Man dies on Goliath (SFoG)

[Beldin]

The 45 year old man was fine when the train left the station. By the time the train returned to the station. he was unconcious. Here's the story:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,206099,00.html

[hotroddude]

wow that was quick. i hate it when things like this happen :(

[RyanW22]

i starting to stay away from rollercoasters! how do u just die on a rollercoaster?
there's been way to many deaths due to rollercoasters!

[Rohn Starr]

Heart condition, known or unknown. These problems can be triggered by anything that elevates a person's anxiety or blood pressure. Don't blame the coasters, blame the riders that don't know their own health.

[hotroddude]

^^ yes but their has been WAY more deaths in cars then in rollercoasters. they are much safer, only think i worry about is disney's coasters, they tend to do stupid things to the rides that nobody is aware of ( one i can remember easily was the california screamin brake system change that was REALLY stupid, after i heard about this i decided it is best to stay away from parks that would do something like that lol ) accidents DO happen but making sure you dont have any heart problems or anything can prevent them, remember most accidents are the riders fault ( choking on gum, falling off the ride due to sliding out of restraint ect ) rollercoasters are very safe as long as you follow the rules. moral of the story....coasters are safe just dont be stupid and jump off on purpose :rolleyes:

[Squid2]

"According to a study by the IAAPA in 1999, the odds of sustaining an injury that would require hospitalization while visiting a fixed-site amusement park are about 1 in 23 million and the odds of a fatality are about 1 in 500 million. Based on the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission's estimates, more people were injured in 1999 using bicycles (614,594), trampolines (98,889), and golf equiptment (47,386) than while on amusement park rides (7,260, only 138 of which required hospitalization)." - Roller Coaster by Robert Coker, 2006 edition.

I was at the park much later that same day... Goliath was having some trouble with that sensor on the lift hill again, but there was nothing life threatening. It was a very hot day, and that, with his medical conditions and the excitement of the coaster, probably caused his heart attack. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Incidentally, this is the first death on a coaster at SFoG since the 80's... and actually, he walked off the ride and collapsed away from the ride. The only other death of this type at SFoG was a young boy in the 80's, who had a seizure while riding Z-Force. His family and doctor never knew he had them.

Squid2

[Alpengeist]

I think the heat is playing a major roll in a lot of these injuries/deaths this year. I don't know what the answer is, but completely covering the queues and putting in several mist fans may help.

[Rohn Starr]

Being someone who wears glasses, I would prefer not to have to deal with mist fans. But fans would help some. Even moving hot air is preferable than no air movement at all.

[Alpengeist]

I wear glasses too, but I rather have mist fans than get sick.;)

[bowler4ever]

Listen, I'm happy I'm not going to SFNE next week (it's the first full week, on that Friday), because it's supposed to get around 95-100F over here with heat indexes in the 110 area

[Soulfire]

Deaths on rides usually occur because of a preexisting medical condition. For instance, this man could've had high blood pressure or something (just an example).

Or people ignore the warning signs that say who should and shouldn't ride, and end up injured or killed because of it.

[David Ellis]

As said earlier, the risk of this happening is far less than being injured in a car driving to the theme park. These events are always tragic, as are all untimely deaths, but it does somewhat annoy me when they are sensationalised by the media.

I guess the reason why such a big deal is made of accidents or deaths at theme / amusement parks is that they are indeed so rare.

I am still waiting for the media headline "man dies driving to such and such a park"...doesn't exactly grab you, does it?

David.

[soundgodz]

I was at Disney World last week, and it was unenjoyable due to heat and humidity. Every so often I forget why we don't go outside in the summer down here. If I didn't have an annual pass, I wouldn't have even gone. I was considering heading up to Atlanta for a day, but I think I'll just wait till the start of next season at this point. But if you are going to parks, make sure you remember to keep drinking water. Even I have gotten a little out of sorts after riding Mission Space late in the afternoon.

[Matandmel05]

The weather's no different here in Atlanta...

I'll be going to SFOG on the 8/13 so, if you don't see me on the boards after that date then, I didn't read the warning signs...

[aennilQ]

But yeah, thats not the best publicity, a sparkling new coaster already with 1 death.... not so good for pr.

[Tylor]

And another out on Rockin Roller Coaster?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,201614,00.html

[Beldin]

That's a story that's over a month old and has been discussed in other threads here.