November 2020 Monthly Ride Report Recap

There were five (6) cases reported for this month, plus one with unclear date implicitly from this month. In addition there were two cases from prior periods, not previously recapped.

09 November, a child was fatally ejected and two others sustained fractures when an inflatable slide became airborne in a “whirlwind” at Cochabamba (Bolivia). The report states that the device was secured as required, but does not mention any effort to close operations due to wind. The report states that the operator had informed the children their time was up, but they did not exit as requested. Report (Spanish)

14 November, a rider separated from his seat on the Penguin, a teacup style ride, at Six Flags Mexico, sustaining a head injury. Report | Report | Report | Report

15 November, a worker when he was struck by a roller coaster at River View Park in Colombia, while attempting to retrieve eyeglasses dropped by a guest. Report

22 November, at Australia’s Whitewater World waterpark, a girl sustained what were called “horrific” genital injuries at the exit from a waterslide. Riders are counselled to keep legs firmly crossed to prevent this foreseeable injury. The girl reported being unable to hold that posture against the force of the water on the slide. Report | Report

27 November, at the Hua Hin Red Cross Festival / Siam Carnival Funfair in Thailand, an Octopus ride malfunctioned, evidently having a loss of hydraulic pressure, injuring three people. Report

On an unspecified date, in a case reported in November, a woman at a Belarus waterpark was drowned. She was exiting the pool after a waterslide and her hand was sucked against an underwater drain, forcibly submerging her. Despite the effort of five people to extricate her from the suction, she could not be revived. Report

Occurrence in prior periods

Also this month, there were updates on two older cases. In a case from May 2020, a rider was ejected from a Hully Gully at Charles Cole’s Family Funfair (UK) Report (Dutch).

In litigation, parents sued the operator of Buckeye Raceway (OH, USA), alleging their 11 year old son’s go-kart collision with the track walls in 2018 caused injury to the groin area which evolved into cancer which caused his death in 2019. Report

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About Kathryn Woodcock

Dr. Kathryn Woodcock is Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, teaching, researching, and consulting in the area of human factors engineering / ergonomics particularly applied to amusement rides and attractions (https://thrilllab.blog.torontomu.ca), and to broader occupational and public safety issues of performance, error, investigation and inspection, and to disability and accessibility.