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Dangerous Play (Playgrounds; Carnivals; Amusement Parks; Etc.)

After 20 years in service, the world's fastest-accelerating roller coaster has started breaking riders' bones.
World’s Fastest-Accelerating Coaster Suspended Because Riders Keep Breaking Their Bones

They broke their backs and necks riding the roller coaster in Japan, which goes at what it calls “super death” speed. ...

The fastest-accelerating roller coaster in the world has been suspended until further notice, after multiple customers reported broken bones from the ride.

Since December, at least six riders sustained bone fractures after riding “Do-Dodonpa,” a roller coaster that goes at “super death” speed in the country’s popular Fuji-Q Highland Park, the park’s operator said. Four of them said they broke their neck or back, a spokesperson for the park told VICE World News. ...

Built in 2001, the ride goes from 0 to 180 kilometers (or 112 miles) per hour in 1.56 seconds, making it the fastest-accelerating roller coaster in the world. But the park said it was the first time riders broke their bones on the ride since it went into operation two decades ago. ...

Although the Japanese government hasn’t found the reason for these injuries, Miyasato said it could likely be an issue with the roller coaster’s rapid acceleration. At its peak, the ride’s acceleration is more than three times the force of gravity—that’s comparable to the G-force experienced by astronauts during a rocket launch. ...
FULL STORY: https://www.vice.com/en/article/akg8mk/japan-quickest-roller-coaster-fuji-q
 
I can also report that Flamingo Land was rubbish.

Half the rides were shut but still full price entry.
My friend works at Flamingo Land - she's the frontline complaints officer. They have to close rides for various reasons (often weather related) and EVERYONE always wants their money back!

You won't get me in there even with a trail of marshmallows, free tickets and Tom Hiddleston following me with a cattle prod. I have to deal with the people who stay in the caravan park... <shudder>
 
My friend works at Flamingo Land - she's the frontline complaints officer. They have to close rides for various reasons (often weather related) and EVERYONE always wants their money back!

You won't get me in there even with a trail of marshmallows, free tickets and Tom Hiddleston following me with a cattle prod. I have to deal with the people who stay in the caravan park... <shudder>
One of my nieces used to work there! In fact I believe she lived-in and the staff accommodation was haunted.
 
Looks like the inspiration for The Double Deckers.
That was my first thought (it's an age thing). And have you ever wondered what happened to the cast?

Yes, any quizzer knows that Brinsley Forde sang with Aswad and that Peter Firth went on to act in Equus and Spooks among many other things, but did you know that Gillian Bailey, who played the tomboy Billie, is now is now Professor of Women's Performance Histories at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London?

Or that Debbie Russ, who played Tiger, went on to be a news presenter on Radio 3?

I love stuff like this! And I hugely enjoyed The Double Deckers, having a bit of a crush on Tiger (it's okay, I was seven when the show came out!)
 
That was my first thought (it's an age thing). And have you ever wondered what happened to the cast?

Yes, any quizzer knows that Brinsley Forde sang with Aswad and that Peter Firth went on to act in Equus and Spooks among many other things, but did you know that Gillian Bailey, who played the tomboy Billie, is now is now Professor of Women's Performance Histories at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London?

Or that Debbie Russ, who played Tiger, went on to be a news presenter on Radio 3?

I love stuff like this! And I hugely enjoyed The Double Deckers, having a bit of a crush on Tiger (it's okay, I was seven when the show came out!)
I loved that show! Then they stopped it and replaced it with nothing as good.
 
That was my first thought (it's an age thing). And have you ever wondered what happened to the cast?

Yes, any quizzer knows that Brinsley Forde sang with Aswad and that Peter Firth went on to act in Equus and Spooks among many other things, but did you know that Gillian Bailey, who played the tomboy Billie, is now is now Professor of Women's Performance Histories at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London?

Or that Debbie Russ, who played Tiger, went on to be a news presenter on Radio 3?

I love stuff like this! And I hugely enjoyed The Double Deckers, having a bit of a crush on Tiger (it's okay, I was seven when the show came out!)
Gillian Bailey was also in 'Blake's 7: The Beginning'
 
I remember bouncy castles being a similar issue in the mid-1970s. Carefree, peer-orientated bouncing ruined by red-faced and beery-breathed adults showing-off to their equally sun-burnt and drunk friends.

I think it's just part of the whole 'adults drinking in the hot sun, seeing what children are doing and getting into the 'I'll have a bit of that myself'' type idiocy. It's the same with playgrounds, I've lost count of the times I've seen drunk adults jump on swings, roundabouts, see-saws and the horse (of death).

'Look at me! look at me! I'm 37 but I've drunk enough hot, wasp-taunted beer to think that acting like I am only 7 is really, really funny! Watch me play on the swings like it's some major achievement, even though the 6-year-old I forced off them so I could piss about had no trouble with them either. I can go really high, look!'

In the heatwave of 1976, I saw two adults 'borrow' a squeezy bottle full of water and the ensuing soaking resulting in full-on fisticuffs. :roll:
One of the reasons I don't drink, I was the kid who had to take care of everyone else because the adults were drunk stupid.
 
@MorningAngel

Thanks for posting that Notting Hill Adventure playground picture, evokes great memories.

@Mythopoeika

Not sure where you live, but growing up in London in the 1970's we had quite a few of those type of playgrounds with bespoke climbing areas made out of wood and rope ladders...great fun for us kids.

Here is Barnard Park playground in Islington

12549305_uQ2DyN8oPgHVjaFwvMkAQJkTqeMJDzzU83PGV4Kf5JM.jpg
 
3 people have been injured at 'Fudstock Festival', one critically.

"One person has been critically injured and two others seriously hurt after an incident at a fairground ride during a festival in Cumbria.

It happened at Fudstock, which was being held at Cavendish Park, Barrow, on Saturday at around 20:30 BST.

Two of those injured were reported to have been on a ride at the time, with two females and a male taken to Furness General Hospital, Cumbria Police said.

The Health and Safety Executive has been informed.

One of the female casualties is in a critical condition in hospital, police said."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-58375009
 
A 6-year-old girl died on a plunging underground ride at a Colorado attraction.
Girl, 6, dies on mine drop ride at Colorado amusement park

An investigation is underway after a 6-year-old girl on vacation with her family died at an amusement park in the western Colorado town of Glenwood Springs.

Few details have been released, but Suzanne Emery with the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park says “an incident” occurred Sunday evening on the Haunted Mine Drop ride that caused the death. The Post Independent reports the park will be closed Monday and Tuesday. ...

Garfield County Coroner Robert Glassmire said park employees initiated first aid until paramedics arrived and determined the girl had died. The girl's name has not been released.

The Haunted Mine Drop, which opened in July 2017, is billed as the first drop ride to go underground, plunging riders 110 feet (33 meters) inside of Iron Mountain. Park visitors are required to sign a release of liability waiver before going on any rides or attractions.

The sheriff's and coroner's offices are investigating the death.
SOURCE: https://apnews.com/article/colorado-glenwood-springs-01fa1fc8fa872a757e8d5d59bc0fcfcd
 
A 6-year-old girl died on a plunging underground ride at a Colorado attraction.
Update ... Thie Daily Beast item summarizes the investigation's findings. It seems the little girl's seat belt wasn't secured, allowing her to fall out of the ride.
Colorado Girl Died on Drop Ride Because Ride Operators Didn’t Check Seatbelt, Investigation Finds

A 6-year-old Colorado girl was killed at an amusement park over Labor Day weekend because two ride operators didn’t make sure she was wearing a seat belt, according to a state investigation. Wongel Estifanos was on the “Haunted Mine Drop” at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs when, even after operators conducted a seat-belt check, she was still permitted to stay on the ride. An alarm system even went off notifying the operators of a problem, but because of their lack of training, they weren’t sure what to do and overrode the alarm system. This led to Estifanos falling more than 100 feet to her death, with her body found near the ride’s mine shaft, per the Denver Post. Officials plan to issue fines and citations related to the incident, and they have handed off the investigation to the district attorney for any criminal charges.
SOURCE: https://www.thedailybeast.com/6-yea...tors-didnt-check-seatbelt-investigation-finds
 
What a bunch of idiots.

If an alarm goes off you find out what it means, even if you dont initially know
They managed to turn it off ok though. What a complete c*ck up and that poor kid died because they didn’t know what they were doing.
 
Woman and friend broke their legs after using a swimming pool slide during a drunken night out.

Claire Vickers, 46, and pal Barry Douglas, 44, remained stuck in a flume for two hours with fractured shins and shattered feet before they were rescued.

The two had broken into Aldershot Lido in Hampshire in the early hours of August 4.

After splashing water down from the top to generate extra speed, Claire and Barry stepped into the tube together, thinking that it was clear all the way down.

But just before they came out the bottom, their legs collided with a barrier that had been placed at the exit.
Claire said: ‘I couldn’t think straight as the pain was excruciating. It was like a scene out of a horror film like “SAW”.’

Her right leg was completely broken so her shin bone pushed out of her skin, and she shattered every bone in her left foot.

Barry broke his left fibular and shattered both his ankles.

Claire said: ‘”What are we going to do? What are we going to do?” was all I said for ages.

‘I was banging and banging and, as my foot was hanging off, I was trying to hold that up.’

Forklift driver Barry added: ‘The pain was unbearable, it was one of the most horrific experience I’ve had in my life.’

Mum-of-five Claire had been to the pub for four hours before meeting up with Barry at his house for some more drinks.

At about 2am, she suggested that the two try breaking into the lido, which was only a five-minute walk away.

But things quickly turned sour when they decided to take a ride on the waterslide.

At 3:46am, they saw the torches of three Hampshire Constabulary officers who received a call from concerned residents who thought kids had broken into the pool.

They called for paramedics who lifted them over the side of the slide and into the ambulance.

They were taken to Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, but their injuries were too severe for treatment there, so they were transferred to St George’s Hospital in Tooting.

Claire remained there for two-and-a-half weeks recovering, having a metal rod bound to her right shin and plates put in her left foot.

No police action was taken against either of them.
 
I remember when I lived in Edinburgh when I was younger and the Commonwealth pool had the most amazing flumes.

But for some reasons some drunk people broke in and left glass purposely in one of the flumes.

So they ended up having to close them. I was gutted as they were brilliant fun.
 
Woman and friend broke their legs after using a swimming pool slide during a drunken night out.

Claire Vickers, 46, and pal Barry Douglas, 44, remained stuck in a flume for two hours with fractured shins and shattered feet before they were rescued.

The two had broken into Aldershot Lido in Hampshire in the early hours of August 4.

After splashing water down from the top to generate extra speed, Claire and Barry stepped into the tube together, thinking that it was clear all the way down.

But just before they came out the bottom, their legs collided with a barrier that had been placed at the exit.
I read about this an hour ago (with quite macabre photos) on the Grimsby Live web page - I was not aware Grimsby was close to Hampshire ?
Besides, there was plenty of drama happening locally : Shoppers film rats scurrying over fresh pastries in Sainsbury's. New dental practice opens in Scunthorpe to meet growing demand: Mum says she shares her husband with her mum and sister 'to keep him happy': Lottery winner reveals her best buy was a caravan in Cleethorpes ..

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/friends-shatter-legs-feet-after-6008431
 
I remember when I lived in Edinburgh when I was younger and the Commonwealth pool had the most amazing flumes.

But for some reasons some drunk people broke in and left glass purposely in one of the flumes.

So they ended up having to close them. I was gutted as they were brilliant fun.

Where I grew up there was an urban legend about razor blades being superglued inside the flumes at Solihull pool. Length-wise, so they would slit you open from head to foot. Or foot to head. Depends which way down you were sliding.
 
Woman and friend broke their legs after using a swimming pool slide during a drunken night out.

Claire Vickers, 46, and pal Barry Douglas, 44, remained stuck in a flume for two hours with fractured shins and shattered feet before they were rescued.

The two had broken into Aldershot Lido in Hampshire in the early hours of August 4.

After splashing water down from the top to generate extra speed, Claire and Barry stepped into the tube together, thinking that it was clear all the way down.

But just before they came out the bottom, their legs collided with a barrier that had been placed at the exit.
They really did get their comeuppance.

This made me laugh -
"There should have been gates at the top shutting the whole thing off, there needs to be more safety."
Not committing breaking and entering when you're drunk is a pretty safe option.

They got off lightly compared to the Caldwell twins who were killed while trespassing on a Calgary luge track -
(safe BBC link)
Canadian twin brothers killed in bobsled accident

Evan and Jordan Caldwell, 17, were killed and six other teens were injured after they rode toboggan down a bobsled track at Canada Olympic Park.
The teens had sneaked into the park after it had closed, police said.
As their toboggan sped down the track, the teens crashed into a gate that separated the luge and bobsled tracks.
The twins were pronounced dead at the scene and the others were treated at hospital.

There's a detailed and gruesome Mr Ballen episode about it.
 
Not committing breaking and entering when you're drunk is a pretty safe option.

There hasn’t been an offence of “breaking and entering” in English law since the Larceny Act 1916 was replaced by the Theft Act 1968.

The offence is burglary:

“Burglary.

(1) A person is guilty of burglary if—

(a) he enters any building or part of a building as a trespasser and with intent to commit any such offence as is mentioned in subsection (2) below; or

(b) having entered any building or part of a building as a trespasser he steals or attempts to steal anything in the building or that part of it or inflicts or attempts to inflict on any person therein any grievous bodily harm.

(2) The offences referred to in subsection (1)(a) above are offences of stealing anything in the building or part of a building in question, of inflicting on any person therein any grievous bodily harm therein, and of doing unlawful damage to the building or anything therein.”

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60/section/9/enacted

maximus otter
 
Maybe putting one in further up would help?
There's a gate at the entrance to the slide/flume which they climbed over, after crawling under a fence to get into the pool area.

Mum-of-five Claire had been to the pub for four hours before meeting up with Barry at his house for some more drinks.

At about 2am, she suggested that the two try breaking into the lido, that was only a five-minute walk away, for a quick dip.

Forklift driver Barry agreed and they crawled under the fence surrounding the swimming pool before leaping in.

Tipsy Claire then suggested that they have a go on the long yellow flume slide.

They climbed over the slide gate and went up the stairs, before Claire sat down and Barry put his legs round her to slide together.

Techy pointed out that they must have been naked or in underwear if they'd already been in the pool, which hadn't occurred to me.
Their phones would be with their clothes so they couldn't ring for help. Idiots.
 
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