Here is a copy of the letter I sent to the Magic Springs Public Relations dept.
I was involved in an incident on the X-Coaster the morning of July 1. The latching mechanism that captures the cars and lowers them to the offloading area failed to engage; leaving us to the whims of gravity for five (or so) minutes as we eventually settled at the station.The park closed the ride for a while but we did see it working off and on during the rest of our stay. I also saw that the latch mechanism didn't work at least one other time and observed a number of runs with empty cars (clearly testing the attraction).
During this event, the ride operator looked at us helplessly and indicated this was not normal procedure and that at she was powerless. This however is not the main thrust of the incident, only the causing factor. The bigger issue involves the situation that occurred after the cars finally came to a stop.
We were locked into the restraints and unable to exit the attraction. A younger member of my party was secured, and the safety harness so tight, that he was experiencing breathing problems and became understandably frightened. The operator was unable to release the restraints. Someone had to be called in order to try and get the attraction running again (or at least open the restraints). That action failed. Then the park employee who came to re-set the ride had to run off to get release mechanism to unlock the restraints. During this interim period the child was terribly frightened and vomited.
I understand the need to get the new ride in service, however it appears to still have issues and your emergency procedures are severely lacking. What would you have done in a situation where someone needed immediate medical treatment? Why not keep the safety release equipment at the ride and instruct ride operators on its use and function?
I will gladly give the park credit for getting an EMT and oxygen to the boy. He was offered a shower but was made to wander the park for the duration of our stay in soiled clothes. An offer of a new shirt or shorts would have been a kind and appropriate gesture. Also, his was not the first row to be released. Ideally, releasing the distressed passenger would be the first priority. After release, the riders were greeted by a park employee who wanted our contact information. While I imagine it was to keep track of riders in case a legal claim is made against the park, my questions about this were unanswered.
In short...you messed up. Perhaps public relations doesn't trickle down to the individual park guest? This experience was memorable for all the wrong reasons and I began to think back upon the old nickname for the park...Tragic Springs.
Now...I'm not against Magic Springs. My wife and I have season passes. We will go back. I just needed to share this item.
Enjoy the long weekend. Happy Independence Day.
4 comments:
Whoa...sorry that happened to y'all. That is exactly why I stayed far away from the rides department during my one hideous summer as an employee there. No way was I going to risk being the person at the helm when something like that happened. Just put me in a game booth where I can safely swindle some youngsters, please. That was my motto.
So you were like a carnie? What games did you run?
Not exactly a carnie...I was in the "merchandising" department, which meant if my high school classmate the supervisor decided to like me that day, I'd get a plum spot in an air-conditioned gift shop instead of a game booth. But the games I ran were things like the duck pond, guess-your-fastball speed, throw a softball in a milk barrel, etc.
Oh, I just sent your URL to my niece, whose dad is a Hot Springs firefighter. He told her that this coaster barely passed inspection because they can't get full access to it with the ladder truck.
Wow, clearly, the Tragic Springs establishment spent all the money that should have been going to training in how to avoid lawsuits and good customer relations on finishing the bloody ride. I can't BELIEVE they didn't even offer the poor kid a new shirt and shorts, which cost them all of $1.37 from whatever sweatshop in China where they have them made. They better be thanking their lucky stars that y'all were on the attraction instead of some sue-happy drama queens.
Tell me again how these morons aren't getting sued, but we're getting sued for an ACCIDENT that happened at night, in a thunderstorm, in a construction zone, in which no one was hurt? That's right, kids, in spite of what scheister lawyers tell you about "big insurance" owing you money, you're suing REAL people and making others' lives miserable. GRRRRRRR....Sorry, rant off.
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