Two People Injured in Amusement Park Accident in Buena Park

by Thomas Hawk

An amusement park accident in Orange County injured two people last week.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the accident occurred at the Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park in Buena Park on Wednesday. The two who were injured, a man and a 12-year-old boy, were riding on the Xcelerator roller coaster when the cable snapped. The 12-year-old boy suffered lacerations to his leg, while the unidentified man suffered back and neck injuries, and had to be pulled from the ride. The man and the boy had to be taken to the hospital for treatment.

According to representatives at Knotts Berry Farm, the cable came loose when the people were on the ride at about 4pm on Wednesday. As the cable malfunctioned, smoke and debris were spewed into the air. The ride has been shut down, and will remain so until the California Division of Occupational and Safety Health completes its investigation. Knotts Berry Farm will also conduct its own investigation into the accident.

The Xcelerator ride accelerates from 0 to 80mph in 2.3 seconds. According to Knotts Berry Farm officials, the roller coaster has a capacity of 20 passengers, but was not at full capacity during the accident. It’s the first accident involving the Xcelerator since 2002.

Series of Amusement Park Accidents in California This Year

This wasn’t the first accident at a California amusement park this year. Just last month, riders on a roller coaster at the Great America theme park in Santa Clara were left stranded about 40 to 80 feet in the air. On the 10th of August, riders were on the Invertigo roller coaster, when one of the two lift chains broke, leaving the trains stuck on the tracks, and the riders dangling dangerously in the air. Santa Clara and San Jose fire personnel rushed to the park, and helped offload the riders one by one. Riders were stuck for up to 4 hours in midair in the scorching 95 degree heat. Fortunately, no one was injured in that accident. The California Occupational and Safety Health Administration investigation into that accident is still going on.

There had been a similar accident in June at the same theme park. However in that accident, the lift chain system that is supposed to pull the roller coaster safety, worked properly, preventing serious injuries and fatalities. That ride has also been shutdown for at least 2 months, until park authorities can determine where the problem lies. The Invertigo is one of the most popular rides at Great America amusement park. After the August incident, Great America admitted that the ride had suffered such malfunctions twice before. In one of these instances in 2000, at least 25 people on the Invertigo line were left similarly dangling precariously in midair in their seats, when the ride stopped suddenly. In both incidents, park officials had been able to bring back the roller coaster to its starting position, thereby ensuring that there were no injuries.

Amusement parks can be anything but fun when park officials fail to maintain rides and equipment properly. Unfortunately, as California premises liability lawyers often see, the minimal oversight and lack of aggressive enforcement of rules make it easy for park operators and owners to bypass safety regulations and maintenance procedures, with deadly consequences for riders.

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