Tuesday, November 09, 1999
Kings Island's 'Drop Zone' ride safer
BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON — Paramount's Kings Island is taking steps to improve the safety of one of its newest and most popular attractions.
Park officials Monday announced plans to make safety modifications to the Drop Zone Stunt Tower, one of two multimillion-dollar rides the park opened in 1999.
Officials closed the Drop Zone, the world's tallest gyro drop, Aug. 22 after a child was killed the day before when he fell from a similar ride at Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara, Calif.
The 315-foot-tall tower remained closed at Kings Island as a precaution through the end of the season, Oct. 31.
After consulting with manufacturer Intamin Inc. of Zurich, Switzerland, park officials decided to add short restraint belts to connect the over-the-head shoulder harnesses to each seat.
“By adding these safety restraints, we hope to further eliminate the possibility that something as rare, coincidental and anomalous as what happened in California will not happen at Kings Island,” park spokesman Jeffrey Siebert said.
He said the restraints will be in place by the start of next season; Drop Zone is expected to reopen with the park April 15.
An investigation by the Santa Clara District Attorney's Office found no evidence of a mechanical or operator error in the incident in which Joshua Smurphat died after he fell from the ride.
A team of theme park ride and safety experts and independent investigators reviewed all possible factors and causes and concluded the safety harness was in a down and locked position and that the ride was operating properly at the time of the accident.
Industry analysts contend amusement park and attraction rides are among the safest forms of recreation available. They point to statistics that show six times as many people go to the hospital for garden-hose accidents than from thrill-ride mishaps.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safe ty Commission estimates that of 300 million visits in 1998 to amusement parks across the country, 4,500 injuries involving rides were reported; of those, 36 required hospitalization.
Fatalities related to amusement park rides have averaged two per year over the past two decades, according to the safety commission.
More than 400,000 guests have safely ridden Drop Zone since it opened in May.
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