What Really Happened on Ride of Steel Darien Lake July 8th 2011?
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 10. 2023
- On Friday July 8th 2011 Ride of Steel at Darien Lake was operating normally. A guest entered the red train through the exit using a wheelchair and the assistance of a family member. The guest boarded into row 11 and the rest of the train was loaded with riders from the standby line. All T bar style restraints were checked by the ride operators and the train was dispatched from the station. Little did the 32 riders on the train know that they were about to witness one of the most infamous ride accidents of all time.
NOTE: The "it happened again" on the thumbnail is referring to the fact that this coaster experienced two rider ejections, and the ride model experienced three.
Mentioned other accident: • What Really Happened o...
Accident report: drive.google.com/file/d/1XBtT...
NL2 Coaster by: New England Coaster Fan
Videos used:
• Superman Ride Passenge...
• Ride of Steel Off-Ride...
• Ride of Steel Off-Ride...
Join our discord: / discord
Instagram: / coastercollege
Twitter: / coaster_college
Music used under license from Epidemic Sound, songs listed in order:
Rise of the Velcro - Gabriel Lewis
Zombies From Outer Space - Wave Saver
Night Stalker - Wave Saver
Follow The Trail - Future Joust - Zábava
The fact that the ride operators didn't immediatly E-stop the ride after learning that someone was ejected blows my mind. It goes to show just how poor their training was
Seems consistent with six flags. The same company who didn't want backup seatbelts on their coasters like cedar point has on everything.
Seriously, that is so scary. What if this WAS caused by the ride? They put that whole blue train in danger! Also really unfortunate that the guests on the blue train may have seen the body of the guest who was ejected.
@@Haarschmuckfachgeschafttadpole Six Flags didn't own the park at the time of the accident. EPR owned the park, but it was operated through Six Flags (idk which company actually trained the operators though)
Also, "Backup" isn't really the right word to describe the purpose of the seatbelts. The seatbelt itself isn't considered a good enough restraint to hold riders in by itself. The main purpose of seat belts are for rider peace of mind, lower insurance costs, and a measuring device to see if the actual restraint can properly secure the rider. The restraint itself has a redundant safety mechanism built into it, something required on every modern roller coaster. This mechanism is the backup, not the seat belts.
This system only works if the restraint itself is closed properly to begin with. In the case of the accident on New Texas Giant, the restraint was not properly closed when the ride dispatched. This is where the seat belts come in. A seat belt would not have made it all the way around the rider in the station, thus detecting that she was too large for the lap bar. This would have forced her to get off the ride, consequently preventing the accident.
@@FinesseBTW At the time the park property was owned by CNL and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment. Six Flags had no involvement at this time.
I’m not a rollercoaster operator, but isn’t it basic knowledge to hit the big red button if something goes wrong? Makes me sad bc they should’ve been trained better :(
Everything normal until “blank ride was operating normally when” is heard
I would love to know what those ride operators thought the big red e-stop button was for if not for a rider ejection emergency 💀 Like what if the body had been on the track???
I can't imagine how horrified people on both the red and blue trains passengers must have been having to see such a gruesome scene. Like holy shit you're coming down a massive hill on the ride, presumably you can see the ground and there's just a corpse. I'm genuinely so surprised the ride wasn't stopped immediately when the red train came in and explained what happened.
So being stuck on the coaster mid-ride looking at a body is better somehow than riding past one? Odd take…
@@MotJ949 The blue train had barely left the entrance when the red had come in and explained what happened, if the train had been stopped they wouldn't have seen the body.
Not very good at listening are you@@MotJ949
Early haunt decorations
They're just so incredibly lucky it wasn't an issue with the track.
Crazy that a whole train of people ended up rolling right by a dead guy.
The willful ignorance this guy decided on that day is so tragically astounding
I'm a ride operator myself and for the ADA entrance we have to have 2 different operators go through the rider requirements with the guest with the disability. after both operators have signed them off the guest then acknowledges the requirements by also initialing the rides guide. The ride I work at does not allow any leg amputations. We also have supervisors and mangers that do random audits at rides each day to ensure that all the ride operators remember all their procedures and rider requirements. Each ride or area also have leadership positions such as myself that work the rides and usually are always working at the rides to make sure all procedures are being followed. Safety is non-negotiable no matter how upset the guest gets. That's something I always makes sure I train while training a new employee.
I can say this because I am disabled lol. I have a spinal cord injury and can't walk at all. When I got injured, one of my very first questions was if I would ever be able to ride a rollercoaster again. People should not be upset when you tell them they can't ride. They should be thanking you for keeping them safe and alive. I would trust you are telling me the truth. Why question it? It's better to be safe than...dead. thanks for taking your job seriously!
@@SarahSmilez8100 Oh I get yelled at all the time when I deny someone from riding. I understand they're there to have a good time and I know it can be frustrating but I rather them be mad at me than being responsible for an incident on a ride.
@@JLWGamesWhat kind of ride do you operate?
@@sethradspinner a RMC
I really really like the summaries you do where you tell the full chain of events from beginning to end. It's always objective and succinct, without over dramatizing anything for the sake of "content". You're one of the only coaster youtubers that covers accidents that I trust to tell the full TRUE story.
Thank you!
I never once considered how horrifying it must be to be in the train after someone gets a ejected and just seeing a body lying near the ride. The sheer horror.
While it was completely insane they didn’t stop the ride I have to wonder how much people actually saw of the poor guy . I’ve been on that coaster multiple times it goes fast so at best I think they would have caught a glimpse of something on the ground but I would think hopefully they didn’t see too much in detail to leave a lasting gruesome memory
@@missyrose2154 You're right, it very much depends on how the ride runs around that spot, what the area surrounding it is like, and where the guy actually landed.
What a fabulous reupload! I do feel bad for those ride operators, likely had no idea how to confront a war veteran, much less one with clear battle scars. If you wish to know more about the victim, fascinating horror covered the case respectfully. Systematic issues at their finest
Oh really? Could you tell the title of the case?
@@AnotherGeek....It's called 'The 2011 "Ride of Steel" Accident'
Yeah what they said
I am SHOCKED they kept operating after being informed of the accident, even if just to let all riders off, holy crap.
Even more infuriating, these rides HAVE systems in place to put trains on and take them off the track. They HAVE to have them, from inspections to complex maintenance and/or repairs... That means there MUST be a way to stop trains on the tracks and bring them to the off-track section and unload them there... JUST give the guests some kind of little pro-rate or coupon for the inconvenience so they don't have to ride past and see the human-shaped "splat-mark" on the side... AND get the inspections, audits, and investigations going... not to mention rescuing/recovering the fallen rider...
I have to wonder how much was "Operator Complacency" and how much was simply Incompetence in Training.
Seriously, these rides are for cheap thrills, but we're paying to get SCARED to death, NOT physically assaulted by the structures, ground into little bitty pieces in machinery, and NOT traumatized to nausea nor cardiac conditions!!! Yeah, I'll be a bit miffed that I got maybe 30 seconds of ride before some tatted dude and a pack of freckled kids insist on taking my train off the track and sending me away, BUT as soon as I hear there was an INCIDENT (not even an accident/injury... even just an incident) you know... The park can buy me a cookie and coke, or a chili dog and I'll be happy they're apologetic to MY inconvenience... let alone the poor bastard(s) caught up in the actual incident/accident. It would speak VOLUMES to the park's integrity and that of the company that runs and owns "the show". ;o)
You HAD to upload this while I'm standing in the queue for Ride of Steel?!
You good? Lol how was it.
@@dunkinnatalie this is my ghost
There are times when you just need to suck up your pride and accept the fact you can't do the things able bodied people can, It's hard, but it's safer in the long run. I'm disabled myself, I know how it is.
Yeah that would’ve been great if someone had told the poor man he couldn’t ride
@@clairep3688 there were literally signs with warnings
My husband is a disabled veteran. Because of a heart condition, that might have been caused by the burn pits. We no longer do most rides. But we do take the kids to enjoy them.
Don’t put all the responsibility on the victim
@@pgakthe's not *fully* responsible but he def should have been more responsible when it came to this especially as a literal veteran... it's sad dude lost his life, but this is another display of ignorance from someone who doesn't listen
My home park’s Darien lake and this is a common story told and has gotten so exaggerated overtime to the point where they say that he had not just no legs but no arms, crazy fr.
Definitely gotten to the point where urban legends are being spread about it.
@@CoasterCollege most definitely
"The ride operators opted to continue to cycle the ride to unload riders." I'm sorry, they did WHAT!? Holy crap are they lucky the issue wasn't with the ride itself, and that the ejected passenger was flung clear of the ride instead of landing on the track. I get not wanting to mess with an emergency evac but that was reckless as hell.
Most have E stop and ways to evacuate safely. Or go backwards to avoid certain areas.
I like how you say that this accident is used as an example at many parks. As a trainer for a different park, I use this case in a powerpoint presentation that I show to my new hire groups as the reason why they need to properly watch out for these types of guests. The problem is that of course the ADA prohibits certain things that would allow the screening process to be much easier to deal with and simpler to understand for guests and employees.
Wym by "ada prohibits certain things that would make screening easier " cuz i cant think of anything you else you could do that wouldnt be either real invasive or illegal for a very good reason.
@@mothiiee For example, if someone is wearing a prosthetic leg. Many rides require that you have fully-formed, natural legs and the prosthetics will not suffice. The problem is that even if you suspect them to have a prosthetic (for example, you saw it under their pant leg) but they are wearing long pants, you cannot ask them for proof. You cannot ask if someone is able to support themselves as rides require. You just have to make that decision and sometimes it will be the wrong decision. We've had cases where someone is wearing a prosthetic leg one day (under long pants) and the next day come back with the same prosthetic but wearing shorts. Now, we allowed them to ride the first day unknowingly putting him in danger. Luckily nothing happened, but the next day it became a big dispute because obviously he rode and was fine. Someone did tell us that they suspected it but there was nothing we could do. We couldn't ask him to lift his pant leg to prove it was a natural leg. So sometimes we unwittingly and unknowingly put guests in danger because they don't disclose the information that they have to.
@@micycles1200That is not your fault and an investigation would likely clear you.
Always a good day when a “what really happened” videos comes out.
Keep up the good work 👍
Wow. I live in Buffalo NY so DL is my local park. I had no idea they cycled another train. I remember this being a MASSIVE story on the local news....and they interviewed witnesses that were riding the train with the rider, but never heard a thing about others that may have had to have seen something as well. How incredibly sad/awful all around☹️☹️
I may be biased coming from a rehabilitation background, but the fact that an amputee with that level of severity shouldn’t have been let on should have been extremely obvious; it shouldn’t need extra training to deal with, unless that training is assertive communication.
In Germany people with walking or vision disabilities are not allowed to ride any coasters. The TÜV (regulatory authority) states that all passengers must be able to enter and evacuate a ride on their own if necessary.
Thats a little extreme... they dont even let ppl with glasses on??? I cant see a good reason for that
@@mothiiee people with glasses can normally enter and exit a train on their own. I meant blind or near blind people
@@PetstoUwU still, why tho? Being able to see will not stop you from falling out of your seat, and having knee problems shouldnt bar someone either.
There are definitely limits but it shouldnt be *all* of a specific type of disability, thats too vague.
@@mothiiee the argument is that people need to be able to leave a ride through the block section breaks in the event of an emergency like a fire.
Darien Lake is my Home Park and I had no idea how impactful the accident was. Crazy
You forgot to mention that some rides have full body harnesses for guests with certain amputations.
I'm intending on applying for a job at Kentucky Kingdom next season, binging this series to remind myself just how dire the consequences are if you don't follow procedure.
YESSSS Been waiting for a remake of this video! Love the series keep up the great work!
Glad you enjoy it!
I remember hearing about this when I was working at Magic Springs. They had a special meeting with all of the ride operators. They made sure we knew all the rides that amputees such as this guest were not allowed on.
There's also no record of how much he complained either. I've seen people straight up physically unable to get into coaster seats and put the bar down get into absolute flaming rows with the ride operators. Also if the guy was wearing prosthetics, the operator may not have been aware of how severe his amputations were on visual inspection. It's not like part of the securing process involves groping each rider's knees.
Honestly, I blame the guest and more specifically his caregiver for trying to ride in the first place as much as the operators. They should have known better... the blame is not wholly on the park here.
He was not wearing prosthetics
so glad i’m watching this after i went on
It’s a shame that people get ejected from big roller coasters or just big rides in general but riders should know beforehand if they do or don’t fit by using a test seat if a coaster you want to ride has one and especially ride operators should understand
King’s Island had test seats at each coaster.
It really should be possible to add connection poits so that amputees could use an extra harness that secures them without relying on the rider having legs.
Arms matter too because the bars on some rides go over your arms like on the upright hanging coasters.
This is a thing on some coasters, I think.
This mean 2 people died the same way on this ride at 2 parks
No two in one park. The first guy was overweight and flew out bc it was just a tiny little bar holding you in which made it extremely hard for your body to stay seated in position. By the time the person in this clip went to the park they had added seatbelts as extra protection.
@@ClassyClapback nope one died in mass six flags to on super man
@@nikerulz22 Wow thats crazy!!! They made it seem like it was just at our park here!! :-(
I still think the guest has a large chunk of blame in this one, since reports confirm they were pushy about getting on. That being said, Intamin and the park trying to blame the ADA for the accident doesn't reflect too well on them.
The guest really wanted to ride and ignored every literal warning sign. A tragedy that should have been easy to prevent.
Wow! This really is a textbook example of amusement park accidents.
Such great research
I live near here and it was crazy because it’s such a small area, nothing really happens
At King’s Island it even explains on the entrance that amputees would not ride if they had 3 missing limbs or an amputation above the knee.
This is probably my favorite ride at the park. now every time it runs, the security on the ride is very very tight
So another person missing critical limbs (legs) allowed on a coaster ends up dead due to falling out of said coaster. Either the operator was stupid, did not notice, or was pressured by the rider himself (and if that is so, the rider is also to blame for forcing others to allow him to take this risk)
apparently he was pushy yes. I'm not surprised.
"Operators become complacent..."
And there it is.
This coaster was one that I refused to ride on as a kid because I hate the stomach drop feeling, not because of safety reasons. I did go on the Viper coaster a couple times, which I’d argue is “scarier” than any coaster at this park.
Some of you cannot listen well and it shows! They had to cycle the empty red car in order to let the following blue car come in to unload riders, then the ride was stopped.
Not the proper procedure though
There are steps next to the hillslope, and it could have stopped there.
This serves as the end of the remaster era
Now on to new accidents!
@@CoasterCollege debunked remaster
@@highspeedrailenjoyer1045nope
Check out "theme park nonsense" on my channel!
I can’t believe they didn’t notice someone fall off the ride and die, then chose to allow the blue train to continue and go past the dead body
I'd like to know what exactly the dude thought he would accomplish trying to get on the ride like that...like...why..
The idea of not stopping the next train when you have no idea what caused the incident is just mind blowing... very bad.
Correction: Hershend only operated the park, CNL Lifestyles had owned it during that time.
All parks need to have periodic safety checks of this kind and require operations employees to take a test every 6 months after initially trained. We have them at Universal we are constantly signing updated safety guideline procedures. Safety should always come first.
Some parks care more about tucked shirts
Ride of Steel uses a lapbar restraint. The guy didn’t have a lap. This blows my mind every time I read:m/see/hear about this. I’m sorry for the family but the deceased was clearly not in his right mind trying to ride. And this also shows why maybe teenagers aren’t the best folks to run heavy machinery… I don’t want to blame the ride ops but at the end of the day, they caved in to the guys demands, let him on the ride, and sent the train.
i think the teens didn't want to look bad in front of everyone from refusing service to a handicap veteran, who most likely was throwing a hissy fit in front of everyone about trying to get on the ride despite it being a safety issue, not discrimination. I know how human beings work.🙄😉
I'm going to miss What really happened so much 😭
It's not going anywhere...
I have been misinformed! 😅
Wow. This boggles me.
Shame on the staff members at Ride of Steel for this. Not asking the manufacturer specific guidelines is a HUGE no no. I don't care who the guest is. If it isn't safe for them to ride. Don't let them ride.
Most othet videos refer to the man arguing with and pressuring the park employees. Is this true?
The accident report makes no mention of it, some news articles do. I based this video on the report as I believe it's more accurate.
@@CoasterCollege fair enough
This accident has started up so many urban legends that I don't think we'll ever know exact specifics of what happened.
Access misunderstood as accommodated - by all parties involved.
"The guy sitting over there was thrown out" "Oh ok. Let me continue cycling the ride"
I don’t understand why people don’t use the test seats beforehand it’s so stupid and frustrating
The problem is that the riders are happy threatening to sue for discrimination, and the parks are afraid of that.
i feel bad for the operators bc the guy bullied them into letting him on. everyone always wants to leave that piece out, i guess bc he is a veteran?
I said a valid point to another commenter so i'm gonna copy paste what I wrote here since its pretty solid: i think the young impressionable ride operators didn't want to look bad in front of everyone else for refusing service to a handicap veteran, who most likely was throwing an entitled hissy fit in front of everyone about trying to get on the ride despite it being a safety issue, not discrimination. So yes it was extremely irresponsible for the ride operators to give in to his demands, and to also let the second train run anyways "because the guy didn't land on the track" (wtf guys!) but at the same time, I know how some Karen customers can try to bend people to their demands and be pig-headed entitles a-holes, and sometimes even succeed in their endeavors, using anything they can victimize themselves with to their advantage. I know how most human beings are.🙄😉🤣
I mean technically it's up to the consumer to read and understand what's going on. You should be aware of your surroundings for yourself. Anything extra that is done, is great, but it's no one else's fault if you don't read and understand... Especially if everything else was done correctly.
Side note... The employees should've E Stopped. Like... Wtf?
This one makes me so angry. If you don't have legs, you don't have a lap. unless there's an over the shoulder restraint, what is going to hold you in? I don't understand how no one realized that this was not going to work. It also makes me sad for double amputees that they can't ride rides and it makes me think someone should design a special restraint system or something. We should have a lot more support for veterans in general so they can live their lives to the fullest after sacrificing for us.
It’s a good ride tho. The workers at Darien lake are either really sweet and good at there job. Or super bad at there job and rude.
You forgot to mention the rider was being extremely rude and combative to the teen operators and was threatening them which is why they let him on the ride.
Talk about the top thrill dragster lady that was hit waiting in line.
Out of respect for multiple close friends who were there that day I don't plan to ever cover that accident.
@@CoasterCollege lame
@@SpitefulAZthere's plenty of videos that already cover the incident from other credible coaster channels, not rlly lame
@@silvergust I only know of coaster college
To be fair, the sign itself really wasn’t adequate, either. It was a giant wall of text and vaguely worded at that. At no point did it *explicitly* state that disabled guests could not ride this ride - only to consult guest services, and for the guest to determine for themselves if the warning applies to them. That might protect the park from a lawsuit, but it is not sufficient in actually protecting guests.
The operators should have E-stopped the ride immediately.
safest six flags ride:
These types of incidents are inevitable in the amusement park industry.
They're very rare, but they do happen.
I wouldn't say inevitable, they are very preventable.
@@CoasterCollege Murphy's law
"early 2000s" lol
There’s reports online from people waiting in line that state he was told by the teens running the ride that he couldn’t ride & he decided to go all Karen & scream about how he’s a veteran & blah blah blah respect blah blah blah earned my place on This ride blah blah blah. If this is accurate literally no one would be surprised & again, if accurate, the results are karmic.
I haven't been able to find a reliable report that states that.
Agreed it’s stupid that he knew that he couldn’t rode but he didn’t care could have been a accident AVOIDED
People that are overweight and people who have a disability shouldn't be allowed on rides that they can be dangerous to them. You know they didn't care about what could happen.
I believe parks are forced to have certain standards and admittance polices by law because of the ADA forcing them to, but I could absolutely be wrong
@@Irreve-rsibleNo, the ADA doesn’t force parks to put disabled people on rides that will kill them
@@pgakt I think you misunderstood my point.
Fat people ejecting from rollar coasters. Name a more iconic duo.
Disgusting comment
Weight and height limits should be enforced strictly, including notable disabilities that would affect one's physics. Whether half a leg or a whole leg, such differences make a huge difference in keeping somebody strapped in safely.