But, according to the Amusement Safety Organization, at least six other major accidents were reported between 2006 and 2010. This dual theme and water parkis a Midwestern favorite, but doesn't have the best track record. A chair lift would take you to the top of the hill where you got on a little cart that had a stick to control braking and speed. He tells me these werent the people you wanted to watch your dog, much less hundreds of kids with a death wish. Looking back, It seems pretty horrifying, but at the time, this was just par for the course. WebFind amusement parks with this list of parks in Arizona state. Riders were upside down for more than 10 minutes and later complained about various injuries. As the injuries and violence piled up, news reports started to spread. Perhaps Superman isn't the hero we all thought he was? Stuff like the slide was designed on a napkin. Since it was a newer idea, they had to build and create it on the fly. Or opt for something more contemporary with these amusement park rides opening this year. It seems unfathomable how this place continued to operate. abandoned amusement parks will give you the creeps. WELCOME to New Jersey's Action Park, the country's most dangerous attraction, which took the lives of several visitors in the decades after it opened in 1978. Action Park was a water park in Vernon, New Jersey that ran from 1978 to 1996. This was an era where you could still get in trouble with teachers and what they said goes. Obviously, we immediately abused this privilege. One of the rides had a bees nest all around the bottom of the ride. The park is responsible for sending 26 people to the hospital after the incredibly strong smell of chlorine caused throat and eye issues. The name was changed back to Action Park. The Wave pool had a death zone as it, too, became nothing more than a mosh pit in water over your head. Ride security wouldnt even try to slow down the rate of tubes and just let kids go, resulting in multiple pile-ups. The danger of the attractions wasnt accidental, according to the son of its founder. Local officials were likely to look the other way when a serious incident occurred. The next thing I remember is coming on to the deck around the water with a lifeguard over me. They've since reopened with an emphasis on not killing or maiming people. While most amusement parks discontinue dangerous rides like Thunder River Rapids, its still important to know how to safely take your kids to amusement parks. It appealed to our lack of senses and desire for risk. "Schlitterbahn." Furthermore, Son of Beast was the only wooden roller coaster of its time to attempt a vertical loop. Cannonball Loop: The Infamous Action Park Loop Slide if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'everything80spodcast_com-banner-1','ezslot_7',106,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-everything80spodcast_com-banner-1-0'); Action Park was in full force going into the 80s. The water was so murky from a muddy runoff, human excrement, and open wounds, that it was almost impossible to see the bottom. Although it doesn't sound all that intimidating, it's responsible for harming a number of children. Both coasters hit a maximum speed well in excess of 70 mph, so it's no wonder accidents frequently lead to death. In 2014, Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City was racing to produce the worlds largest water slide to be featured on the showXtreme Waterparks. And in 1996, Action Park finally shut down after being overwhelmed with you guessed it personal injury lawsuits. A. They tell the story of how they tested the loop with crash test dummies. Almost all of them have had to do with their dangerous rides or their poor maintenance. We drank from rusty hoses and had to walk it off when we got hurt. Injuries were treated in a makeshift infirmary by spraying a weird orange concoction on the wounds. Three years later, when a woman reported that the roller coaster caused a blood vessel in her brain to rupture, the ride was closed for good. How is this real? Anyway, my uncle ultimately smashed the barrier hard enough on his last run to dislocate his shoulder, and we went home., James, a 46-year-old from Trenton, had gone to more traditional amusement parks as a kid, but a cool aunt turned him on to Action Park. Picture Lord of the Flies but with more sunscreen. And they were allowed to determine what constituted a serious injury. It was purchased by a company that took out all those old features and renamed it, Mountain Creek. Super Nintendo World Will be Bigger and Better at Epic Universe! Stories of the infamous Cannonball Loop at Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey abound. Now, the users are rocketing down a hot concrete track wearing nothing but bathing suits. Theme parks are supposed to be harmless and light-hearted, but statistically speaking, some are more dangerous than others. Sometimes right underneath you. The most important rule was to not let go too soon or youd land on cement. People who grew up going to and working at Action Park repeatedly compare it to a real-life 1980s movie., People were just running around drunk, getting sunburned and passing out from exhaustion and near-drowning experiences, Seccia adds. Ouch. It doesn't matter which one you go to, things can happen anywhere. Not only were his memories correct, things were actually crazier than he remembered. The Wild Ride of Americas Most Dangerous Theme Park Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Action Park unofficially known as Class Action Park, Traction Park On one day, four riders of Thunder River Rapids died when their raft flipped on the conveyor belt and the machinery kept moving. Carley Lerner is a freelance writer and former editorial intern for Reader's Digest. It was a daredevils dream, just like these incredible amusement parks. Throughout the slides life, at least 14 people were injured on the attraction. The shock of the water shot through my body. This ride was set up next to the Cannonball, and let you out into the same water, he says. Who Designed These Dangerous Action Park Rides? As her side hustle, she writes for The Travel and continues to feed into her own wanderlust, while helping others with theirs. An older man fellnearly 17 feet from a roller coaster and suffered serious injuries. Flash forward a few decades and Im an adult with access to the internet and a phone. Large parks such as Disney and Universal are well-known for their safety regulations protecting guests from harm, and although accidents do occasionally still happen, the parks are usually quick to fix the problem. I remember spending lots of time trying to see who could throw a frozen burger patty furthest down the mountain and over the wave pool without hitting anyone, he tells me. Once the water pump malfunctioned, these four people were thrown from the raft instantly. Seven children were among those injured in 2016 when five gondolas plunged 30 feet to the cement floor. A park worker was busy on his cell phone, dropped it, and ran into a moving passenger on one of the train cars. Someone with a physics background, probably? The rides almost seemed like they were pulled from a deranged childs brain that had zero concept of death being permanent. Mt. Six people would still be alive today if Action Park had a stronger focus on safety. 5 Dining Changes at Disney Parks ALL Guests Should Be Aware Of (February 2023), Action Park: America's Most Dangerous Amusement Park, Everything We Know About Mattel's New Theme Park (So Far!). You wouldn't think a ride at Disney World would be among the most dangerous, but EPCOT's Mission: Space has claimed numerous casualties since it first opened back in 2003. Were their connections to the mob? Alcohol and danger? While this photo looks dangerous enough, it wasn't the reason why Valleyfair's Soak City Waterpark in Shakopee, Minnesota, was deemed one of the most dangerous parks in the U.S. It was never open on any trip I made there, he tells me. And happen they did a lot. Everyone was doing it, and if there was one type of peer pressure that worked on me, it was proving that I was scared of nothing. When I finally did go in the early 1990s, I quickly realized something wasnt right. Multiple riders went to the ER to be treated. When I recently saw an old ad on YouTube, it reminded me exactly how I felt the first moment I discovered the parks existence: I was desperate, begging my mom to let me go to Vernon, New Jersey, as soon as humanly possible. It seems like a fairly safe place, but after hearing abouta tree branch falling on the rails of a roller coaster ride and derailing the coaster's car, that's enough for anyone to want to stay away. I think it attracted the daredevils, it attracted the wild and crazy people - people that really wanted a thrill, Andy said. It became notorious for being unsafe with many accidents and was a place where rules didnt necessarily have to be followedby visitors or owners. Copyright 2009-2020 Theme Park Tourist, website by Siruss. While most visitors often only left with a scrape or bruise, others were unlucky enough to receive broken bones, bloody noses, concussions, and worse. In perhaps the most absurd ride in the park, the Cannonball Slide propelled riders vertically around a massive loop. Even worse, according to Seccia, was the road burn: You could rip the hell out of your bare skin when it grazed the track at 40 miles an hour. Soon after winning the Super Bowl, the 1986 New York Giants went to Action Park to celebrate, Porges says. A man was struck by a metal plate and never recovered. Even if you tried to sue the park, you probably werent going to end up with much because the insurance company wasnt even real. This is the time of penny stocks and you just have to picture the Wolf of Wall Street to get an idea.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'everything80spodcast_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_4',103,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-everything80spodcast_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Next, there is Robert Brennan, who was a salesperson for Mulvihill. B. Ive been on roller coasters where you could see pieces missing and new wooden beams put in their place. The Big One at Pleasure Beach Blackpool in Blackpool, England, was the tallest and steepest roller coaster in the world when it opened in 1994, with a drop of 205 feet and I swam all around, trying to find the surface, but there was just darkness everywhere, and I couldnt get my bearings, he tells me. The 10 amusement parks below have a history of danger and negative reviews, which is why a family considering a trip like this should reconsider going to these specific parks below. It definitely beheaded dummies during test runs. Located in Phoenix, this 10-acre park comes with four outdoor 18-hole miniature golf courses, several Perhaps the most deadly attraction, however, was the Tidal Wave Pool. But the park still exists, albeit in an entirely new form. People were definitely hit., He eventually moved on to working the line on the Colorado River Tube, where he had the job of informing guests about the safety rules before they went on the ride. The slides steep chute was enclosed by a thin net and balanced on numerous metal poles. Although Andy said that many people came back in droves, some attendees required more persuasion to brave the theme park again. The Legacy Of The World's Most Dangerous Amusement Park, Why Action Park Was The Worlds Most Dangerous Amusement Park Of All Time #ActionPark #waterparks #nj #1980s #jersey4life, build a new version of the Cannonball Loop, fatalelectric shock-induced cardiac arrest, In total, how many people died in Action Park? 'World Of Jumanji' At Chessington World Of Adventures Gets Official Opening Date. In an era of deregulation, many believed they could regulate themselves. Yep, people actually met there end thanks to the poor safety management at the park,according to RideAccidents. Lets not forget, along with all the dangerous rides, Action Park was also serving alcohol. It's even caused people to have serious problems just by riding it. The victim was thrown from the car down an embankment. Discover Where to Coast with the Ultimate Rollercoaster database of roller coasters and amusement parks. So, go at your own risk. Across the pond, M&D's Motherwell theme park was fined over a ride crash. Another ride, Roaring Rapids, took a mans life after he stepped out of his kayak and stood on a live wire. As with most things about my childhood, later on in life I began questioning if the wild things I saw that day could possibly be true. He specializes in entertainment, film, and celebrity news. It turns out many of the carts were broken, so the brakes would do nothing. Action Park was taking up most of the usage of the area ambulances to the point they were forced to buy their own. Related:10 Coolest Water Parks In The World. Disturbingly, a former employee of the park named Tom Fergus told Complex Magazine that the white paint was put in to help spot dead bodies. Although she lives out of state, she makes frequent trips to the Orlando parks. A time before insurance and lawyers, sure, but more importantly, a time when things were physical and tactile and personal and it felt like anything was possible and everything mattered. TV writer Kevin Seccia worked at Action Park for four summers in the early 1990s and has vivid memories of how dangerous the ride was. Bill Benneyan/HBO Max. By the parks closure in 1996, Action Park was responsible for a total of six deaths. This was a water slide with an actual giant loop in the middle like it was right out of a Hot Wheels race track set. The ride was closed by the Advisory Board on Carnival Amusement Ride Safety after one month. It represented the freedoms kids had during this era. This event resulted in tragic results for the family involved. It only took 12 months for the terrifying attraction to cause 14 bone fractures and 26 head injuries. However, in 2015, as two people sat in the cage, squeezed the railing tightly, and prepared for take-off, one of the cables snapped. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'everything80spodcast_com-leader-1','ezslot_12',110,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-everything80spodcast_com-leader-1-0'); Great American Recreation eventually declared bankruptcy. There's good reason the park earned the nicknames "Traction Park" and "Class-Action Park," as no fewer than six people have been killed at the park over the years, with causes including everything from drowning and electrocution, to being hit in the head with a giant rock. There have been so many deadly, dangerous rides at New Jersey's Action Park, we couldn't narrow it down to just one. I was only eight or so, but I distinctly remembering thinking, What the fuck is happening here? The top of this thing was a good 8 feet off the ground and I remember so many kidsincluding myselfgetting battered from using it. THEN & NOW: How Did Mr. Toad's Fantasyland Ride Turn into Pooh? Unlike other wave pools that are a common attraction in many other parks, Action Parks wave pool was designed in such a way that the large waves created would push guests into deeper water rather than toward the shallow end of the pool. But none of these places can compare to Action Park. Of course, all of this digging led to new questions. Unofficially known as Class Action Park, Traction Park and Accident Park, it was Lord of the Flies with a Jersey twist and a higher death count. You get one of the most dangerous amusement parks of all time.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'everything80spodcast_com-box-3','ezslot_5',102,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-everything80spodcast_com-box-3-0'); Action Park was a water park in Vernon, New Jersey that ran from 1978 to 1996. We had leeway to say what we wanted, and joke around with the customers, he explains. The biggest difference between Action Park and other theme parks was that kids often have a fear of rides, but everything usually turns out fine. Despite its notorious legacy, many of those who grew up in the area of Vernon Township, New Jersey hold fond memories of the park and wear the memory of their injuries from Action Park like medals of honor. In 1991, two people met God on the exact same day due to completely different issues with the park. And we need to point out again; none of these were designed by engineers or ride experts. It was a simple idea: swing out and release into a pool below. Seriously, that's some bad press right there. Apparently, Cannonball Loop was designed on a cocktail napkin and built by local welders. A few adjustments clearly needed to be made. But seeing that these attractions bring in a ludicrous amount of money a year, it's highly unlikely there will be changes. Ellie is a news and contributing feature writer for Theme Park Tourist. Its not that lawsuits werent happening: they simply refused to settle. It wasnt just the water slides, there were other situations that could still cause injury. Who knows, but people still seemed cautious. Ocean City in New Jersey at Gillian's Wonderland Pier You never know how youll have to get down this ride. Action Park simply refused to pay rent or taxes. And water parks werent really a thing yet. They were going on rides in any position they wanted and hitting the water at such force, shoulders were being dislocated. The infamous Cannonball Loop, a waterslide featuring a vertical loop, was introduced to the park in 1983 and lasted only a month before it was closed due to overwhelming safety concerns. I remember some guy yelling, LET GO! So I did. Ive been to my fair share of sketchy carnivals and amusement parks. Again, he found a way around this by becoming the worst tenant ever. Heres How To Fix It And, A Brief History Of Action Park And How It Earned Its Reputation For Injuries & Death, Why Action Park Was The Most Dangerous Amusement Park In The World, Cannonball Loop: The Infamous Action Park Loop Slide, The Tidal Wave Pool (aka "The Grave Pool"), Rollin' On The River Ride (aka "The Toilet Bowl"). Broken bones and torn-up skin were a daily occurrence. Action Park was partially on state land and they forced him to give up control. At Action Park, that often wasnt the case. We did everything we could to try to protect people, but there were a lot of people that were just not swimmers or not good swimmers that jumped in water when they shouldnt have.. My parents would never question what a teacher would have to say, but these days, I think its the complete opposite: how dare you infer my child isnt perfect? And remember, this attracted testosterone-laded kids, hopped up on who knows what, looking for trouble, and with no rules to follow. In our opinion, parks like these should be shut down and these animals should be rehabilitated and released. Statistically: 10 Most Dangerous Theme Parks In The World (No Family Should Consider), Rye Playland, NY: People Thrown From Rides And Food-Borne Illnesses, Six Flags, Multiple Locations: Roller Coasters Derailing With Passengers, King Island Amusement Park, Ohio:7 Injured On A Water Ride, Schlitterbahn Waterpark, Kansas City: People Thrown From Rafts In Mid-Air, Mt. Most if not all theme park visitors plan a vacation with safety in mind. This is probably a good indication to stay away from water park rides from now on. Well, it did. Not surprisingly, the owners of the park were not too concerned about insurance. Action Park 80's Live Action and Cannonball loop. The Tagada may not be as fast or as steep as a roller-coaster, but it is certainly more dangerous. This ride took four lives in 2016. As pointed out in the documentary, Mulvihill created his own phony insurance company called London and World Assurance, Ltd. Apparently they did a good job of advertising to families as a kid-friendly escape, Porges says. On an average day, 50-100 people were being injured on The Alpine Slide. Magical Midway in Florida offers a ride known as the Reverse Bungee where passengers sit in a vehicle that is tethered to two different towers using spring cables. 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