dropdasher Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 Hello!! I’m looking for any new information about Bavarian Beetle. I saw the other thread and was wondering if any more information had been found since then. @Shaggy I saw that you gave a lot of information and was wondering if you had any more. To any of the others that contributed it would be great if you also chipped in!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThrillKingsFitzy Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 It was built by the same company who built Python at Coney Island if you didn't know that. It opened along with racer and the other coasters opened at the park when the park was released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIghostguy Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 It was removed mid-season 1978. The explanation I have heard is that it was mechanically worn (it was built to be a traveling coaster) and was simply deemed not worth keeping. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dropdasher Posted August 20, 2019 Author Share Posted August 20, 2019 I don’t know why but this ride causes me so much mystery. All we know is that it opened in the park and closed. I’ve heard mid 1978, end of 1979 and end of 1981. We don’t even know who made it. I’ve heard SDC and Schwartzkopf. If anyone could confirm any of these it would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIghostguy Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 35 minutes ago, anonymouspringle said: I don’t know why but this ride causes me so much mystery. All we know is that it opened in the park and closed. I’ve heard mid 1978, end of 1979 and end of 1981. We don’t even know who made it. I’ve heard SDC and Schwartzkopf. If anyone could confirm any of these it would be great. It was mid-1978. Both these photos were from 1978, one from earlier in the season and then one from August of that year. (Photos ripped from the Kings Island Ride Ops pre-Paramount Facebook page.) Additionally, both Bavarian Beetle and the Ferris Wheel are in the 1978 employee yearbook, and they both have largely the same crew. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 It was removed, in large part, because a 90-something year old man claimed he broke his neck on it (4 years prior) and sued the park. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifetimecoaster Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 And on that day, the signs warning that roller coasters are fast and may be rough started showing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 14 hours ago, Shaggy said: It was removed, in large part, because a 90-something year old man claimed he broke his neck on it (4 years prior) and sued the park. In today’s world that would have been an admission of guilt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magenta Lizard Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 That article said he only won the right to a jury trial (on appeal: the first judge threw out the case), not a judgement. I wonder what ended up happening, if the guy dropped it, if the park settled, or if the trial actually happened... I’m pretty sure that was before tort reform so I would actually be a little surprised if the park was found guilty in the case if it went to trial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dropdasher Posted August 20, 2019 Author Share Posted August 20, 2019 3 hours ago, Shaggy said: Do you know if Mason archives their newspapers? The town I live in does, but I know some don’t. I was going to see if there are any other articles talking about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIghostguy Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 2 minutes ago, anonymouspringle said: Do you know if Mason archives their newspapers? The town I live in does, but I know some don’t. I was going to see if there are any other articles talking about it. No. However, the Western Star (Lebanon) is archived at the Warren County Historical Society and the Cincinnati Post and Cincinnati Enquirer are archived at the Cincinnati Public Library. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s coverage on this story was limited to the article posted above, from 6/22/1978. The Cincinnati Post’s lone article on this story was from 10/17/1978. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dropdasher Posted August 20, 2019 Author Share Posted August 20, 2019 6 minutes ago, KIghostguy said: No. However, the Western Star (Lebanon) is archived at the Warren County Historical Society and the Cincinnati Post and Cincinnati Enquirer are archived at the Cincinnati Public Library. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s coverage on this story was limited to the article posted above, from 6/22/1978. The Cincinnati Post’s lone article on this story was from 10/17/1978. Did it ever get mentioned in the paper besides this incident? Did it ever give a recap of the stats, opening, or closure? Did it ever get mentioned when it was still at Coney Island? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIghostguy Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 15 minutes ago, anonymouspringle said: Did it ever get mentioned in the paper besides this incident? Did it ever give a recap of the stats, opening, or closure? Did it ever get mentioned when it was still at Coney Island? Yes, it was mentioned while it was at Coney Island. However, the closure was never reported in the newspaper (but nether was the closure of Halley’s Comet, the Rotor, etc.). Even most of the executives that I've talked to from that time don’t remember why the ride was removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in June of 1978 that the Plaintiff was entitled to a trial based on what KI was under an obligation to tell him before he boarded. The case was sent back down to the Warren Co, Court of Common Pleas for a trial. Court records aren't archived back that far, so if someone wanted to close the loop, they could start by contacting the attorney for the Plaintiff, who was Robert H Davis and asking if the case settled on remand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
super7 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Kings Dominion had the same coaster until 83. They used the standard Galaxi name for it. There was a fatality on it in 83. I believe a kid riding alone hit his head. The ride didn’t have much excess clearance and I have seen statements that he may have stood up. These were SDC rides. They had 2 car trains. Schwarzkopf Wildcats use individual cars. The Galaxii has 2 helixes and then a swerve around the lift hill, another turn then brakes. The Wildcats have two helixes then straight into the brakes out of the second helix. It’s a jolting stop on the wildcats. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted August 26, 2019 Share Posted August 26, 2019 On 8/25/2019 at 12:02 AM, super7 said: Kings Dominion had the same coaster until 83. They used the standard Galaxi name for it. There fatality on it in 83. I believe a kid riding alone hit his head. The ride didn’t have much excess clearance and I have seen statements that he may have stood up. These were SDC rides. They had 2 car trains. Schwarzkopf Wildcats use individual cars. The Galaxii has 2 helixes and then a swerve around the lift hill, another turn then brakes. The Wildcats have two helixes then straight into the brakes out of the second helix. It’s a jolting stop on the wildcats. It should be noted that Kings Dominion's was sold to Myrtle Beach Pavilion where it operated as Galaxi until 1997. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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