PKI Report

I am a long time lurker here, finally registered.

Anyhow, I was looking up information on PKI's rides when I was sent this link by a friend of mine. He said it looked pretty bad, so I looked.

Words cannot describe how ****ed I was when I read this! Just read for yourself.

What a funny little website... I had never heard of it, which probably means it popped up within the last month or so and will vanish just as quickly. Although I could be wrong.... It was kind of cute to browse their limited selections of parks and listen to this random guy refer to himself as "ASO" ... oh well, worth a chuckle nonetheless

I liked all the bad comments about the Son of Beast.

That is not what i would even consider a true story because they have to have more backup on the story then them just saying that i am from ASO. Basically complete BS. Even though SOB is the roughest coaster at PKI.

Its probaly the roughest coaster in the United States.

Yes, I found that website to be quite humerous as well. They don`t have anything to back up their information perse. I do remember coming across a site a while back that did actually document specific instances of injuries on amusement park rides. But this website, IMO, seems more like some guys trip report that has been written as if he has safety on his agenda and has recieved complaints/comments from park guests. If the website was about safety then why did he mention the fact about the parks thematic effects, as well as the atmosphere of the park?

because the guy is probably some fake idiot

Sadly enough, that is pretty much true. I don't go into AZ very often, but every time I do go there, SoB has the shortest line in the park for major attractions. While I don't know about the security in the kids area comment, I'm sure all amusement parks have issues with kids getting lost. I mean, it's not the park's fault that kids get lost. Heck, even I was once lost in the park when I was a little kid! My family didn't blame the park, I just used to have a habit of going off on my own (I won't even go into the details about how I got lost in Alaska... yeah, I once wondered off on my own in Alaska).

Yea its not the parks fault at all if someone gets lost. A park can only do so much to watch over all of the kids.

Heck, kids get lost at Coney Island all the time, and it is much smaller than PKI. I remember running the Ferris Wheel this past Labor day weekend, and we had a lost kid approach us. We called security to help them get reunited with their family.

I can say that when HB and Nick are busy it does turn into a zoo. Yeah it does seem that the website ASO seems like trip reports.

It didn't look funny to me. Calling him self ASO is short for Amusement Safety Organization.

This is like the Winterfest A_Titanic_Mess thread that some ripped on. As we have found out later that he was correct. We can see that some members here was posting basically complete BS.

There are several threads about this "company" on Coasterbuzz... Bottom line is that they randomly ask people questions, and present the responses as scientific fact. However, they also market their CPR training (their "real" business) to the parks, and parks who don't buy it get bad reviews on their site. (And, since no park will hire them for CPR training, they all get bad reviews.)

I can't believe no park has sued them yet. The whole thing is a joke...

But, like I said, there's a lot of interesting reading about this site over on Coasterbuzz.

I am not surprised about the comments that are made there. Most of what is there, we have discussed here. As far as SoB's record, here is another site stating some violations concerning the ride:

SoB in 2000

I find it intresting that it mentions about the children's area being top notch, and about SoB's line being shorter than other lines, and that PKI recieves more positive comments than any other Paramount Park (which after going to PKD twice, I completely agree with them). The comments there to have truths to them.

But it is not just a PKI bashing site. It also has negative comments about BGW, MM, and PKD.

What was Titanic Mess correct about??? Did I miss something????

that site is just a big pile of bs.

The first time I rode SOB about 2 years ago, it slammed my back so hard, I thought I may have slipped a disc or bruised a vertebrae in my back. I had to miss two days of work, and then work the other three days SORE... The ride is ROUGH.. I've ridden hundreds of coasters and SOB is the ONLY one I've ever had beat me up so bad that I miss work. The Beast is rough, but the SOB kicks yer booty!

People should stop whining about SOB. Yes, it's rough. Did anyone expect it to be smooth?! It's the biggest wooden coaster in the world (or was at the time; is it still?) Of course it's rough. If it hurts, don't ride it!

The website seems odd. It looks "professional" enough and I wouldn't doubt that it's legitimate...but honestly, a few things bother me.

1.) It DOES sound like a trip report.

2.) Much--in fact, MOST--of it is based on hearsay. Someone reports that they had an issue. Was the issue looked into? What's the specific issue? This is just a complaint.

3.) Why in the world would a SAFETY organization be concerned about theming and effects? Those have nothing do with safety.

4.) If PR isn't answering their questions...something tells me that PR knows something's up. Any organization that legitimately has the authority to make requests or changes probably gets all their questions asked. If Seibert didn't answer questions, he probably knows that this is not really on the up-and-up.

You have to ride it first to see if it hurts don't you? If PR isn't answering their questions then maybe they have something to hide.

Every time there was something bad you see Jeff Siebert declined to comment.

I seen that on www.enquirer.com all the time.

From their Geauga Lake page:

Many times our staff is referred to as a firing squad, corporate executioner, etc..., well this venue has to be one of the biggest disappointments in 2005, and we're going to tell it the way it is. Not only is this venue a disappointment for the Cedar Fair company, but for the public who decided to make it a destination of choice in 2005. Many of which being from the Cleveland Metro area.

What's the over/under on these things being written by 15 year olds?

What's the over/under on these things being written by 15 year olds?

Agreed!

Here's one of the threads from Coasterbuzz where this "organization" is discussed at length:

http://www.coasterbuzz.com/forum.aspx?mode...d&TopicID=41422

People should stop whining about SOB. Yes, it's rough. Did anyone expect it to be smooth?! It's the biggest wooden coaster in the world (or was at the time; is it still?) Of course it's rough. If it hurts, don't ride it!

The website seems odd. It looks "professional" enough and I wouldn't doubt that it's legitimate...but honestly, a few things bother me.

1.) It DOES sound like a trip report.

2.) Much--in fact, MOST--of it is based on hearsay. Someone reports that they had an issue. Was the issue looked into? What's the specific issue? This is just a complaint.

3.) Why in the world would a SAFETY organization be concerned about theming and effects? Those have nothing do with safety.

4.) If PR isn't answering their questions...something tells me that PR knows something's up. Any organization that legitimately has the authority to make requests or changes probably gets all their questions asked. If Seibert didn't answer questions, he probably knows that this is not really on the up-and-up.

yes the sob is still the tallest wooden coaster. i agree with you. i wish people would stop whining. it is not as bad as the crystal beach cyclone.

I also agree, I'll admit that it's rough, it's not that bad. I sat in the very back car this summer and found it bearable and even fun. As a matter of fact an hour or so before I had a rougher ride on The Beast. (Very humorous, you had to be there to see my dad trying to keep his sunglasses on through the helix.) I was a little worried as I got on after reading about it's roughness, but my fears were definitely unfounded.

Poor little coasterwuss. What the !@#$$ is that nonsense about the theming at PKI? The only "active" theming on any of our coasters is the "stone monkeys" on the end-lift of AE (not counting the static line theming on FOF and TG, or the 'music' on Beast)! This must be the only coaster this cat really rode at PKI before opening his cyber-yap about the SOB. Hey, why don't you just hop on and enjoy the ride for real, dude!

You have to ride it first to see if it hurts don't you? If PR isn't answering their questions then maybe they have something to hide.

Every time there was something bad you see Jeff Siebert declined to comment.

I seen that on www.enquirer.com all the time.

exactly. I had no idea it would tear my back up. I have known others who have ridden it without any major damage to their body, so I had no idea I would be hurt. I have not ridden it since.

You really expect PR to comment on negative issues?

i wouldnt

There is/was another website around that did document actual safety issues/accidents for theme parks across the country. I am not sure of the name or website address. Many of you on this board probably know more about it than I do.

I just wanted to make a comment about the safety of SOB. I firmly believe in PKI's safety record. I have not been a fan of all of the things that the park does, but I will say that they very much take the safety of their guests and employees very seriously. I do not believe they would continue to operate SOB if it were not safe. With that said however, guests have been injured on the coaster. A guest was seriously injured during SOB's second season. Legal action was taken by this guest. I never did hear the outcome of the litigation, and whether this guest fully recovered from the injury. This park was able to keep this incident pretty quiet, which surprised me as this was a pretty serious injury that the guest suffered.

There was at least one broken neck.

Was it Saferparks.org? It's still around.

I remember two necks and they had some bone disease.