What Really Happened on Superman - Ride Of Steel Six Flags New England May 1st 2004?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- Around 3pm on May 1st 2004 Superman Ride Of Steel at Six Flags New England was operating normally. A train sat in the station being loaded. This loading cycle was somewhat abnormal as a rider was being loaded through the rides exit. This rider would end up being ejected from the ride due to 4 main factors.
Mentioned other accident: • What Really Happened o...
El Toro Ryan's video on this ride: • The Accident-Prone Sup...
Accident report: drive.google.c...
Sources:
www.seacoaston...
web.archive.or...
www.courant.co...
archive.boston....
NL2 Coaster by: Doofles - / @doofles
Videos used:
• Superman: The Ride at ...
• SUPERMAN™ The Ride
• Superman The Ride at S...
• Superman the Ride Off-...
• Superman The Ride Runn...
• Superman Ride Passenge...
Instagram: / coastercollege
Twitter: / coaster_college
Music used under license from Epidemic Sound, songs listed in order:
Apparent Solution - Brendon Moeller
Cold War Games - Gabriel Lewis
Dark Console - Autohacker
Rise of the Velcro - Gabriel Lewis
Follow The Trail - Future Joust
The person behind the victim was a real hero. Noticing they were loose, and trying to hold them down is not something everyone would do
I hope they know they did the best they could.
@@whitewolf262
Of cause they did there's only so much you can hold. It wouldn't make a diffence the fact they did it is impressive.
@@TheAazahWhile I totally agree with you, and logically they should know there’s nothing they could’ve done, witnessing something so traumatic can really impair a person’s perception of events. Survivor’s guilt is a horrible thing. I just hope the thorough inquest into the events that unfolded offered them some peace of mind.
I agree it’s not something most people would do. I know it wouldn’t really change the outcome but it’s the thought and the effort. I might have tried to hold him down too if I saw he was getting airtime that wasn’t normal.
Maybe not in America but the rest of the world is a bit more civilised
I love how the answer to making these rides safer always ends up being something that B&M was already doing…
everybody likes to rip B&M for making "forceless" rides but their rides are safe and reliable. Intamin rides tend to break down a lot and occasionally kill people
@@dindog22 also B&M’s rides aren’t “forceless”. They just aren’t as intense as RMCs or Intamins. But that also makes them far more rerideable.
@@JVR10893 I personally like the B&M rides more because they’re graceful and smooth. Frankly I’m getting older and I can’t really take the super intense rides.
@@dindog22 even though my favorite roller coaster is an Intamin, I consider B&M to be the best roller coaster manufacturer, because nobody is more consistent.
B&M is my favourite ride manufacturer. I think its the smoothness and their reputation that probably does it for me.
I don’t have a disability, but I went to an amusement park once with a broken ankle and they gave me a list of rides that I could and couldn’t ride. It was very helpful!! Sometimes they won’t even let you on if you have a brace or cast on at all.
Do they also have a list of rides to not go on if I have back problems
Glad you excepted the list. The person in this situation didn’t
@@parkfeverDon’t. Most rides you can’t.
@@parkfeverYes and heart conditions as well
I was ride op i my youth at six flags st Louis. I was what I consider well trained. I worked all the major coasters and I can tell you the safety rules are there for a purpose. I cannot tell you how many times I had to push lap restraints down, full on, to teens and 20 somethings who were trying to get out of the station with being fully secured. they were looking for a more thrilling "loose" ride and I was trying not to have pick up body parts after an accident. As I got old and fat I had to quit riding bigger coasters, I know I cannot climb down a 200 foot tall lift hill at my age and arthritis level. I refuse to be a danger to those that have to rescue or assist me in an emergency evacuation. Use the restraints and don't act like you don't know you are to big to get safely on a ride.
I am bigger and i think all rides should have a test seat outside the ride
i'll never understand the loose rider types.
I actually have to ask all my ride ops for a big push to make sure it's as tight as humanly possible as almost all I've seen only do a cursory grab at it, a quick lift, and then move on. My least favorite feeling ever is when you can barely not get the last click down on a racheting restraint.
I'm autistic and have sensory issues (which is why I like g forces in the first place lol), so I'm a huge fan of hydraulic restraints as they can get as tight as my heart desires (which is as tight as whatever vaginal euphamism you prefer plus some; the extra pressure feels nice) (also I have adhd too so expect footnotes lmao)
Anyway, my point is I was riding the Iron Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas early in the day one time and got put in the very last row for capacity reasons. I'm a fan of intense experiences, but I also had never ridden the back row, have an anxiety disorder, and that was our first ride of the day (future me note: I've ridden Iron Gwazi's back row since then and the rattler's first drop feels more intense even though the stats suggest otherwise. Fuck you, fight me, I will die on this hill)
I asked the ride op for the biggest push he could possibly do, and I swear to god this man bore down like an olympic sprinter ready to launch and put his entire weight, musculature, and *soul* into a shove that knocked the wind outta me and came about a millimeter from cutting off circulation in my legs
I was in heaven. I could have stayed in that seat all day. Whoever you are, if you ever even end up reading this Mr. Best Ride Op In The History Of Mankind, you are a fucking saint and I still remember you
... and the damn ride still found a way to put space between my butt and the seat xD
@@epinta2015 agreed 100% but maybe thats just because universal having them ups my expectations
The accident report says that seatbelts in the front rows of cars had “eleven extra inches to adjust compared to the seats in the second row”… that’s crazy that there was that big of a difference (or really, any difference at all, given that the lab bars are the same)
I remember seeing a coaster reviewer complain about not getting "air time" on superman due to the newer restraints, which was odd to me because I absolutely love them as a thin person who rarely had lap bars touch my lap throughout a majority of my coaster riding experiences.
While I am not downplaying the severity of the accident in any way, that coaster reviewer was right. There are better ways to ensure rider safety without completely killing the ride experience. Similar rides by the same manufacturer with the same restraints have been operating accident free for decades, and these are regarded as some of the best coasters in the world. Superman with the original restraints is one of the best steel coasters ever. With the new restraints, most enthusiasts don't even have it in their top 20. Implenting safety measures similar to these other coasters would have been a better option than totally bricking the ride with the overhauled restraints.
airtime is not a prpblem on this ride
I’ve been on this rollercoaster many times before the new restraints and the “air time” was a big reason my friends and I loved it. After this accident it changed my view on things and I always make sure I am clicked in as much as possible. It really is a fun ride!
@@FinesseBTWAnd the park’s hands were forced by the state. They had to implement new restraints or sell the ride. If they were allowed to keep the restraints due to being grandfathered in and pointing at other rides with the same ones, both the state and the park would look like complete jokes. Yes the state chose a more extreme approach, yes it means the ride isn’t as good to enthusiasts, but no the park couldn’t chose not to change them without having a time+money sink.
@@jolteon345 the government should concern itself more with the ultra processed toxic foods and sedentary Americans problem than with accidents that happen due to unfortunate/unforeseen circumstances.
I have to admit, "Accidents are inevitable, but what is an acceptable number?" is not - necessarily - the line I'd wanna hear from a ride manufacturer, to be entirely honest with you. I understand that perfection is impossible, freak accidents happen, etc., but something about that makes me feel like they didn't want to try to do better, they wanted to say "Ah, well, alas, it's inevitable" and move on. Which, well. I'm kinda glad the popularity of their products declined in the aftermath.
Some minor accidents may be "unavoidable", but getting fucking ejected from your seat sure isn't.
Well, accidents will always happen and keep in mind that amusement parks consider things like tripping and getting injured, or spraining your ankle or a nosebleed to be technically ‘accidents’.
I mean it's probably true, but certainly not what you should say in this situation. Definitely passing the buck on his part.
Its a statement that is true but deceptive. Yes, not all accidents can be reasonably prevented, but that is a distraction from how this one absolutely could be prevented, by better restraint design. The primary line of defense against accidents should never be human monitoring.
@@rebekahwolkiewicz449 Ah yes, check it out folks. What we have here is a textbook example of a truly classic youtube comment format: guy tries to look smart only to end up looking like a big ol' dummy when their attempt at being "technically correct" falls flat because whatever point they're attempting to make isn't actually relevant or applicable to the situation. Typically, this occurs when someone believes they are always the smartest one in the room, even in situations in which they have little to no knowledge of the subject, ultimately resulting in them regurgitating any tidbit they can recall hearing that's even the slightest bit related to what is being discussed, regardless of whether or not the level in which the two hold any sort of relation is so shallow and vague that it ends up being completely useless to the discussion being held.
Obviously the ride manufacturer isn't referring to people tripping on some random sidewalk at a theme park. Based on the context of the rest of the statement, the reason he provided this statement in the first place, his position as an executive of a large, multinationional ride-manufacturer, ability to comprehend the spoken word, etc., it's pretty clear he's specifically referring to ride-related accidents. So no, we don't need to keep this in mind because it's not relevant to the post you replied to, which didn't say "i don't like what that guy said, if I'm at an amusement park and my nose starts bleeding while I'm waiting in line to get funnel cake than I'm gonna be pissed." What they said was they didn't want to hear the president of a ride-manufacturing company say that there should be an acceptable number of accidents, with the implication being the types of accidents in question are of a similar nature to the one that is the subject of this video since his statement was in direct response to the backlash his company received because of it, that can occur on any particular ride about which people aren't allowed to feel angry.
Another layer of hilarity here is that your comment is just regurgitating something you heard in another one of Coster College's videos lmao. It's been at least a year since I watched it and I'm not goingt o waste more time going through his videos to find the exact one, but i'm pretty sure it's from a video where he discusses how safe roller coasters really are despite what the popular opinion or view may be. He mentions the number of accidents that occur at themeparks each year but mentions the number includes every minor accident that may occur at a themepark, even if it is the sort of thing which could've occurred anywhere and wasn't directly caused by a ride or anything else found at a park. So what happened is you saw that video, maybe recently, and then, when you read a comment that mentioned both "accidents" and "theme parks", a couple neurons in your brain (who really are just trying their best) went "no way, check out this little factoid we found that also mentions "accidents" and "theme parks" at the same time!"
I had no idea there was another ejection on this ride, at another park. Being local to the Darien Lake Six Flags, I hear about the more infamous case constantly- Really interested to hear more about the comparisons in your upcoming video!
I thought it was that one at first. The darien lake one ruined me. When I was on a trip there as a kid, I was too big for Superman and the attendant wouldn't let me on.
Dude might have saved my life.
@@Crocogator While I'm sorry to hear you had to be turned away, I'm infinitely happier to hear the attendants did their due diligence for your safety! Happy park-going :^)
And there's two accident involving batman the ride, both of them passed away
@@hanthonyc I think there's a comment thread of mine on another video here about the darien lake incident. But yeah. Long story short: I felt bad and slighted at the time, but in hindsight, some random teenager made sure I didn't get flung into a support beam.
I thought it was Darien Lake too - I kept being like “why are they referring to Western NY as ‘New England’??” haha
Had a lot of fun making the NL2 coaster in this video, thanks again for the opportunity!
My fiancée is disabled, and the amount of people who are outright against the ADA is already discouraging. But to hear a company president outright say that is appalling.
Yea... Usually videos like these remind me how safe the industry is. I have similar thoughts when I watch some other similar series about things like aviation...
Usually these companies are then forced to look inwards and make changes. Intamin basically just blamed the ADA. Awful.
I love some of their rides, but is that really what they think of safety and the disabled population?
@@jdonovan74 Generally speaking, yeah. Most companies and the higher ups therein think that little of us. It’s pretty common that on higher floors the policy for how to evacuate those who can’t use the stairs (including schools) is…. Not to. Instead they are told to wait in a designated area for firefighters to come get them. I don’t think I have to explain why this _feels_ more like ‘where to find your body’ than ‘where to be rescued’….
@@OcarinaLink24 Yup. If my disability ever gets to the point where I’m wheelchair bound, I’ll never live higher than the first floor of a building. And if for some reason there’s no choice, I’d rather launch myself down the stairs in an emergency if it comes to it lol
Yeah, good luck trying to get a job if you're physically disabled.
I’m not against it, but I do believe there are certain things are and aren’t suitable for all. I think every park should have enough for everyone to do :)
This is my biggest fear as a larger rider. But I always know that restraints like this are meant to sit close to the hips, not on the stomach. And I always keep that in mind.
I have some conditions that restrains have an impact on and learning how they should be sitting on me did wonders for getting over my fear of coasters! I think it's important for everyone to be informed of how restraints on each ride should be sitting on them in case they're done wrong
Do some workout so you become fearless
@@TakodaTGL 2/10
- points for unoriginality
+ points for trying to mask it as positivity
@@TakodaTGL oh yeah, I must have forgotten how weight loss works. Thanks for the reminder! 🙄
@@wendyjaa Well if you know what it is go for it. I don't need to tell you it's healthy
Great video as always man! I always love these. Thanks for the shoutout at the end also!
Thanks, love how both our videos on this ride can complement each other!
@@CoasterCollege yes! They absolutely complement each other!
The coaster youtube goat himself
Regarding the operators and noticing the restraint issue... I strongly suspect there's more to it than them simply not noticing the problem. I suspect that fear of a customer tantrum distorted their perception of the problem's seriousness. Which means their training - and Six Flags' work culture - did not sufficiently emphasize that customer safety is more important than customer appeasement. My suspicion is backed up by the Darien Lake incident.
Okay, I want to shove Sandor Kernacs' legs in a woodchipper now.
Yep. Plus the fact that he tried to get on before and was denied, only to come back and try again shows that he didn't care about restrictions or guidelines.
The training should accompany some psychological guidelines for ride attendants to be more assertive about safety. I’m no lightweight, and many people I might go to the park with aren’t either. The last reaction you should expect is a tantrum from heavier riders. Almost every time you might have to enforce this safety precaution, the guest would be so embarrassed, they would want to GTFOutta there as quickly as possible.
idk what it is but I really like this series because it's interesting how the industry has grown after incidents like this happen.
The Velocicoaster at Universal Orlando has a system that lights up when secure. Universal provides a sample car infront of the ride so you can check that you will be able to secure a green light before riding because the train will not dispatch without solid lights on all seats.
As does superman’s test seat now. It’s been like that since it was bizarro
NoLimits2! I haven't seen this software in so long! Massive respect for the visuals, great quality video as always
There's no discrimination in safety regulations. Just safety.
Exactly, some people just can’t ride . ADA or not.
As a thusie, I love roller coasters... however, as someone with physical disabilities (particularly those in the neck), I understand the need to exercise caution and avoid rides that could literally kill me. I don't understand how people ignore warning after warning, and then act surprised when something tragic happens. That being said, Intamin has a long history of pushing boundaries and their customers reaping the consequences.
The Guy who died was behind me in line while boarding Mind Eraser. Due to him being over 300 Lbs, he had to lie to get on. He caused the Train to blow past the first set of Brakes at the end of the run which tripped the Sensor and caused the Emergency Brakes to bring the Train to an Immediate stop. I came off that Ride with Whiplash, and it was the last time I ever went on that thing.
Yeah I hate to be that guy, but he sounded like a dick. Lying and trying multiple times to get onto the same rides even though he was denied in the first place. Then all the trauma I'm sure he caused to the rest of the riders having to witness someone die on a ride. Like damn.
@@alec57yeah and he also rejected a list of rides he can ride
yea hes like the ceo of the company that made the titan, he knew it wasnt safe, but he did it anyway and put other people at risk and ended up paying for it with his life
@@alec57 yup, FAFO
I get whiplash on that coaster even when it's operating normally. Terrible ride lol
I live near SF New England and remember this. Everyone was in disbelief because it happened right at the end of the ride. That first drop on the ride is massive, and theres so many sharp turns after. Great video and closure man
I was there when I happened was wild. Cops and security running around everywhere
I think this is just a complete accident with little blame to the ride operators because they aren’t trained as well as other operators. The operators did everything that they were told too.
If you blame training, then the park is at fault for not providing sufficient training.
yeah i blame the park not the ride operators for this, cos clearly they didnt give them enough training @@MotJ949
"Accidents are inevitable. It's about figuring out how many are acceptable."
Jesus fucking Christ. A person died and he was just like 'Shit happens.' Dude, you are being asked for comment because you are partially responsible for manslaughter.
Saying "Eh, it was going to happen at some point," is like saying "Eh, I drink drive a lot. Just be glad I don't hit _every_ pedestrian I see."
What planet is this guy from? You can tell he has been living in a bubble of wealth so far from reality... irl Rollercoaster Tycoon.
It's Intamin, not surprising at all that "Some of you may die, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make" attitude exists.
So insane how the intamin guy like blamed the ADA wtf
Anti-ADA drek is an incel libertarians battle cy.
Being enormously fat is not a disability it’s a choice
Not really, the ADA can't fight back, dude is a bully.
@@xplatypus516 the person in the video had mental and physical disabilities, those barriers can make it super difficult to lose weight
I never knew about this! I only know about the one with the soldier who was stubborn. This was a new one for me
Dear ride operators: as a bigger person whose weight is determined by disability flares and time of year; if we don’t fit, we don’t fit. If it wasn’t made by the manufacturer to be a more accommodating seat, that should be end of it. As a rider whose fine on 99% of rides but occasionally not, I won’t know if I’m too big. I count on you to tell me. I’m sure you don’t want to deal with Karens, but you REALLY don’t want to deal with their families after their dead either
You wont know if you are too big? You don't feel the restraints not clicking or being secure? Ok.
@@alec57 Almost every rider ejection death that's occured has happened even though the restraints are secured and in place. This iis exactly OPs points. Many rides can technically 'fit' an overweight person, but many manuals that the operators have access to will have extra rules about placement of restraints, weight restrictions and so on.
Literally in this very video, the restraint was in place and the ride was secured. Your point makes 0 sense.
@@alec57 I have had ride seats most certainly not fit _correctly_ even though it was able to click. As has been pointed out, the bar needs to sit in your lap, not on your belly. The worst part is every single time I have waved a ride operator down to tell them it doesn’t fit and I need to get off… they just push down harder for an extra click and start the ride. So yeah I think the ride operatiors should be trained better/pay more attention to bigger riders- especially if they’re trying to tell you they don’t fit (mostly be trained better of course, I’m sure many of them just aren’t aware that it clicking=/= it fitting)
This has to be a good day, my favorite channel just posted!
Yep, glad it’s the off season for more coaster college.
wake up babe there’s a new coaster college what really happened? video
I WAS ABOUT TO COMMENT THIS LOL
MY HOPE WILL NEVA DAIYAAA
It’s the irl ride the cyclone channel lol
Okay. Over sixty feet of distance. That's terrifying.
yeah, i just converted it to meters, cos i do not really work in feet and good gods yeah that is scary
Ride ops still aren't consistently checking to see that the restraints make contact with riders upper thighs/hip area on this specific ride. I go to this park about twice a month and every once in a while i get on this coaster and the attendants check my seatbelt and lower the U bar until it makes contact with my stomach but not my legs. It can make contact with my legs, I definitely fit. Wicked Cyclone has very visible signs instructing people who carry weight in their stomach on how to properly lower their restraints, but Superman doesn't. I'm not sure if thats an RMC thing that Intamin doesn't do, or the park just hasn't bothered to put an obvious sign like that in the Superman station.
Well there hasn't been an accident since, so seems like they're doing fine. I've been on this ride more times than I can count and never had an issue with the restraints. That bar is tight as fuck
the dude (that ceo) really tried to say 'it's not our fault for not changing how we build rides to make things safer, it's the fault of ADA bc we can't discriminate against disabled people'. Yikes.
Well, that’s a bit of a stretch. It wouldn’t be discrimination to turn large riders away from a ride if they’re not within the operating limits of it. He basically said that the ADA adds unnecessary stress to the ride operators when it comes to judging whether a rider can or cannot ride, by essentially forcing them to make that judgement on a moment’s notice.
Why the hell would you write the dude and then put in brackets the CEO you're not very smart are you ? We can't keep spending millions of dollars so grossly fat people can come to the park that is simply ridiculous
@@triple7marc After watching these videos, I feel like some of the ride operators/seat checkers are too young to have this much responsibility. Are there any rules that say employees should be at least 21 to assist with life-or-death situations? I've worked with college-aged co-workers before, and there is a lot of drama. I imagine some of them might be preoccupied with other things while performing the same actions over and over all shift long. (Yes, after reading back over this, I realize that I sound like an old Karen but still . . . it's a thought.)
My mom and I are opposites. She gets claustrophobic and wants the restraints loose. I want to feel squished in and safe so I'll jam lap bars and stuff in as far as possible on myself 😅
i know this might seem like a weird/bad thing to focus on, but... what the hell do you do with yourself after something like this when you're the ride operator (or one of them) that caused something like this? obviously it's more accurate to say that it was caused by the park itself (and intamin to a degree) and i'm sure in the vast majority of these cases that the operators are doing as they've been told (or at least not doing anything they've been told not to do) but i just can't imagine what it would be like to have to go on with your life after this sort of incident
I was wondering where that person is today, too.
I'd imagine you leave the park immediately if allowed and just barely survive the shift if you can't, at least after you've dealt with the immediate reprecussions and done all necessary paperwork. Get home, make a nice pot of tea, and stare at the wall for several hours. Maybe take a nice hot bath and just stew in there and let it process. Journal about it once you feel ready (probably not that day lol). Then decide if this moment is the moment you say 'fuck it' and leave the industry or if it's the moment you vow you'll never let anything happen on your watch again.
Either that or distract yourself for years of treading water while the trauma froths away in the background.
Or maybe even both! Just depends on the person I think
So many operators have had to close down because of incredibly stupid people and it's very sad it affected my family as well. People need to understand that intelligence is still required if you're going to attend
My condolences go out to the family of this man...
I'm glad you posted this comment. Before today, I had no idea some random stranger was empathetic towards the family of someone who was the victim of a horrible, freak accident. But now, I do know that some random stranger feels empathetic towards the family of someone who was the victim of a horrible, freak accident.
@@realwiggles Thank you, I hope he's in a better place now...
@@ThoosiesCornerhe’s being sarcastic dumbass 💀
Wow. Ive never seen this covered before, but I was in line for this ride when it happened. I didnt see anything, but I heard people screaming. RIP to the person who lost their life. Ill never forget that day.
I was there to I rode it a few times that day before this happened. 20 years ago now and I still remember it very well
If you’re tall enough to be above this line. AND THIN ENOUGH TO FIT BETWEEN THESE LINES!
Problem solved
"The act that prevents discrimination against people with dissabilities is problematic because I don't want to accomodate them" was not the hot take I was expecting to hear today but boy is it yikes
@@keybladewizard49 yeah the industry has really changed since then thankfully
@@CoasterCollege Honestly that's so good to hear
God the lack of empathy from that intaman president is just mind boggling.
Yes well as an ex carnival operator we are sick to death of people that don't understand that they are not appropriate to be attending such places like this . At some point these people have to look in the mirror and go I am not normal therefore I can't do normal activities
@@James-kv6kb This person possibly had cognitive deficiencies. It's ultimately the carnival's responsibility to ensure the safety of all visitors. If you don't want to put in the extra effort to ensure that safety then you shouldn't be operating dangerous rides. Your amount of defensiveness in this comment section makes me wonder if there were preventable accidents at your own carnival because this attitude is appalling.
@@hollisticc listen pretty boy now of course safety is our prime concern obviously people are not going to ride the rides if they're getting injured, but we can't accommodate for fat pigs that don't understand if they are going to eat excessively they're not going to fit into certain rides. Why should a carnival company pay extra because people can't control themselves ? And surely that would be a good incentive for fat people if they lose weight they can have more fun .Now again what is your experience in the carnival industry or is this all just hate filled stereotypes
@@hollisticcYou have absolutely no proof they had cognitive deficiencies lol.
@@alec57 It was stated in this video.
Hi!!! I'm a disabled New Englander who absolutely loves this park and this ride. The way you described how Six Flags currently handles disabled riders is incorrect (and was incorrect at the time of this video coming out). We have to go through a third party called IBCCES and get a disability card using a letter from our doctor. If IBCCES grants you a disability card, you can take that to guest relations and they'll give you a slip of paper that gives you access to the accommodations that you need. I'm not sure how other disabled people feel about this method, but it works really well for me and I can easily do this every time I enter the park.
I'm pretty sure this method is standard for most, if not all Six Flags locations. I used it both in the New England location and the Maryland location.
Scary story: I was on The Giant Dipper roller coaster in San Diego. When they put the lap bar down, it was too far off my lap. I felt if I didn't hold on, I would have flown out. Needless to say, I held on for dear life. I was a kid back then.
You experienced airtime.
there was this one mouse themed coaster i went on in London, me and my cousin pulled this long bar down but never got any assistance from the operators to tighten it, and as we were children we werent strong enough to fully lock it in. We had to pull the bar down on every drop to avoid flying out
Had a similar experience on the swing ride (idk what it's called or if it's even still there lol) at Thorpe Park UK when I was little, the lap bar felt super loose and we couldn't get the ride op's attention before it started, my dad had to hold it down the whole time. I'm sure it was fine but i never got why that ride didn't have over the shoulder restraints as it almost took you upside down, I was small even for a child and felt like i was gonna fall out :(
I remember when this happened. Well done on your presentation.
I almost slipped out of this ride once because of how skinny I am. The lap bar really wasn’t gripping my legs hard enough and in one of the zero g sections of the track I started to slip out. I still rode the ride but always preloaded my legs into the restraints by pushing off the floor of the train with my feet.
As a 120 lb person i literally almost fall out of any coaster ive been on. One we got stuck upside down, only thing holding me in was the bar agaisnt my shins. The lap part didn't even come close to touching me.
The park did not violate any ADA civil rights to disabled people. If that were true they wouldn’t be allowed in the parks at all. They offer wheel chair and scooter rentals so they do offer reasonable accommodations. However, people do need to be aware of their physical limitations. Realistically they cannot ride every roller coaster they want due to safety issues.
I went to Six Flags NE a few weeks after this happened for a high school trip. I did ride the Superman coaster, but I remember being very apprehensive about it due to the recent incident. RIP to the rider that passed, I would imagine that was a terrifying death 😣.
I was at six flags in new England 2 weeks ago and watched a park attendant struggle to get the restraint to lock on a plus size rider on the joker ride. He eventually got it locked in but it just looked uncomfortable. You could tell he wanted to tell them they couldnt ride but its not a topic easy to address. People need to understand that in order to be safe for as many people as possible they cant accommodate everyone. Dont put low wage park attendants in the position to tell you to lose weight its not fair to them.
Last year, I was an overweight rider attempting to get on Millennium Force at Cedar Point. The ride attendant tried their best to get the seat belt to click, but it wouldn't. As I did the walk of shame off the ride, I wondered, "This coaster actually has wide enough seats. Why are the seatbelts shorter than other coasters?" After watching these accident videos, I get it now. (I've lost weight over the past year and NOW I fit on the Millennium.)
So superman-ride of steel new england AND superman darien lake BOTH had a rider get ejected?! Damn
I remember this. And i also remember how after this, they took obesity and disability very seriously. My father has always been obese. Before this, he was allowed on superman even though he clearly was too fat and it took 3 guys to get the restraints to click. After, he wasnt allowed on it. Only thing he could ride was batman.
What no one talks about with this accident is how did he slip the seatbelt (the secondary restraint)? Everyone talks about how seatbelts would've saved that kid on the orlando freefall droptower but somehow a seatbelt didn't hold this guy in on superman? I get that the T bar wasn't down enough to properly secure him (like how the harness on the orlando droptower wasn't down enough on that kid) but did this guy not have his seatbelt buckled or did he unbuckle it on the ride? Even if the seatbelt was 12 inches longer in the front row, if it was tightened it should have saved him from falling out even if the T bar wasn't fully down. Seatbelts save peoples' lifes in car accidents with much higher G forces than rollercoasters.
Its because many times these people are overweight
Mkay so like if i had to guess it was likely specifically bc this particular turn was a sideways flip instead of a vertical hump. Same reason why a seatbelt wouldnt work upside down.
And for car accidents there's a reason we added that diagonal strap, cuz the lap ones didnt fully cut it
On the other ride people were saying their should have been a belt between the guys legs so he couldn't just slip out.
Totally different rides and types of seat belts.
Due to the rider's size, the belt could have been placed lower on the thighs instead of his lap. The belt probably wouldn't have fit over his gut.
The Orlando accident was because he was humungous. Don’t ride, don’t die.
yoooo happy to see another one of these!
I went to Orlando and visited one of the parks there and went to ride a ride (I believe it was seaworld). I am a bit on the bigger side so I do have a worry that restraints will not fit me or will be put on incorrectly. I went into the frount with my family and when they check my seat they did not push it down as far as it would go. My mom ended up adjusting it (uncomfortably, but i am pretty sure something could have went really wrong if she hadn't).She slammed it down as hard as she could lmaoo
Well time and age has made me more cautious to enjoy these rides because i know the operators are detached a lot of the time. It makes me worry about going on any ride.
Major props to the guy person who tried to hold him despite knowing there wasn’t much that could be done. Also to the bystanders that jumped the fence into a dangerous area to help someone. It’s nice to see people with some sense of humanity left. If you’re somehow reading this I want you all to know you did everything you could and you are champions for it. True selfless people. It’s clear from this video the man brought it on himself knowing he wasn’t supposed to be on the ride.
I feel really bad for the victim. I don't understand why he didn't have someone with him to tell him not to go on the ride he was already denied on multiple times. He clearly needed assistance from a family member or caretaker.
That’s natural selection unfortunately
is it just me or does the second half of the video say everything from the first just differently
Nah, you got it right. It's been a long time since he regularly made videos, maybe he just got a bit rusty in his presentation.
i would really appreciate some clarification here because it's not how things work where i live: when you say it was/is the law there to disclose ANY pre-existing conditions before riding, does that genuinely mean absolutely anything? there's a hell of a lot of long-term medical conditions that wouldn't be relevant to riding a rollercoaster and i'm kinda fascinated by the idea of having to disclose absolutely everything (though i'm well aware that wouldn't actually be what people do anyway)
What's more embarrassing disclosing medical conditions or having your family attend a funeral because you fell out of a carnival ride
It's really just a legal disclaimer. That way, if you have something and you don't disclose it, then something happens, they can't be held liable because you failed to inform them beforehand of your condition.
Im used to hearing incidents elsewhere at those kinds of parks but not the park i literally go to many times every year that is close by to me.
Great video! I enjoyed watching!
Would the people who jumped the fence (even though they were trying to help) be in danger of other trains already dispatched from the station? I'm not sure how many trains can run at the same time on this ride or how the block zones work, so what would the procedure be for the other train(s) cruising along the track toward this accident scene?
They wouldn‘t be. This attraction has two trains, with one on the course/the final brakes and one in the station. The second train 100% wasn‘t being dispatched when everyone in the train that just came back screamed about an ejected rider. If this ride had more then two trains in operation this could‘ve gotten messy though.
I rode this ride a couple of weeks before this happened as a highschool senior trip. The only thing keeping you in the cart was a bar, their were no seatbelts. I remember looking at my friend like yoo, thats not safe. We couldve easily slipped out.
Six Flags NE is the closest park to me and I’ve been there a few times. The Superman coaster is just something you have to see to understand. I know it’s a very impressive machine. I haven’t been on a coaster since I was just a lil kid, (heart condition) so I have no intention of trying to spoil anyone’s good time. If I had kids though, I would think long and hard about letting them on it. The coaster is a monster, and I haven’t seen the new restraints first hand, but the coaster itself is extremely daunting for anyone not a roller coaster enthusiast, or even anyone older than 50 in my opinion. It just looks really rough on the body, and it has a generally foreboding presence throughout the entire park. If you haven’t seen it before, take a good look at it should you have the chance to ride it. I know-I know it looks like a really amazing and exciting ride. That’s because it is! All I’m saying is: really look at it before deciding if your life or the lives of others you care for deeply, really need that level of fun and amazement before getting in line!
The size of the average theme park guest is inherently limited by accessibility, and parks ignoring that is more attributable to institutionalized discrimination than any financial decisions, because they'd see a significant boost in attendance if larger and/or disabled people could access their attractions. Parks in the US would make so much more money if they didn't exclude around 50% of the population. I know so many people who stopped going to parks because of a disability acquired in adolescence or adulthood, or natural weight gain over a lifetime. They'd all choose to spend money visiting parks aside from Disney and Universal if ride restraints weren't so exclusive.
Lmao, no way. I saw your other comment where you said the bars on some roller coaster hit your stomach before your thighs because you self-described yourself as someone who "carries weight in their stomach". There's another word gnerally used to describe people who carry weight in their stomach, and that word is obese. It's not right to call people who carry so much weight in their stomach that roller coaster restraints don't work for them though, because the correct term would actually be morbidly obese.
I don't know which Republican state you live in but idk where you're getting the idea that 50% of the US population is so fat they can't fit on rides. That's just objectively false. Someone needs to be pretty deep into the morbidly obese category for that to be the case. Which, by the way, is not something that just occurs naturally over the course of one's life. Again, I have no clue where you're getting the idea that it's completely normal and natural for someone to eventually end up being so fat they can't ride the rides at an amusement park.
Lastly, idk why you mentioned people with legitimate physical disablities in your comment either. For one, I don't think it's appropriate for you to lump someone who was born with a physical disability in with someone who is physically limited as a result of their own actions. The former didn't get to choose to be born with their disability, while the other allowed themselves to end up in their situation despite possessing the opportunity to prevent it if they did what needed to be done to do so. And yes, I'm fully aware overeating is often caused by various mental illnesses or can even be a mental illness itself. But someone born without one of their legs can't see a therapist, a dietician, or a personal trainer and eventually grow one after years of hard work and dedication.
Which isn't even the point lol. This video you're commenting on literally mentioned how ride-manufacturers developed restraint systems specifically for individuals with physical disabilities. But only the type that have nothing to do with ranch dressing.
@hoppingrabbit9849 the scientific community studying wight does not agree with you on that. Like we're talking about 60 years of evidence to the contrary, but that info doesn't help sell diet pills and programs (which have a much higher correlation to negative health outcomes than weight regardless of how much people weighed when they started)
@hoppingrabbit9849 you have an nft profile pic though, so I'm guessing you're not very smart
The rides cost enough money as is without having to pay for extra costs so that people that can't control their eating can have a ride . The extra costs involved would be inhibitive and the park would probably end up closing down which means that normal people miss out
I was on the ride that day and was in the park when it happend it was something I won't forget.
Same I'll never forget it either
No chance both of you were there
So you put Sandor's quote about the ADA is here, and I'd like to clarify, for anyone wondering, why it is blatantly false:
The ADA does not say you have to make every ride accessible to everyone. That's literally impossible. What it does say is that, where possible, rides need to be accessible. But not "to everyone". For example, parks are not required to have braille on their ride information for blind guests, or train all of their operators in sign language for deaf guests. If needed, they are required to have interpreters available for guests. That's how the ADA works. Reasonable Accomodation
This scared me when it happened and why I was afraid to ride this ride. I later found out it was because he was not suited to ride this ride.
This is a huge slap in the face to the "fat acceptance" crowd. Sooner or later, reality catches up
So apparently there was a possibility of a rider that was ejected from the polor express ride at the CNE the board is launching an investigation. May be something in the future to cover 😊
Accidents like these prove why we have safety regulations, and why they should always be enforced.
As someone who lived down the street from that Six Flags the rumors about that death went around for years and people avoided that ride for a long time.
So rider was denied the ride before, and should've been denied again. The ride functioned as intended.
I always caught air on roller coasters because I was so skinny that the bar would never touch me at all. made it way more fun. one time tho we were at the top of the first hill and suddenly the T bar just flew up for no reason and my dad caught it just in time and held it down the entire time while the roller coaster was going upside down and everything. pretty scary
I remember when this was first reported. It made me a little afraid of riding the Superman rollercoaster for a long time.
I first went on this coaster in 2000 during our 8th grade class trip to Six Flags New England (formerly known as Riverside Park).
“On May 16, 1999, a passenger was thrown from the train at the Darien Lake installment on one of the final hills and suffered minor injuries. On July 8, 2011, a disabled Iraq War veteran who lost both legs during his deployment in Iraq died after being ejected from the front seat of the Darien Lake coaster.”
Superman - Ride of Steel - Wikipedia
I thought this video was on this incident above which is now a Six Flags as well, that’s crazy and very sad it happened twice.
Funny how he uploads this on thank a ride op day
I thought it was celebrate shoelace aglet day. There's just too many important holidays now.
I’ve been on this coaster dozens of times… terrifying man
I used to go to that Six Flags back when it was Riverside. The Super Man coaster was a kick-ass ride!
Your last line defense is the operators. A poorly designed restraining system can’t depend on the variable nature of operators to detect people who should and should not ride. That’s almost gambling with people’s lives. One poorly trained or negligent operator and something bad will go down. Design the restraining system to be accommodating or have systems to screen that are less subject to human error. The ride designers failed. The park’s screening method failed, the operators failed to screen, the rider was foolish for not disclosing their situation, but ultimately the ride manufacturer should’ve found better engineering solutions.
Accidents often result from not one but a series of mistakes. If one link in this chain worked, there would be no accident. In this case they all failed. Machines, systems, and people.
The first line of defense, don't be 5 foot 2 inches and weigh 230 pounds, or anywhere near that. Problem solved along with countless others.
@@TheRadioAteMyTVah yes, because having cerebral palsy makes it *super* easy to exercise and eat a balanced diet
@@isthatrubble That is the wildest correlation I have ever heard and probably one of the most impossible to defend excuses for obesity ever. EVER!
@@TheRadioAteMyTV why? cerebral palsy makes exercising very difficult, it limits mobility and causes chonic pain and fatigue. it can also make swallowing difficult, or leave people relying on others to help them eat, so they don't always have full control over what they eat or have the ability to eat a balanced healthy diet. my understanding is that adults with cerebral palsy are often overweight or underweight, and even those who can eat in a relatively "normal" manner often don't absorb enough important nutrients from their food like other people would. since weight loss and prevention of weight gain is made a lot easier if you move more and don't have dietary restrictions I don't see why you think this is an outrageous concept. I might not be right about this particular guy's situation, I don't know enough about him, but it's not like I said he had brown hair so he can't exercise.
maybe you know of older adults with cerebral palsy who have a good hold on their weight and health. but that doesn't seem to be common or easy for most.
@@isthatrubble Your logic, if you can call throwing spaghetti at a wall logic, is virtually applicable to anyone overweight. The CDC just released the obesity charts for the US in the end of September and America has gotten far huger, and far faster in the past 10 years, and the US wasn't skinny then either. You have to go back before the 90s to find the average American being not a tubbo. For the entire country's history until the end of the 90s Americans were a lean mean fighting machine. Now they are pretty much the exact opposite.
People don't take on too much weight from eating air. That's never happened. There is only one way to become over weight and it has nothing at all to do with cerebral palsy.
If the person is so far gone they can't feed themselves, then by definition they aren't responsible, but they still ain't going to get fat without doing the magic thing to get fat.
WTH does this have to with the video anyway?
YES ANOTHER VIDEO
Many years ago me and a few friends went to this six flags and were in line for the superman ride... yes this exact one... as we got about 5 lines from getting on the coaster came right over us. As the coaster came by us I watched as something that looked like a ball cap flew off the structure and flew down hitting a man 2 lines over on the top of his head and flying off... we all looked over to the man as blood started to spirt up from the top of his head, this caused one my my friends to faint and we had to drag her out of the line and back into the park. It turns out that it wasn't a ball cap that fell off the ride it was a big right angle piece of mental (imagine a boomerang made of metal pretty much)
This was one of the craziest things I've seen in my life up to that time, I thought it would be on the news but nope, nothing... I have no idea what happen to this man, if he lived or died but I hope he is ok today. Six flags covered up the entire thing which wasn't hard because this was before cell phones that had good cameras.... So please just be careful because you don't even have to go on these rides to be hurt.
This story is similar to what happened to the woman who was waiting in line for Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in 2021 when a piece of metal flew off the coaster and hit her in the head.
The real problem is that the operator should've known better than to let a person that size and shape ride the coaster. I NEVER would've let him on!😡
No the big problem is America thinking that obesity is normal and that they can go about their everyday lives and enjoy things like everyone else . If they want to eat the equivalent of 5 people's food per day they need to understand there's going to have to be consequences to the way they live
Great video
Ayyy Riverside ... yeah I remember this one... the real terrifying coaster was the one over at Mt. park.. I rode it when I was super young, right before the park closed, I thought we were going of the rails any second for the whole ride.. sooo rickety
Just why didn’t get rid of the bigger seatbelts. My god
Did record the voice over twice?
The issue is that the ride is not designed for riders outside of normal ranges for size. The person should not have been allowed to ride due to not being in the margins of reasonable size. It's that simple.
This is one of my favorite rollercoasters. I have been on it so many times.
I go on this coaster every time I go to the park & it scares me so much 😭
I just realized you should do a video about how the security systems in seats have changed over the years.
And another about how the industry has changed to accommodate people with disabilities.
So when you go to a theme park and you get charged ridiculous amounts of money for everything you can understand that is because they have to keep accommodating for people that shouldn't be there
@@James-kv6kb Nah, people get charged ridiculous amounts of money because that's how capitalism works. The amount of bigotry you're showing in this comment section is absolutely bananas.
@@hollisticc so you're telling a professional carnival operator how it works and how capitalism works how many businesses have you ran ?
I somehow didn’t know about this and I went to that park all the time. I even worked there one summer in the games section and rode Superman like 7 times one night at an employee after hour thing. I specifically applied for games over rides because I didn’t want that stress. It’s so much pressure for a teenager to be responsible for the safety of so many people with such little training. Make sure you keep an eye on yourself and your loved ones when going on any rides. Don’t blindly trust operators, if something feels off trust your gut.
I used to go a couple times a year during this time . I’ve never heard about this until I saw this video today. Six flags did a good job concealing this .
There was a similar case where someone got on the ride (they were disabled and had no legs) and was ejected. SO sad
I'm no physics expert, but something tells me that was more preventable than the incident in the video. Having legs seems like a necessity considering how most coaster restraints are designed. I've gotta know more.... Thanks for sharing.
My God. what a horrible accident
I grew up 5 minutes away and have probably ridden this roller coaster 500 times and I did not know this
I go to this six flags yearly. Never ride superman bc I can't do that high of Rollercoaster. I love this six flags. This happened the year after my birth
I always never wanted to go on superman because of the height but trust me it is so worth it and now everytime I go, I ride it at least 3 times
The sharp fence posts are a bit close to the train when going into the second tunnel. Tilting your body out of the train just a bit and extending your arms, you may get impaled
11:15 "But thats a story for another day" Are you going to do a remake of your 1st What Really Happened at my hometown park?
I've had to lock my lap bar myself at that same six flags before
Am I missing something, or does half of this video repeat itself twice?
It starts with an introduction, explaining what happened, and in the end there's a conclusion that once again explains what happened, while including a summary of how it happened.
Like our English teachers always said regarding essays: tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em, tell 'em, and finally, tell 'em what you told 'em
@@nonamelegend_vapor Just remember, that only applies to an audience that doesn't want to hear what you have to say. If you do it for enthusiasts you are insulting their ability to pay attention.
Even if a rider with a disability can be safely secured on a ride, I don't think they should be allowed to ride if their disability might lead to problems if the ride has an e-stop and needs to be evacuted. An obese person that can only walk a few steps is a big problem for an ecacuation from the lifthill. An amputee might be, as well.
So eating one's self up to 230 pounds when standing 5'2'' is now a disability? Well it's one of the easiest in the world to cure, and doesn't cost a freaking dime to do it either. Everyone knows how to "cure" that problem. Any deserted area will do. NOT desserted, deserted. Big difference.
I’m only 8:11 and even if the T-bar failed why was he ejected if he had a fastened seat belt too?
That makes no sense!
I’ve rewound a couple times and you say, “longer seat belt fastened and t-bar”
I didn’t really see any seat belts or does this mean the seat belt is the tbar?
Just a thought
Momentum.
When I broke my leg there were rides I wasn't allowed on, despite me being 2 weeks out from my cast getting removed
I know you have to make these videos to create content, but quick question… How many of these deadly accidents involved very large human beings & disabled people? Next question is how many people have ridden these rides and have been unharmed compared to the people who either have been injured in an accident or who have died? I’m not trying to defend the theme parks, but I’m just asking for facts.