Theme parks are designed to capture the attention of not only locals, but tourists worldwide, but they can sometimes attract attention for the wrong reasons, as evidenced by the 7 worst Six Flags accidents, which frighten the public into questioning the safety of theme park rides, which are glorified for their speed, height, and the general insanity of their tracks.
Companies such as Six Flags Entertainment Corp (NYSE:SIX) attract thousands of people each month, particularly those who are on vacation, or those seeking a fun-packed day out with the family. And although serious injuries are not common at theme parks, which delight over 300 million people annually, accidents are bound to happen, sometimes due to negligence, other times simply due to bad luck or malfunctioning rides. At other times, the victims are sadly at fault, often for entering restricted, dangerous areas and being struck by rides.
2016 was a particularly traumatic year for the industry, as a spate of accidents occurred at different parks within a short span of time last August, which included a 10-year-old boy dying on a water slide in Kansas, a 6-year-old girl suffering a traumatic brain injury when she fell from a ferris wheel in Tennessee, and a 3-year-old boy falling from a roller coaster in Pennsylvania.
For investors of public companies like Six Flags, such accidents can also loom over their investments, raising fears that the bad publicity will lead to a decrease in visitors, which in turn sends shares sinking. It’s surely no coincidence that Six Flags shares had their worst month of the year in August, sliding by over 13%, which marred an otherwise solid year for the stock, which gained nearly 10% in 2016.
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Considering the investment that goes into some of these parks, which can easily top $100 million, as seen in this list of the 11 Most Expensive Theme Parks Ever Built, there is a real risk of severe losses should an accident diminish the park’s appeal and lead to a decrease in foot traffic. That reality certainly provides the impetus for companies to ensure their safety standards are of the highest quality.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the 7 worst Six Flags accidents, including a death in 2013, uncovering some of the unfortunate ways that a day of unbridled fun can morph into one of sadness and regret.
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7. Revolution Roller Coaster Kills Employee
This ride at the Six Flags Magic Mountain in California was responsible for the death of a woman in 1996, though not through any fault of its own. The employee was apparently trying to cross the tracks just ahead of the ride pulling into the loading area, when she slipped and fell into a four-foot pit beneath the tracks. She was then struck by the ride as it pulled in and was killed instantly.
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6. The Vampire Kills Maintenance Worker
We are continuing our list of worst Six Flags accidents with a maintenance worker that was killed on July 6, 2012 at the La Ronde amusement park in Montreal, which is owned by Six Flags. The 67-year-old employee was reportedly meant to be performing maintenance on a different ride, but instead went to the wrong, restricted area, and was struck by The Vampire, which was in operation at the time. The death resulted in Quebec’s Workplace Health and Safety Board demanding that Six Flags create a system of locks or barriers that would prevent anyone, including employees, from accessing dangerous areas while rides are in operation.
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5. Batman: The Ride Death Leads to Dark Night
This incident also involves someone being in the wrong place (a restricted area) at the wrong time (while a ride was in operation). It happened on June 28, 2008 at the Six Flags Over Georgia, when 17-year-old Asia Leeshawn Ferguson was decapitated by the Batman roller coaster. The teen entered the restricted area in an effort to retrieve the cap he had just lost while riding the same coaster, hopping two 6-foot tall fences.
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4. Superman Ride Also Causes Grief
It seems the rivalry between Superman and Batman carried over into the tragic realm of theme park accidents, as the Superman: Ride of Steel roller coaster at Six Flags New England had a tragic incident on May 1, 2004. A 55-year-old man was flung from the coaster on the ride’s final turn, striking a rail at high speed and falling a few feet to the ground. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at a nearby hospital. It has yet to be determined how the man was ejected from the ride. Let’s see what’s nest on our list of worst Six Flags accidents.
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3. Joker’s Jukebox’s Early Start Ends in Tragedy
The popular Joker’s Jukebox ride at the Six Flags New Orleans lead to the fatal injury of a grandmother on July 10, 2003, when the ride was started while the woman was still strapping her 4-year-old grandson into his seat. She was struck in the head by one of the ride’s cars and then again in the abdomen by a second car. It’s unclear why the woman was checking on her grandson’s fastenings, which is done by the ride operators, or even how she got into the area, which has perimeter fencing.
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2. Roaring Rapids Accident Leads to Drowning
Number two on our list of worst Six Flags accidents is a woman that was tragically killed in just a few feet of water after her inflatable boat overturned and trapped her underneath while traversing the Roaring Rapids ride at Six Flags Over Texas on March 21, 1999. The incident was caused by the boat unexpectedly deflating and led to several other injuries, though thankfully no other fatalities.
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1. Texas Giant Roller Coaster Ride Ends in Horror
A 52-year-old woman was flung from her seat on the Texas Giant roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas in July 2013, plummeting 75 feet and striking a metal beam on the way down. She died from multiple severe injuries sustained from the fall. It was widely reported that the heavy-set woman may not have been properly restrained in her seat before the ride started, with eyewitness accounts claiming that her safety bar did not lock into place like everyone else’s. The victim herself reportedly also expressed concern about the situation before the ride tragically started.
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That concludes the unfortunate list of the 7 Worst Six Flags Accidents Including A Death In 2013. When is the last time you visited a theme park? Do you enjoy roller coasters? Let us know in the comments.
Disclosure: None
