It would be interesting to talk to someone who really knew the engineering for this ride. In a very basic, classical Physics sense, the weight in the raft shouldn’t change the speed or the G forces involved; it’s that whole Galileo thing. So why does the weight matter? Does a lighter raft experience less friction, and so maintains more of its speed when cresting the second hill? It also looks like there’s water being sprayed forward to help the raft up that hill. Maybe that spray pushes a lighter raft to go faster than a heavy one.
I wasn’t offended. My mind worked in a twisted way and I wrote it out. Didn’t think it was too off the wall given the other content in the thread, and certainly wouldn’t do it in a more somber thread.
As was Two Many Cats.
It’s just a common phrase. If true decapitation occurred, would you prefer, “the body was recovered while lying on its stomach?” That’s stilted language and may inadvertently confirm a true decapitation.
Wow the internet really does bring out some of the worst aspects of humanity.
They are having a memorial service for him this weekend. Its sad because so many children have been affected. Their school is bringing in grief counselors.
So very sad.
Did they find his head over by the snow cone concession?
‘‘Prone,’’ maybe?
I keep seeing photos of the boy, so I’m frankly not appreciating the dark humor here.
Anyway, unless the angle is deceiving, photos of the scene that were circulating today make it appears as if there was quite a bit of blood involved. And a witness says that the body that descended after the raft was decapitated.
Poor guy. 
I feel most sorry for his family that photos of his grisly death are apparently being circulated everywhere. How awful to have the sum total of your loved one’s life publicly reduced to the grotesque way they met their demise. And of course, I feel for the people who witnessed his death. I have no doubt that will haunt them the rest of their lives.
As for dark humor, I don’t mind. That’s just how some people cope.
that is a good point; I hadn’t thought of it that way.
those poor women who were sitting behind him
This is the right thing to do.
from ABC news
nothing at the link explains any specific negligence - the waterpark’s response includes
the video includes tests of the slide before it opened with rafts holding sandbags going airborn and crashing.
More informative article with link to the indictment:
Apparently the ride was designed by someone without relevant engineering credentials, many people were injured, they rushed construction and the ride was opened in an unfinished state, and the park’s lawyers harassed and intimidated a 17 year old whistleblower. Seems like there might be some negligence there.
…this twitter thread breaks it down:
Someones going to jail. Hopefully many people will go to jail.
That Twitter thread contains excerpts from the indictment. It’s insanity. This bit, for example:
What on earth were they thinking?
From the article:
Jesus.
This was yet another one of those disasters where everyone knew it was a bad idea and proceeded anyway.