How often do accidents happen at amusement, water parks?
At least one person was killed and several injured Wednesday night at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus when the "Fire Ball" amusement ride malfunctioned.
How often does something like this happen?
Below is a list of accidents that have taken place this spring and summer at U.S. amusement parks, carnivals and water parks, according to local news media:
July 17: An 8-year-old girl falls out of “The Wave Rider” at the Island amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The ride had opened in June with a surfboard theme that spins riders in circles.
July 7: A 5-year-old girl is run over by the “Clown Around Ride” at a 4th of July Carnival at Memorial Park in Lebanon, Ind. Police said the girl was not wearing a safety belt and may have been trying to change cars before the ride started.
Related:
Ohio State Fair accident kills 1, injures 7; Fire Ball, other rides shut down
Video shows man catching teen falling from Six Flags ride: ‘It’s OK to let go’
June 27: A girl whose age was not immediately released falls off the “Boomerango” water slide ride at Two Pirates Bay Waterpark in Baytown, Texas, after a raft she and another person are riding in collides with a divider and overturns.
June 25: A Delaware 14-year-old survives a 25-foot plunge from the “Sky Ride” at Six Flags Great Escape in Queensbury, N.Y. The girl had dangled from the stopped gondola ride, screaming as dozens of witnesses and park employees gathered to catch her.
May 27: A 10-year-old boy is launched from the “Emerald Plunge,” a three-story water slide, at The Wave water park in Dublin, Calif. He suffers only minor injuries.
May 18: Three riders, including a 7-year-old child, fall out of the "Phoenix Wheel" ferris wheel ride at the Rhododendron Festival in Port Townsend, Wash. Local officials say the victims fell an estimated 15 feet after the cart in which they were riding abruptly flipped.
May 12: A 15-month-old girl dies after being electrocuted in the parking lot of the Towne West carnival in Wichita. Police say the girl touched metal fencing outside a bounce house at the traveling carnival.
April 6: A woman suffers a burst artery in her skull after being struck by a pipe while riding the “Tornado” water slide at Waterworld California in Concord, Calif. The ride requires riders to lock legs in an inner tube before being sent down a slide that empties out into a large pool shaped like a tornado’s funnel. But in a civil complaint, the woman says her family’s tube was pushed into the ride before riders could lock legs. When they reached the funnel area, she struck her head on a pipe that disperses water.
Follow Greg Toppo on Twitter: @gtoppo
Related:
After heroic Six Flags rescue, question remains: How safe are amusement park rides?