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Knott's Berry Farm's Xcelerator Ride Failure

In September of 2009, at Knott’s Berry Farm theme park in Buena Park, California, two riders were struck with debris after a cable came loose on the Xcelerator roller coaster. A 12-year-old…

In September of 2009, at Knott’s Berry Farm  theme park in Buena  Park, California, two riders were struck with debris  after a cable came  loose on the Xcelerator roller coaster. A  12-year-old boy suffered  lacerations to his leg and a male adult  complained of back pain.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and  Health (DOSH)  indicated that the accident could have been avoided had  the ride’s  cable been inspected more often. According to DOSH, Knott’s  contacted  the rides manufacture, Intamin, asking how often the ride should be  inspected;  however, they did not get an answer.’

More questions. How detailed would the  instructions for the ride be,  if when this ride opened, it was a first  of its kind type of ride?  The park’s  19 days late with a 6-month  inspection of the ride. What’s the excuse? How does Knott’s work  their service schedule for Xcelerator? Number times it is launched?

Xcelerator’s Stats

Ride Manufacture: Intamin AG

Speed: 0-82mph in 2.3 seconds

Launch System: Hydraulic

Drop Angle: 90°

Height: 205′

Restraints: Lap bar and seat belt

How’d the video of this incident get out? Who else  is viewing my on  ride video? You can read about how it may have got out here.

You can read about Knott’s Berry Farm injuries at Knott’s in 2009 via Amusement Safety Organization’s website.

Interestingly enough, as of this blog, there was another ride failure involving an Intamin roller coaster.

I’ll touch more on Intamin in a later blog.

Jason Herrera

As an avid fan of roller coasters and a professional in the field of Security and Safety, Jason Herrera set out to get information on amusement ride injuries throughout the United States.

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Tags: Legal

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