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Mom says son got concussion on Worlds of Fun roller coaster


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How do you hit your nose on an individually ratcheting PTC orange wooden coaster restraint (like Racer or Beast)?

How?

The first time my son road Racer, that was a concern of mine. The restraint all the way down left a decent amount of room b/w the top of his legs and the bottom of the restraint. Strangely, he was jealous that the restraint came down and touched my legs (and then some) while I was jealous that he gets to experience it like it used to be with the buzz bar. While he was getting used to the ride, his head would dip pretty low. If he could actually make contact w/ the restraint or not with his nose, well thankfully I never found out, but about 1/4 of the way thru his first lap, I extended my arm out over him to keep him from moving too far forward. He's grown a bit since last year, plus he's learned how to ride coasters now that he's taken several laps on each of the 48" coasters, so its no longer a fear, but trust me the fear was real (though I'll admit perhaps unfounded). While at 11 years of age, I'll presume he was a taller than my then 5 year old, stronger as well, but perhaps not, both would have shared the lack of experience riding a coaster.

I have seen someone walk off The Beast with a bloody nose before. He may have been Fabio'd for all that I know, or perhaps he banged his nose on the car/restraint or perhaps there was another reason all together.

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The ride is really rough. It's one I may never ride again. With that being said, it seems like the story has some things missing.

A child can have a nose bleed for many reasons. The ride op may not have seen it. Someone that's not a ride op (guest) could have given him a towel. Or it could have been one he already had.

With a concussion, can they tell time frames of when it happened?

Rushed to the hospital after an hour? That's not rushed. If I knew my child was truly hurt it would take less time than that if I had to drive myself.

My daughter caught a ball with her face. I looked at her face and knew it was minimal injury (glasses got the brunt in of the force, but did not break). We drove to the hospital within 30 minutes as a precautionary measure. This to me is a normal response to a child's injury.

She had nothing broke, no concussion, not even a black eye just slight swelling. Just a wonderful evening in the ER with an Xray and some other kind of scan.

If my child were truly hurt, my not so pleasant self would show especially if I felt my child was hurt and in need of care and they weren't treating her as I felt they should). I would have told them they need to get me another paramedic for a second opinion or call 911 NOW.

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Should say:

Mom exploits son for free money.

Or not. Who knows. Hope the kiddo is OK. Mom probably is a coaster enthusiast (bless her heart) who wants the equivalent of platinum passes...

Or a platinum watch...who knows.

At least the 18 year ride Op gave him a towel. They could frame that with the ticket stub and a postcard of Timber wolf. Perhaps they should have purchased a 'photo op' ride picture for evidence...

Too far?

::hangs head just in case::

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What kind of mom takes her 11 year old autistic son to an amusement park to ride coasters--alone?

My head hurts.

One of my friends has two autistic sons. One is high functioning. I know each child is different, but the high functioning autistic son would struggle to go on a trip if he was not prepared to go. He does really well as long as he's on a schedule and in a familiar setting.

I don't see him riding a coaster on his own. He would have an anxiety attack.

Additionally this young man would struggle with talking to someone he does not know even if he was injured. If a person approached him, he'd likely walk away.

If his mom would put him on a coaster alone, she would have waited at the gate for him.

Maybe the child who was injured is higher functioning than my friends son.

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I work/worked with many many children along the spectrum of Autism. I have seen kiddos that are able to do almost anything alone, that have severe social problems (one kiddo didnt understand that sleeping, telling you "you are boring," or walking away in the middle of a conversation was all rude) to being unable to do anything. Unfortunately/fortunately, there is no real threshold that qualifies one as being high versus low functioning. A high functioning kiddo with autism could have a future as a lawyer or working in a sheltered workshop.

This kiddo could have been one of the real high functioning kiddos or have been given the diagnosis of Educational Autism which is done without any medical team.

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What kind of mom takes her 11 year old autistic son to an amusement park to ride coasters--alone?

My head hurts.

I have met a kid at Holiwood Nights that is autistic. He is probably 12 or 13 and his mom brings him one night and dad brings him the second night. Neither his mom or dad ride, they wait at the exit for him whenever he decides to get off the ride. He is a funny kid and loves coasters. Just kind of awkward while having a conversation with him. But I have ridden with him a couple of times each year, while my wife sits out some laps on Voyage, and he has always been enjoyable to sit next to.

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Journalistic Reporting at its Finest. Leaving much to be desired in details.

As a parent I would not let me child ride by themselves. Autistic or not. Also as a parent I would not get a second opinion for a different paramedic. I respect paramedics and what they do immensely, but if I want a second opinion I will see a doctor. Finally why is this woman calling 911 over an hour after this event? This is not an emergency situation, you are diverting resources that could be better used for real emergencies.

Also it looks as if the park could have handled this better, but we will know more once their statement is released on this event.

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Yea but....

What if the kids speech started slurring an hour later or he complained about vision issues or head pain? These symptoms may not show up for hours or days. What if she didn't know what to do and started freaking out?

As for the second opinion, maybe she didn't like they way he blew off her son or was non chalant about it.

As for the details, maybe she went to the paper maybe they found her. They can only print what they can find out. If the park and hospital are not releasing info, then there is not much else they can write without becoming illegal (slander libel issues).

Lastly, the kid is 11. Maybe he knows the park very well. My parents let my sister and I ride rides by ourselves around that same age.

Not all parents are the same. Some know more or less. Maybe this parent is not highly educated and does not know what is or isn't an emergency. Attacking a potential victim when all facts are not know is a bit crazy.

Now could she have blown very thing out of proportion, maybe. But let's hold the attacks off for a bit.

I remember a few people here blamed the lady who fell out of a coaster before finding out the park was at fault (but te park blames manufacturer etc)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I notice from time to time that some riders don't exactly sit up straight on roller coasters with lap bars. I could see a hit to the head possible if the rider were doing that.

Oh yah, sometimes the person is a little too relaxed, and not prepared for the motion, as I was.

The Vortex incident was due to my size, (just because you can, doesn't mean you should- a varied size works both ways), and on the WWC, I was laughing at a younger rider and wasn't paying attention to the water cannons, and also, was too relaxed, and not braced.

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