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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

South Carolina Kiddie Train Death

March 29, 2011

It disturbs me that yet another death on an amusement ride has occurred and a ride inspector may have played one or more roles in this tragedy. A kiddie train that has a service proven record that was manufactured over fifty years ago is at the center of attention. The manufacture, Miniature Train Co., an Affiliate of P.A. Sturtevant was a Rensselaer, Indiana based business. That company was purchased or obtained by the Allan Herschell Company. The Allan Herschell Company was acquired by the Chance Manufacturing Co,, INC of Wichita, Kansas.

All of these companies manufactured and produced very good products which were primarily amusement rides. None of these businesses exist today to my understanding. The key to a good ride is good maintenance, a good inspection and proper operation.

The kiddie train at Cleveland Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina is reported to be owned and operated by the County Parks and Recreation Department, is called a G-16 Miniature Train. It was operated by one of their employees.

In South Carolina kiddie trains are considered amusement rides and are required to be inspected once a year by a state amusement ride inspector. It is reported that the inspector falsified his report for an inspection just days before the March 19, 2011 incident where the train is reported to have been going too fast and overturned while approaching a curve in the tracks.

The Operator of the kiddie train has given several statements publicly. I’ll go with his first statement to police while on the way to the hospital. It is the most believable and appears to be from the heart.

We have now found out that a manual exists for this train that gives detailed information on how to maintain and operate this G-16 Miniature Train. A child’s life was lost and many people were injured. How can anyone have faith in the system?


Ken Martin

Amusement Ride Safety Consultant

KRM Consulting

Richmond, VA

804-342-1808



http://www.krmgoup.com

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Rider Thrown From a Roller Coaster

Rider Thrown From a Roller Coaster

On Sunday March 20, 2011, a 46 year old male passenger was riding the Hi-Miler portable Roller Coaster, located at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in Houston, Texas. The victim fell almost 30 feet to the pavement below resulting in fatal injuries. This Hi-Miler Roller Coaster travels from state to state, primarily in the southwest corner of the United States. The states that it operates in are very loosely regulated when it comes to amusement ride safety. For the most part all the owner needs is insurance. In Texas they are required to have an inspection by an inspector that is approved by their insurance company.

In published reports the amusement industry was very quick to focus blame on anyone but themselves, rather than coming out and assuring the public that no stone would be left unturned to find the cause(s) of this horrible incident.

There are many, many factors that could affect the outcome of this case. They occur so infrequently and so little information is forth coming from within the industry. Anytime you mix people and machinery you can have a recipe for disaster. The first thing that we will hear about is mechanical failure. Remember this is a 30 year old out of production amusement ride. However by industry standards it appears to have somewhat of a “service proven” record. Remember it primarily operates in states with little regulation and government oversight.

In past similar incidents, the focus has been on the “safety envelope” of the attraction, signage, possible medical issues, operator inattention, language barriers and other controllable issue.

If the death of an individual wasn’t sad enough, the Hi-Miler Roller Coaster has been allowed to move on to the next spot without the proper testing or incident reconstruction that is an everyday part of life. How could we improve things without doing a proper and through investigation? The only way to accomplish this is through a multi-discipline approach to solving what happened.

No matter where you live or vote, it is time to contact your legislator and urge improvement to amusement ride safety and uniformed oversight of amusement rides and attractions.



http://www.krmgoup.com