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Board Hits Girl on Coaster At Adventureland (Iowa)


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http://tinyurl.com/pxfod

(You will want to see the picture there...be warned it is rather graphic, and sad)

The 11-year-old was on a roller coaster at Adventureland Park when a loose board hit her.

By MEGHAN V. MALLOY

REGISTER STAFF WRITER

July 29, 2006

The last thing Mackenzie Jennings remembers from her ride on the Tornado roller coaster at Adventureland Park was her mother telling her to open her eyes.

"I opened them, and then closed them again," she said Friday.

The next thing Mackenzie could recall was sitting on the ground next to her mother and being in a lot of pain.

A loose board that park officials said was left behind after a maintenance check by park inspectors had fallen onto the car and struck the 11-year-old Williamsburg girl in the head. Two other people received minor injuries.

"I didn't even think it had hit her at first, because things aren't supposed to hit people," said Kathie Hooper, Mackenzie's mother. "I looked at her head-on, and I knew something was wrong."

Mackenzie, a soft-spoken girl with long, brown hair on one side of her head and a long row of stitches on the other, was injured on the Tornado roller coaster at the Altoona park on July 22. She underwent surgery at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines to remove a blood clot and reduce swelling in her head.

"I don't feel any pain anymore because of the doctor," Mackenzie said. "He helped me."

Mackenzie, who said she used to like roller coasters, had ridden on the Tornado a few years prior on an outing with her father, Wayne Jennings of Des Moines.

Hooper said although the incident was an accident, it "could've been prevented."

"Am I angry? Well, as a parent, yes, I am. I think we all are," Hooper said Friday.

After the accident, an Adventureland guest who had been standing in line ran to assist Mackenzie, Hooper said. She was a registered nurse and stayed with the child until Adventureland transported her to Mercy, Hooper said. Neither Altoona police nor an ambulance were called to the amusement park.

Kim Baer, an attorney for the family, said her clients filed a claim with Adventureland's insurance company Friday. Baer added further legal action would possibly be considered only after Mackenzie has recovered more fully.

Hooper anticipates her daughter will be released from the hospital within the next few days, although doctors have not given them a specific date.

Bill Fisher, director of marketing for Adventureland, said the park's insurance company will continue to meet with the family and decide the appropriate action to take down the road.

"We are very happy to hear she's doing better, and our best wishes go to Mackenzie and her family," Fisher said Friday.

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The incident at Adventureland was entirely preventable. The board was in plain sight and known to be a hazzard when found during pre-ride inspections; all maintenance had to do was pick it up.

On the Son of Beast, the incident is entirely different. The support post that broke here was probably not visible from the track. I'm sure if it had been and the guys seen it, SoB wouldn't have opened that day. Of course there's the possibility that the post could be seen from trackside; however, it might not have showed any signs of stress at that point, so they might not have seen it anyway.

See the difference in the cases? Adventureland would be a case of gross negligence because the crew saw the danger and failed to correct the problem. But if the people settle with the insurance company, chances are they'll have to sign a waiver and release the park of any future responsibility, therefore they won't be able to sue later on. As for the Son of Beast, I doubt the park will be found to be negligent, at least not in terms of gross negligence.

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The incident at Adventureland was entirely preventable. The board was in plain sight and known to be a hazzard when found during pre-ride inspections; all maintenance had to do was pick it up.

On the Son of Beast, the incident is entirely different. The support post that broke here was probably not visible from the track. I'm sure if it had been and the guys seen it, SoB wouldn't have opened that day. Of course there's the possibility that the post could be seen from trackside; however, it might not have showed any signs of stress at that point, so they might not have seen it anyway.

See the difference in the cases? Adventureland would be a case of gross negligence because the crew saw the danger and failed to correct the problem. But if the people settle with the insurance company, chances are they'll have to sign a waiver and release the park of any future responsibility, therefore they won't be able to sue later on. As for the Son of Beast, I doubt the park will be found to be negligent, at least not in terms of gross negligence.

Ahhhhh

I really don't think I was ever that young and naive'.

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The Tornado

Acclaimed as one of the "10 Best" wooden roller coasters in North America, the Tornado winds it's way around a quarter mile of treacherous track thrilling riders by plummeting down hills over 100 feet at speeds of more than 60 miles per hour.

Length: 3,200 Feet Built: 1978

Height: Over 90 Feet Maximum Speed: Over 60 MPH

user posted image

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It is a shame that this accident should have been prevented. If i was the park manager i would be firing some Maintinence workers. I think that they have the right to sue becuause you ride at your own risk but by no means does this bring into account a loose board on the coaster.

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Not on Son of Beast, the board that was crack on Son of Beast couldnt of been found on a daily routine of checkin the ride first in the morning. this aacident with the girl geting hit could of been prevented, not Son of Beast.

So you are saying that when boards crack, break, split, etc. on a roller coaster and someone gets hurt, it's nobody's fault but the wood itself? ohmy.gifrolleyes.gif

KI, the designers of SOB, and the construction firm will probably be found negligent to some degree - I suspect they will settle out of court if they can.

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^YES

it is the woods fault

or the friction...

ALSO

people have said these incedents were the same.

THEY WERE NOT

On SoB there were no signs of stress, and only a board cracked.

On Tornado They saw the board in plain sight, and left it there, while it fell off.

VERY different situations.

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^YES

it is the woods fault

or the friction...

ALSO

people have said these incedents were the same.

THEY WERE NOT

On SoB there were no signs of stress, and only a board cracked.

On Tornado They saw the board in plain sight, and left it there, while it fell off.

VERY different situations.

Yes - these were definitely different situations. It would have been extremely difficult for any maintenance person at KI to detect a problem with a certain board in that massive amount of lumber.

However, we have read unsubstantiated complaints about that section of the coaster being more rough than usual - which if true - should have been a cause for concern. Perhaps it was checked out - we will probably never know.

The good news is I don't think anyone was hurt seriously on SOB like the little girl in this thread was.

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A broken chest bone isn't being hurt seriously?

It's just mild discomfort?

The woman who has filed suit in the aftermath of the Son of Beast incident reportedly suffered a broken chest bone. This is the same bone that is broken in performing open heart surgery, and that break is what is the cause of much of the long term necessary for recovery from that surgery.

There were also, so far unsubstantiated, reports of children with missing teeth...

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Son of Beast rough than normal??? how can you tell?? the girl geting hit with a board could of been prevented, like i said, on a normal routine check on the Son of Beast, they wouldnt have found it.

Does that make it nobody's fault? Just because they didn't or couldn't find it? I'm sure it's true a routine check may not have found it - although it seems as though the initial investigation after the accident revealed pretty quickly there was a broken timber or timbers at the root of the problem.

And to "The Interpreter" - I stand corrected - yes - it was serious injury.

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Any accident in my opinion that sends people to the hosipital is serious. Could the SOB accident been prevented? Who knows, as the reports already hinted too, the timber could have broke a few rides piror are as the accidnet happened.

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