Girl knocked unconscious on Tornado, sent to hospital

[SFaddiction84]

Well lets seee, we dont put camera's on Tornado, 1 or 2 more people get hurt the same way and still dont know why, all 3 people get money out of the deal, OUT ADMISSION and FOOD all go up

I think i can live with a few extra camera's watching me!

[SfgamFreak03]

What is putting up cameras going to do besides give the lifeguards a good show when some girl looses her top?? Its not going to prevent any situations from happening again. Follow the rules of the ride and you should have a trouble free ride.

[viperchick85]

Wouldn't the cameras get waterspots on them?

[rb1]

I have to agree with you on that one the cameras not going to prevent this from happenning. Yep following the ride rules is the only thing that could prevent this accident from happenning. My guess is that they where probably using the green tubes got scared and forgot to hold on then when the tube flip over she either fell face down and hit her head in the slide while going down because she was unconcious as some reports said scraped her head making the gash bigger while she reachs the bottom. Then again she could have had an injury on her head from another accident before she went to the park and it just got worsts when she fell on the slide no one really knows. That poor girl.

[Ezekiel2517]

To revisit the past for a moment: the Cliffhanger (which I've also heard referred to as an "English Rotor") -- people had toe injuries on this one, and the only way to do that is to put the soles of your feet against the wall so your toes are facing down at the floor and can get wedged when the floor comes back up. AND PUTTING YOUR FEET ON THE WALL WAS A DIRECT VIOLATION OF POSTED RULES. Don't need Matlock to figure THAT one out.

As for this one, first, Mom looks like one of those patrons who won't be satisfied until you take the ride operator out back and shoot them -- and even then she wants a free season pass for her pains. I know yu shouldn't base things on how people look, but God knows I've seen enough of them. And while the lesser weight of the trajectory (since there were two lightweight kids in it) would push the raft higher, theoretically, it similarly wouldn't have the same velocity coming down the ramp since the object has less mass -- in other words, the characteristic that makes it climb the wall is the same one that keeps it from doing so.

[greatamerican]

I bet they weren't holding onto the handle bars. That could have caused it.

I heard that they weren't. also, on that clip, the lady showing where they fell was retarded because she pointed to the top of the "tornado" part as if you actually go all the way around it. I think that alot of it was idiot parents trying to get money and to be on tv. people like that piss me off

[rctfan1556]

I think that alot of it was idiot parents trying to get money and to be on tv. people like that piss me off

Wow, if this doesn't sound quite familiar. Lets see....this has happened before with video games and resteraunts and is STILL happening, although not as much as before. People these days just keep looking for ways to make a quick buck instead of getting a job, working hard, and earning there living that way. 1st people go and blame fast food for their obiesity, then parents go and blame video games for their kids misbehaving, and now parents are blaming amusment park rides for themselves or loved ones getting hurt?
WHERE DOES THE MADNESS END?

This whole thing is just so annoying and really pisses me off.

In this situation these things are clear:
1. It was clearly rider error. She wasn't and/or her brother weren't holding on like they should of and more then likely they got into a position that made the raft be off balance, which caused this terrible accident.
Follow the rules and you'll come out safe and unharmed.

2. Someone or some people, are lying on exactly what happened. My guess is, her brother, the kids parents, and parts of the media.

3. Six Flags Great America, the ride manufactuer, and the ride itself are cleary not at fault.

[Cryptkeeper]

The story still has life...



State won't penalize Six Flags

June 13, 2006

BY ANDREA HEIN Herald News


SPRINGFIELD -- The state health department will not sanction Six Flags Great America for failing to notify officials within 24 hours of a water-ride accident that sent a 10-year-old Lockport girl to the hospital.

Illinois Public Health Department officials talked with representatives from the Gurnee amusement park Monday regarding the issue but will not take further action because Six Flags executives agreed to have the required report filed by midweek, said health department spokeswoman Melanie Arnold.

The park says it was unaware that the girl's injury was severe enough to require them to contact health officials.

"We are not purposely neglecting our responsibility to communicate," Six Flags spokesman Jim Taylor said Monday.

During a school field trip Wednesday, Keely Vercellotti's head was cut open while she was riding the Tornado.

Attraction tested, deemed safe



According to the park's Web site, a raft on the park's newest water ride, which is shaped like a funnel on its end, normally moves from side to side in a pendulumlike motion.

An 11-year-old boy who was with Keely said their raft went all the way around to the top of the inner circle.

The unrestrained pair fell out and continued down the ride. Hospital staff used more than 20 stitches to close Keely's cut, treated her for a concussion and kept her overnight for observation, said Sharon Vercellotti, Keely's mother.

Following the accident, Six Flags officials shut down the ride for tests and reopened it Friday. Taylor said the Tornado is safe and that park operators and the ride's manufacturer determined the ride itself did not cause the accident.

It is unlikely that the raft went 360 degrees around the funnel, he added.

State regulations require the park to contact the state or local health department within 24 hours of any drowning or injury that requires hospitalization, Arnold said.

Then park officials have seven days, or until Wednesday, to submit a formal report.

Six Flags notified no one, Arnold said.

Park administrators did not contact the state because the hospital treating the girl told them the same evening that she had been treated and released, Taylor said.

It was not until the media contacted Six Flags that park officials knew of Keely's longer hospital stay, he said.

[viperchick85]

I don't know who to believe, either party could be lying.

[Sedir]

So I saw the tornado in action today (for my first time) wow, no way they went all the way around the funnel or extremly high. I saw a yellow raft with three people barely even come close to those waterfalls.

And the thing with the witnesses. What about the people standing in line for the ride? They can clearly see what's going on in the funnel. Or was there no one in line?

[Trailblazer Tony]

^I was thinking that too, the line goes like right in front of the funnel. And with those water jets being not even 3/4 of the way up the funnel, i'm definitely calling BS on this story!

[punkbunny24242]

She's from Lockport... that explains it

[DejaVuGurl1203]

I still can't believe they're claiming that the raft did a 360 in the funnel. Use common sense people!

[rct2wizard360]

Rider responsibility.

They need to have those signs posted like they do at Cedar Point.

[rctfan1556]

With this whole thing of how the raft supposedly did go around the entire funnel, I have 2 theorys:

1: Maybe when the girl's brother fell out, he might have hit his head(or not, whichever) and the raft was above him, then they some how ended up on the other side, so to him it looked like they had gone 360 degrees when actully they didn't.

2: The parent(s) are greedy and told the kid to say that.

[Jackluver18]

You can clearly see that you can't go all the around the funnel, there are 4 water sprouts, the way top of the water slide isn't even wet. There is no possible way the raft did that. she does have evidence of a cut on her forehead I don't know but what I know is the raft can't go all around the funnel that is impossible.

[HoffmanMyster]

^ exactly, which means that they had to be doing something wrong, or else they wouldnt have flipped

[Jackluver18]

If there were water sprouts all way at the tips of the funnel yeah that sorta would be possible to go all the around, but the ride wasn't designed like that. I bet you that when they got down into the funnel they stopped in the middle or did something that was against the rules, besides the water sprouts are in the way. You can't go over the water sprouts because you're not going fast enough out of the shoot.

[rctfan1556]

How old were these kids? If they were young then an adult should have been on the raft with them.

[Jackluver18]

^ I think it said she was 11

[agarr17_rb4life]

My cousin and I, me being 17 and him being 12 we rode tornado at six flags st. louis yesterday and had a blast, no injuries, and didnt seem to have trouble with holding on or anything, sweet ride wooo.

[perseus the hero]

I don't think the tornado has enough centripical force to go all the way around. *If* they got anywhere near the top, which is also impossible because of the pipes, they would have fallen off way before reaching the top.

[zjohn1988]

I rode it today, and i could see how you could fall out. I had some airtime on the drop and in the funnel i was close to those jets, so yeah they probably didnt hold on.

[crazy4ragingbull02]

well its there fault beacause they were not hanging on

[iluvthebullforever]

ya it is they're fault. I mean you could fall out but not that easy unless you dont hold onto the handles.