SeaWorld Orlando\u2019s Mako<\/a>, which is quite similar to the Six Flags Goliath ride \u2014 after the tragedy. SeaWorld spokespersons said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution, but have not explained a process for the ride to reopen.<\/p>\nDavid Bertozzi, president of the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials in Vero Beach, said he\u2019s \u201cas curious as anybody on what happened\u201d in Georgia. Investigators have not yet released a report.<\/p>\n
But Bertozzi added that roller coaster enthusiasts keep demanding the biggest, fastest, most exciting coasters, and manufacturers and theme parks are willing to oblige.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thrill seekers want to push it right to the edge,\u201d he said. \u201cThey want to come out of their seats. But at the same time, we have to step back and say we want to keep them in their seats.\u201d<\/p>\n
The trade-off: Using seat belts or shoulder harnesses would almost certainly keep riders more securely in place. But such restraints could lead to bruising or other injuries from the force of the ride. And the thrill of rising out of one\u2019s seat would be lost.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t restrict a person completely, because then you hurt them,\u201d Bertozzi said. \u201cYou have to be cautious.\u201d<\/p>\n
A National Safety Council report for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions estimated a one in 15.5 million chance of serious injury or death on a ride at a fixed-site amusement park.<\/p>\n
Still, when people visit a theme park, they expect to have a good time and not worry about being seriously hurt or killed, said Geoff Moore, an Orlando attorney whose firm handles catastrophic personal injury claims.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one should get on a roller coaster thinking \u2018I might be killed\u2019,\u201d he said. \u201cIt begs the question whether there is a safer, more reasonable alternative than the current restraints that could\u2019ve been used\u2026There is nothing more important than rider safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
A hypercoaster is a ride with a drop of at least 200 feet, along with several other hills or \u201chops\u201d that give riders the sensation of floating, or what enthusiasts call \u201cair time.\u201d Some roller coaster thrills, like loops or corkscrews, employ g-forces to help keep riders in their seats, but the hypercoaster drops are deliberately doing the opposite.<\/p>\n
There are about 100 hypercoasters around the world. The tallest is the Falcons Flight at Six Flags Quddiya City in Saudi Arabia, which rises to 535 feet and reaches speeds of 155 mph.<\/p>\n
By comparison, SeaWorld Orlando\u2019s Mako is 200 feet high and travels up to 73 mph. It is Orlando\u2019s tallest and fastest roller coaster, according to the company.<\/p>\n
The Goliath hypercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia \u2014 which witnesses said 42-year-old Kariem was riding, although the amusement park has not acknowledged that \u2014\u00a0reaches a top speed of 70 mph and also rises 200 feet. It\u2019s been operating for about 20 years.<\/p>\n
Both coasters were built by Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard, one of the most prolific manufacturers of hypercoasters.<\/p>\n
When a passenger sits in the seat, what\u2019s known as a clam-shell restraint is pulled over their lap and clicks several times into place. The restraint is locked in by several pin-and-gear mechanisms, so if one fails by not locking into place, there is a backup, said Martin Lewison, a roller coaster expert and associate professor at Farmingdale State College in New York..<\/p>\n
Sea World\u2019s Mako also uses a hydraulic system in addition to the gear mechanism. The restraint bar connects to a hydraulic cylinder, and a control valve locks it into place preventing the bar from moving up during the ride.<\/p>\n
A sensor system alerts ride operators that each restraint is properly locked at each seat before the ride can launch, Lewison said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could this have happened? No one has a good answer,\u201d he said regarding the Goliath tragedy. \u201cThey do this a million times a day. It could\u2019ve been a catastrophic malfunction on several levels.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doug Perovic, a professor of forensic engineering at the University of Toronto and a lifelong roller coaster enthusiast, agreed: It appears that Kariem\u2019s pull-down lap restraint failed. That would suggest a mechanical component or electronic sensor flaw rather than faulty design.<\/p>\n
Perovic added that as technology has improved, restraint designs have become less cumbersome, as riders want a less constrained and more thrilling experience. Less restrictive restraints also allow ride operators to quickly load and unload passengers and keep wait lines flowing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis type of incident is very rare,\u201d said Perovic, adding that he would let his family ride Goliath once it has been put back into service. \u201cWhen you think of the millions of rides that happen every day in all the parks [the U.S.], Canada, the whole world\u2026this is such a minuscule probability of failure, of malfunction and of fatality. So they are very safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott Smith, an associate professor of resorts, hotels and theme parks at the University of South Carolina, said hypercoasters such as the Goliath and the Mako have been in operation for more than 30 years and have an \u201coutstanding safety record.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year, 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died from impact injuries after riding the Stardust Racers<\/a> coaster at Universal Epic Universe. His death was ruled an accident. Stardust Racers is not a hypercoaster.<\/p>\nAcknowledging the investigation into Kariem\u2019s death has not been completed, Smith speculated the tragic accident could\u2019ve been caused by a number of factors happening all at once: the rider did not meet the physical safety specifications, there was a mechanical error with the safety restraints, and the rider may have been trying \u201cto reposition themselves\u201d in their seat during the ride.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut as I tell people all the time: The time you are most in danger of being killed or seriously hurt is in a car on the way to the amusement park,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The horrific death of a man who flew off a ride at Six Flags Over Georgia this week…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":430459,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[28,29,114,115,1335,139,141,140,2043,109,2411,106],"class_list":["post-430458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-florida","tag-florida-news","tag-latest-headlines","tag-news","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-seaworld","tag-social","tag-theme-parks","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/430459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}