http://www.coaster-net.com/news/2341-man-falls-from-opa-roller-coaster-at-mt-olympus/

That is terrible! Prayers for the man's family & friends.

More:

http://baraboodells.channel3000.com/m/news/news/327191-roller-coaster-accident-mt-olympus-under-investigation#bmb=1

That is horrible.

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Hoping for the best, if he's breathing we may have something left to grab. Hopefully he's perfusing enough to be alert & oriented, waiting on reports still.

Biggest worry right now is if he's breathing and nothing else, possible spinal/head/neck trauma with hypovolemic shock being a big issue with that. Only time will tell..Those that have more news outlets they know and follow compared to me keep us in the loop. Lets hope this terrible accident has some light in it, hoping this guy pulls through

My thoughts and prayers will be with and his family. This is such a horrible thing to happen.

More:

http://wtaq.com/news/articles/2014/mar/07/man-hurt-after-fall-from-wisconsin-dells-indoor-roller-coaster/

Faulty Lap Bar blamed:

http://m.wkow.com/w/main/story/112394208/

I have some small issues with that report:

1. If the witness rode the same seat and had the same problem, WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING. Anytime, ANYTIME I was approached about a restraint, I taped off the whole row, no questions asked. If they said it got loose, or came undone, or seatbelt came out, I didn't care, it got taped off.

2. The witness may have ridden the same seat, you never know, that's somewhat heresay, it would need to be verified.

3. This is why pushing down and pulling up on any restraint system is important..You must follow proper safety checks..

Thankfully the man is still alive, and at least not listed as critical in that report, he may finally be in a lower echelon of care, hopefully. Hopefully he makes a recovery, it'd be nice to see someone lives from a tragic accident, this year has been troubling to see the deaths on amusement rides here.

Ive been on the Opa rollercoaster, and as I remember, it was at Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin. Believe it or not, that was my first roller coaster, and Opa helped me get over my fear of roller coasters, when I was about 9 or ten years old. As I remember the cars on the track were mouse themed. Memories (:.

Victim in Medically Induced Coma, Faulty Lap Bar Proven:

http://www.channel3000.com/news/man-who-fell-from-roller-coaster-remains-in-induced-coma/25201108

A very tragic accident that seems like it should have been preventable

Exactly..I mean I know as enthusiasts we love airtime, we love not being stapled or perfectly secure, you know shoulders touching the OTSR, etc.

However with ride op experience, push down and seat the restraint firmly and pull up hard to make sure it's engaged, simple as that.

I also put blame on the witness who rode in that seat, if there was a problem, make it known. If she would have said something I'm sure the ops would have taken her word. I mean even if they said "hey my seatbelt came undone" during the ride, and I know they rolled in still buckled or whatever, I'm still going to listen and tape off the row, not just the seat, but the row to make sure that restraint isn't entered. If someone would have spoke up, that rider may not have ever entered that restraint and the problem may have never happened.

Prayers to the victim amd his family. The witness story just doesn't add up, she rides, the lap bar opens, she says nothing, gets back in line to ride again with her grand child, sees the gentlman fall, instructs the ride op to shut the ride down, leaves and says nothing until she sees a story on the news.

Mt. Olympus ordered to replace defective/worn parts before the Opa coaster can be inspected (and if passed) and reopened:

http://www.wiscnews.com/baraboonewsrepublic/news/local/article_e9745da3-a833-5f39-ac46-cf596f3708a9.html

- If the Opa coaster is going to be reopened, Mt. Olympus ordered to change its maintenance and training procedures.

- 11 out of 24 pawls skipped during inspection, resulting in four total lap bar failures. What is a "pawl"?

- The DSPS ordered Mt. Olympus to do the following:

• Ensure that proper maintenance and inspection procedures are completed as required by the manufacturer. Ensure that all safety bulletins that have been issued for the ride have been reviewed and that any changes that are required have been made.
• Replace defective and/or worn components
• Ensure that ride is not operated with tubs exceeding capacity limits. The limit is 660 pounds
• Ensure that employee training is recorded.

Mt. Olympus will not reopen the Opa coaster, it will be removed:

http://www.wkow.com/story/25132689/2014/04/01/mt-olympus-cited-with-4-code-violations-in-roller-coaster-accident

- The man woke up from his coma.

- 4 of the 12 lap bars were failing.

- Total weight limit is 660 pounds, total weight in the coaster car right before the accident was 720 pounds.

"Guest safety is a paramount goal at Mt. Olympus. We conduct strict daily inspections and regular maintenance of our rides, and all employees operating rides complete extensive operator training." - The Laskaris Family

I do find that statement ironic if 4 of the 12 lap bars were defective and half of the lab bars were not inspected before operation.

Making such a quick decision to tear it down seems a bit concerning. Could it speak of something greater going on? It seems like the things needed to fix it would be simple.

- 11 out of 24 pawls skipped during inspection, resulting in four total lap bar failures. What is a "pawl"?

A pawl from my understanding is part of the ratcheting device that keeps the restraint in the locked position, it is also what produces the click click click sound when lowering or locking in a restraint. Having 11 out of 24 pawls skip would be spread over the 12 lap bars on the coaster. However that breaks down to each tub (since this is a spinning coaster) I am unsure. The take away is that obvious maintenance and inspection has not been completed on this coaster or at least off season maintenance rebuilding of the tubs has not been done. I cannot imagine 11 out of 24 pawls wearing down at exactly the same time, this has been ongoing.

The employee attitude and apparently training on the dry side of Mt Olympus have been, how should I say, less than impressive.

Not that the wet side is a bright and shining exemplar of either...

- 11 out of 24 pawls skipped during inspection, resulting in four total lap bar failures. What is a "pawl"?

A pawl from my understanding is part of the ratcheting device that keeps the restraint in the locked position, it is also what produces the click click click sound when lowering or locking in a restraint. Having 11 out of 24 pawls skip would be spread over the 12 lap bars on the coaster. However that breaks down to each tub (since this is a spinning coaster) I am unsure. The take away is that obvious maintenance and inspection has not been completed on this coaster or at least off season maintenance rebuilding of the tubs has not been done. I cannot imagine 11 out of 24 pawls wearing down at exactly the same time, this has been ongoing.

I'd assume that's the correct definition of pawl (or close enough for government work). A quick Google image search turned up this:

Which looks like the sort of device that a coaster lap bar would use to ratchet down.

I wonder if ride ops on Exterminator at Kennywood will stop informing guests that the seatbelts are optional for adults? Though I have a high faith that the Kennywood maintenance department would make sure this doesn't happen...