Roller-coasters are safe, despite the death at Six Flags, experts say
Canadian parks close rides as a precaution after man ejected from coaster in Georgia
Canadians can still feel safe riding roller-coasters after Tuesday's death at a Six Flags amusement park in the U.S., experts tell CBC News, because such accidents are "stunningly rare."
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accidents → say → News
Police say a 42-year-old man killed while riding the Goliath roller-coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, in Mableton, Ga., was thrown from his seat and struck other patrons before landing below the ride.
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man → say → ride
Several others were injured.
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others → injure → ?
Nine similar roller-coasters at six North American parks have been closed "out of an abundance of caution," according to a Six Flags Entertainment Corp. spokesperson, including two at Canada's Wonderland near Toronto and one at Montreal's La Ronde amusement park.
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coasters → close → park
Doug Perovic, a professor in materials science and engineering at the University of Toronto, says he's ridden the same Goliath coaster at California's Six Flags Magic Mountain "many times" with his son and would still feel safe getting back on.
"
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he → say → son
When you look at the safety record for roller-coasters, I mean, the numbers of these incidents are so, so small," he said.
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he → look → incidents
"There are systems in place, if they're done properly, to inspect and do maintenance on a regular basis.
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they → be → basis
And that is all documented and recorded.
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that → document → ?
So that's why these types of failures are very rare."
What went wrong?
Experts say
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Experts → go → failures
it's hard to know what might have gone wrong on the Goliath, given how little information has been released, but Perovic says his first thought, from a forensic engineering perspective, is that the restraint system failed.
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system → know → perspective
He says investigators will look at whether there was a manufacturing problem with the restraint that became a defect over time, or a deficiency in the inspection protocols — for example, if someone missed a crack or other problem that was worsening over time.
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that → say → time
"There are a number of different possibilities that are going to be looked at," he said.
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he → be → possibilities
Kathryn Woodcock, a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Occupational and Public Health and director of the Tools for Holistic Ride Inspection Learning and Leadership lab, says these systems are complex and people will have to wait for answers.
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people → say → answers
Woodcock said in an email that roller-coasters are typically designed to an internationally recognized standard, and manufacturers establish inspection programs for specific things based on how often they fail and how detectable they are.
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Plus, "the ride itself has built-in testing, in the automation system, with hundreds of sensors, and considerable redundancy," she said.
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she → have → sensors
"So if any components have failed, it will have required the improbable event that multiple components failed at the same time.
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components → fail → time
But accidents do happen.
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accidents → happen → ?
The most infamous roller-coaster accident in Canada was 40 years ago on the West Edmonton Mall's Mindbender when a car derailed, killing three people and injuring 19.
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car → derail → 19
It was blamed on design and manufacturing flaws.
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It → blame → flaws
In 2013, in an incident similar to this week's death, a woman riding the Texas Giant roller-coaster died after she was thrown from her seat, fell 23 metres and struck a metal beam at Six Flags Over Texas.
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she → rid → Texas
Six Flags redesigned its restraints before reopening the coaster two months later, and the park and the ride manufacturer settled a lawsuit with the woman's family.
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park → redesign → family
But while accidents like these dominate headlines, they are extremely rare.
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they → dominate → headlines
The National Safety Council said in its 2024 report for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions that there were an estimated 118 serious injuries across North American fixed-site amusement rides that year and 1,360 injuries overall, though parks attributed two-thirds of those to guest-related factors, like medical conditions and behaviour.
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parks → say → conditions
The association's website pegs the likelihood of being seriously injured in a fixed-site ride at a U.S. amusement park at one in 15.5 million rides taken.
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website → peg → rides
Amusement ride accidents are spectacular, but experts say they're rare
Roller-coaster fatality in Georgia leads to temporary closure of 3 rides at Canadian parks
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fatality → say → parks
Woodcock says it is "stunningly rare" for someone to be ejected from a roller-coaster, and adds that people can take some reassurance from other Six Flags operators temporarily closing similar rides for safety reviews.
"We should also be aware of the regulatory authorities in Canadian provinces being well connected to each other and to their counterparts internationally to help communicate about safety," she said.
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she → say → safety
"The attractions industry has no competitive secrets when it comes to safety."
Extreme rides raise risk
Perovic cautions, however, that there could be a growing danger for some riders even when roller-coasters are working properly.
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coasters → have → riders
Six Flags Magic Mountain said last month it would retire its famously extreme X2 coaster following multiple lawsuits alleging riders suffered serious injuries — including a wrongful-death lawsuit from the family of a 22-year-old rider who was rushed to hospital in 2022 with severe brain bleeding and died a day later.
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who → say → bleeding
Last year, a medical examiner concluded that a man in his 30s — who was found unresponsive after riding Stardust Racers at Universal Orlando Resort — had died from blunt impact injuries, perhaps related to previous injuries.
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who → conclude → injuries
The man's family settled a wrongful death claim with Universal and the park updated its operational procedures and safety signage before reopening the ride two weeks later.
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park → settle → ride
Six Flags has temporarily closed two roller-coasters at Canada's Wonderland, north of Toronto, out of an 'abundance of caution.'
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Flags → close → caution
Perovic says people may want to consult their doctor before jumping on some extreme rides.
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people → say → rides
"These coaster manufacturers and these operators in the parks, they're all trying to one-up each other.
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they → try → other
They all want to be higher and faster and so on and keep breaking the world records," he said.
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he → want → records
"Well, that comes at a cost.
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that → come → cost
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