3 replies to this topic

[PKIDelirium]

http://rideaccidents.com/

Girl, 14, killed in fall from drop tower

(February 24, 2012) - At Hopi Hari theme park in São Paulo, Brazil, a 14-year-old girl was killed after falling 80-90 feet from a drop tower named "La Tour Eiffel."
"La Tour Eiffel" features cars which are hoisted to the top of a 224-foot tall tower and then drop 129 feet, reaching speeds of near 60 miles per hour. The cars are floorless, open-air cabins, and allow the riders' legs to dangle beneath them throughout the ride. Electromagnetic brakes bring the cars to a gradual stop at the base of the tower.

According to early reports from witnesses, the girl fell forward as the car was in free fall, and landed face down on the pavement at the base of the tower. She died as she was being rushed to a local hospital.

The ride has been shut down indefinitely while police investigate the accident.

In 1999, a twelve-year-old boy was killed after he fell out of a similar ride at Paramount's Great America theme park in Santa Clara, California. The cause of that accident was never determined.

Also the same model of Intamin Giant Drop that was involved in the Kentucky Kingdom accident.

[Vater]

I don't understand how this can happen. If she fell to the side, it would make more sense, but if the restraint was closed and locked (as it was in the '99 incident), I don't see how someone can fall forward out of it. Unless maybe the girl was small enough to fit through the horsecollar and the restraint wasn't down far enough.

[Tyler M]

The ride didn't use the same seat belt mechanism found on most Intamin drop towers. However, in this case I don't think that would make much of a difference if she fell out forward.

[CoasterBGW]

The ride actually had similar seatbelts.... This image was posted on TPR by someone who has worked on the ride as a mechanical engineer.


I suspect that the girl, if here frame was small enough, came out between the shoulder harness.

It appears to be a different shoulder harness as compared to the one at SFGAm.