I can’t help but be reminded of the time I rode The Mantis (a stand-up roller coaster with 360 degree loops) at Cedar Point, and my harness wouldn’t lock over my chest. I told the attendant right before takeoff, and he said, ‘‘Just hold on really tight.’’
Scariest fucking ride of my life.
Footage of the ride from a 1st person POV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTxw1PlNCxw
It seems they don’t strap people in; They have to hold on. That seems like a bad idea since some people will not exert sufficient strength because of physical or psychological factors.
I can see why. A shitty thing to do from the attendant.
Aside from fear, was it difficult to remain within the Mantis? Did you have* to exert yourself or did the design of the ride take care of that?
I had that same problem on a different coaster, and was gonna go on the ride anyways, but some friends noticed and alerted the people in charge. They tried to get it to lock, and, when they couldn’t, they made me get off.
I can’t imagine the level of callousness you describe!
I was actually okay. There were significant Gs keeping me pretty firmly in place and my harness down. Once I realized I wasn’t going to go flying off the coaster I even enjoyed myself a little.
I didn’t ever ride it again, though.
As I get older and my bones get achier, I’m beginning to suspect the real health risks of coasters aren’t dying in a freak accident like that poor boy did, but screwing up your neck and back from all that force. That was my biggest issue with the Mantis; it hurt my knees something fierce to have all that pressure on them. The older coasters are particularly bad with that - I stopped being able to tolerate the Corkscrew in my 20s. It’s the twists, not the loops, that get you a sprained neck.
I used to go to Cedar Point three times a summer. At this point I’ve pretty much deemed myself too old to enjoy most roller coasters. Out of all the rides in that park I found the Raptor and Milennium force to be the most body-friendly.
Water rides scare the shit out of me the way they are open half-pipes so high in the air. I have a fear of heights, I just stay the hell away from water rides. What happened to that poor kid is my worst nightmare, and it absolutely sounds like negligence.
looking at the picture the raft went airborne into the covering which stops the raft from going off the ride but the impact at 65 mph is a serious problem. Not sure what the point of a multi-hill water ride is. that’s what roller coasters are for.
Morbid humor alert.
Today the waterpark announced their new slogan would be: At Least Our Guests Weren’t Eaten By Alligators!
Although it’s a tragic story, I got a chuckle out of David Muir of ABC News claiming that the slide was “taller than the Empire State Building.”
If they are, in fact, moving to South Florida, they might have to change their slogan soon.
The news is now reporting that the boy died of a serious neck injury.
I’m guessing that the ride will not reopen in its current form.
Yeah, I’m also reading more reports of the earlier “rumored” decapitation in more mainstream news sources. I would also guess this ill advised ride will never operate again as it’s currently constructed.
I can only imagine the lifetime scars of the patrons who witnessed that, or what it did to the victim’s family to envision that happening to their little boy. It’s objectively horrible to think about something so gruesome, but there are a lot worse ways to go, from the victim’s perspective. Like if i had to choose between hurtling to my death from a great height or instant decapitation, I’d choose instant decapitation.
(Sorry, I get really morbid when I can’t sleep.)
I assume he meant “longer”?
I don’t know. They later showed a graphic comparing it to the Statue of Liberty, so maybe he got his NYC landmarks confused.
Velcro seems like a poor choice for an application involving numerous uses per day. It’s got a limited life span; eventually the hooks wear out or break, and then it just doesn’t stay together very well after that. The ride has been open for over two years now, and it’s a fair bet that the Velcro just wore out and nobody bothered to inspect/replace it.
The thing in that video that floors me is just how close to the track that netting on the top is. As a rider in a seated position, you can’t do anything other than just sit still. No putting hand up, no nothing. How does anyone over 6 feet even fit in there?
If the kid got airborne, I have no doubt that he got tangled in that net because it’s so damn close.
…in this videoyou can see the person with the camera visibly move upwards towards the netting the instant the raft heads down the slide. If the seat belt fails: you go straight to the net.
Editing, people!
It’s more than 2 minutes (out of 2:36) before the ride begins.
wow, that is a short ride - wonder how long you have to wait to take it?
the other two riders with him were women and had injuries to their faces. 
The ride starts out horizontal (loading) & then transitions to an almost vertical when you go thru the gate. Once it crosses the apex the front goes down, which raises the back up a bit, even though it’s still in the start area. (Put a pencil on the edge of your desk & tilt the front down.). Also, you’re going so slow at that point that you wouldn’t launch as you don’t have enough speed to overcome gravity.
Also, I’d bet there’s more clearance than how it appears in the video
If the kid was in the front seat & became airborne into the net, the ‘raft’ would have carried the two women right into him.
Heard that the kid was decapitated by the ride…:eek:
Autopsy was supposed to be done today, I believe.