. Apparently, Cannonball Loop was designed on a cocktail napkin and built by local welders. New Jersey's Action Park is often referred to as the world's most dangerous amusement park. Most of the details are too colorful to get into here, but all of them have to do with how dangerous their rides are. But seeing that these attractions bring in a ludicrous amount of money a year, it's highly unlikely there will be changes. After all, a few of their rides have physically broken during operation resulting in traumatic events, according to DOSH. In 2006, however, a split in the roller coasters wooden track created a dangerous bump, causing a car to come screeching to a sudden stop. What really upped the danger at Action Park, though, was the fact that it was basically being run by teenagers who were, to put it kindly, out of their depth. WebDespite gaining a reputation for dangerous and even deadly rides, Action Park remained popular until its closure in 1996. All ties were severed, and he was no longer connected to the state. The Space Journey ride at Ecoventure Valley in Shenzen, China offers a simulation of what it's like to ride in a rocket ship blasting off for space. In perhaps the most absurd ride in the park, the Cannonball Slide propelled riders vertically around a massive loop. I vividly remember the stories and news reports of this place and this is a look back at what can be considered the most dangerous amusement park ever. Lifeguards who sat in the death chair would regularly save the lives of 4 to 5 people every shift. When Action Park first opened, it started with a two-day promotion, including a Dolly Parton look-alike contest, and a tobacco juice spitting competition. There was Surf Hill, which was like a giant Slip n Slide, but that went down a cliff. In 2008, the King Kahuna ride at the Kennywood Amusement Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania was briefly shut down. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Another dangerous attraction needs little explanation as to why injuries occurred in such high numbers. The name was changed back to Action Park. Now, the users are rocketing down a hot concrete track wearing nothing but bathing suits. Picture a hamster ball, but for human beings. A place like Action Park was a 1980s utopia. Even though he refused to appear in court, Mulvihill pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud. Did The Nintendo R.O.B. A lot of people have a fear of heights and a lot of people love the thrill; but after tragedy struck at a theme park in Santa Clara, people might be more afraid than not. More lawsuits had also popped up. "Schlitterbahn." Even experienced swimmers tired quickly in the rough waves, and lifeguards reported having to rescue dozens of visitors each weekend. Action Park was taking up most of the usage of the area ambulances to the point they were forced to buy their own. So it's no surprise that this Six Flags roller coaster is among the world's deadliest. The Giant Canyon Swing in Colorado is a pendulum ride that moves four passengers back and forth and hits a top speed of 50 miles per hour. Despite its low speed, Disney's Monorail has been responsible for more accidents and injuries than most roller coasters. But, yes, unfortunately, there were deaths. But when it came to injuries, there was one ride to rule them all: The Alpine Slide. Today, no one would even consider installing something like this. Of course, all of this digging led to new questions. The park was eventually acquired once more by Eugene Mulvihill in 2010. We jumped BMX bikes off of homemade ramps and did flying elbows off of our garages onto a pile of mattresses. When they went to look at the top of the loop, they found teeth stuck in the padding. Enticed by what they were hearing, even more questionable youth started to show up. They were going on rides in any position they wanted and hitting the water at such force, shoulders were being dislocated. 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