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SFKK Victim Kaitlyn Lassiter to Join Rep. Markey At Federal Hearing on Wednesday


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....On Wed., May 14th at 11 a.m., Rep. Markey will hold a press conference to urge passage of his legislation to close this loophole, H.R. 2320, the National Amusement Park Ride Safety Act, and highlight the safety risks for consumers under current law. Rep. Markey will be joined by 14-year-old accident victim Kaitlyn Lassiter, whose feet were severed last June due to a malfunction on the "Superman Tower of Power" ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Kaitlyn and her family have joined Rep. Markey's longtime efforts to close the federal safety loophole....

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/S...20News/1542406/

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And it should be noted that IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) opposes Ed Markey`s push for the CPSC to regulate fixed amusement park rides. Even with CPSC oversight, fairs and traveling rides still have more accidents annually in the US then what permanent and fixed attractions have.

If you watch the video from CNN, it is clear that they are trying to sensationalize the accident and make it seem like there is a dire need for federal oversight. However, while this was a freak accident (and from the tidbits that have come out about the incident at Kentucky Kingdom, it seems like Six Flags was not properly maintaining that ride), you have to look at the overall statistics. How many people die or are injured at amusement parks every year? Then compare that to the amount of people visit amusement park every year and the odds of getting injured are slim to none.

However, any accident, as minor as it may be is tragic. Surely Kaitlyn`s life will never be the same again. Could this accident have been avoided? It sure sounds like it could have. Would the federal oversight have prevented this accident from occurring? I don`t think so. And, immediately after this accident, all similar Intamin drop rides across the country were shut down until inspections could be completed on the cables on those similar rides. The shutting down of those similar rides was done by the respective park operators themselves.

I`m sure Six Flags wishes that accident never would have happened, as I`m sure their attendance was way off last year at Kentucky Kingdom. I know that since Drop Tower reopened after the incident last year, its lines have been shorter then they used to be in past years.

Also, keep in mind, that Ohio is one of the few states that employs full time ride inspectors. The inspectors work for the Ohio Department of Agriculture`s Rides Safety Division. They inspect every ride that operates in the state of Ohio every spring before it opens. (Every ride in Ohio has a bronze plaque issued by the state that gets a new operating sticker every year). They also do site visits throughout the operating year to ensure that all the proper operating procedures are being followed (this includes checking heights, shutting gates, etc.). In addition, they require that any injury from an amusement park ride requiring hospitalization be documents and the Department of Agriculture notified. When accidents do occur, like with Son of Beast, the state will investigate why the accident occurred.

I think I`ve said enough about this topic for now.

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Not only was Kentucky Kingdom's attendance down significantly following the accident, but attendance at the entire chain was drastically affected.

I don't think that it had an effect on attendance out of the immedicate area of SFKK.

I'd venture to say that not many going to SFOG could tell you that the incident even occured.

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Not only was Kentucky Kingdom's attendance down significantly following the accident, but attendance at the entire chain was drastically affected.

I don't think that it had an effect on attendance out of the immedicate area of SFKK.

I'd venture to say that not many going to SFOG could tell you that the incident even occured.

I thought that Six Flags stated in their Investor Conference call that it did affect attendance chain wide.

You know people hear about an accident at Six Flags and just think about their local Six Flags.

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You are indeed correct. Six Flags CHAINWIDE attendance declined markedly after the Kentucky incident, as Mr. Mark Shapiro pointed out during conference calls last summer and earlier this month. Woofer is also correct, those GOING to Six Flags over Georgia last summer probably didn't know about the event....it was many of those who didn't go that did.

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Not only was Kentucky Kingdom's attendance down significantly following the accident, but attendance at the entire chain was drastically affected.

I don't think that it had an effect on attendance out of the immedicate area of SFKK.

I'd venture to say that not many going to SFOG could tell you that the incident even occured.

I thought that Six Flags stated in their Investor Conference call that it did affect attendance chain wide.

You know people hear about an accident at Six Flags and just think about their local Six Flags.

You did. But much of what you will hear in these calls is spin. (As has been pointed out in the CF calls.) It's much easier to attribute drop in attendance and revenue to a horrible accident than to actually look at other serious issues that may be present.

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There was just a segment on this topic on the Today Show a little bit ago. The thing that bothered me is that they never did mention any statistics. Just that shopping carts at the grocery store had more federal oversight than amusement park rides.

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  • 2 weeks later...
There was just a segment on this topic on the Today Show a little bit ago. The thing that bothered me is that they never did mention any statistics. Just that shopping carts at the grocery store had more federal oversight than amusement park rides.

Yes, and shopping carts are a big pain in the behind at times. :P

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