A string of incidents at Six Flags raises questions about amusement ride safety – NJ.com

El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure has been named the best wooden roller coaster in the United States.

At more than 180 feet high, perched upon a massive scaffolding of pine and fir, it features a 76-degree scream-worthy plunge that its builders boast is the steepest drop of any wooden roller coaster in the world. On their way down, riders hit 70 miles an hour, as they zip across a series of camelbacks and slam into several high-G banked turns, in an intense lesson about the power of physics along a 4,400-foot-long track.

But the popular coaster is not for the faint at heart. El Toro, which has been shut down since June 29 after a partial derailment, has had nine reported ride incidents since 2018, according to state data examined by NJ Advance Media — more than any other attraction at Six Flags in Jackson Township.

Most recently, the ride was forced to stop short of the station after the rear “up-stop” wheel, which prevents the train from lifting, came up on top of the rail, according to the Department of Community Affairs, the agency that regulates and inspects amusements in New Jersey. Nobody was hurt.

Nearly two months later, El Toro remains shut down and park officials will not say when, or if, it will reopen.

The mishap, meanwhile, was only the latest in a string of incidents at Six Flags this season, some that have led to injuries, or temporarily shut down some rides. Since March, there have been 13 incidents at Six Flags reported to the state with another two at Hurricane Harbor, the waterpark operated by Six Flags, the data showed, some garnering no public attention.

Among those incidents

• On Fender Bumpers, a child-oriented ride, a guest in April complained of back pain after she claimed to have been struck from behind, according to a report of the incident.
• In June, two people were hurt after two boats collided coming down a chute on the Saw Mill log flume ride. Earlier in the season in May on the same ride, a station drive motor with a bad drive belt caused smoke to rise from under the station, but caused no injuries.
• On July 11, the park temporarily suspended operation of its Nitro roller coaster after a complaint that a restraining bar intended to keep riders in the seats had malfunctioned. While no one was injured, a report of the incident found that the seat had a misaligned lap bar position sensor.
• On July 14, a young boy suffered a head injury on The Joker and the coaster was taken out of service for an investigation.
• On July 24, a guest riding Green Lantern, a roller coaster that puts riders through five inversions — all while standing up — reportedly passed out and did not regain consciousness until moved from the ride by EMTs.

The state data showed the number of incidents this year at Six Flags, while relatively low in number, have already exceeded those reported in 2019, but remain well below those in 2018.

The COVID pandemic affected amusement park attendance across the country in 2020.

Officials at Six Flags Great Adventure said the park invests significant resources in its safety programs.

“Six Flags has an excellent safety record and one of the most comprehensive safety programs in our industry. In fact, we are a leader in the development of safety standards used in theme parks around the world, and all Six Flags parks adhere to these standards,” said spokeswoman Gabriel Darretta, noting the rides in New Jersey are inspected annually by internal and external experts. She added that the park’s maintenance and safety teams complete extensive safety checks before opening the rides each day.

She did not respond to specific questions about the rides where the most recent mishaps occurred, but said the Log Flume reopened July 9, after an investigation and full safety inspection.

As for the future of El Toro, she said only that it remains closed.

“It is one of our signature attractions, and we are working diligently to reopen the ride following testing and a full safety inspection by both internal and external experts,” she said. “It is important to note that the train’s safety systems worked as designed and no guests were injured.”

According to the state incident reports, though, riders have been hurt on El Toro in the past, although none appeared to involve anything more significant than the kind of bumps, sprains and bruises that seem to come with high-velocity thrill rides across the country.

In 2018, two riders reported neck pain after getting off El Toro. Another reportedly came off ride unconscious, according to one state incident report, which said attendants were “unable to determine what exactly occurred as the family did not speak English.”

Last year, a guest hit her head against the headrest of the ride vehicle during the course of the ride and another was struck in the eye when someone’s hat flew off and hit him in the face, according to the incident reports filed with the state.

Not all reported incidents at amusement parks in the state result in injuries, and reports may be filed in connection with simple ride malfunctions, mechanical faults or even slips and falls while waiting on line.

Since 2018, for example, six incidents have been reported by Essex County in connection with its slow-moving kiddie train at the Turtle Back Zoo, including several derailments. None involved injuries, the state data indicated.

And in fact, the number of actual violations issued to ride operators by state inspectors has been relatively constant over the years.

Most of them — 466 — involve electrical subcode violations. Operators were also often cited for assembly and disassembly violations, usually involving traveling rides. In addition, 187 violations have been issued for worn parts between 2018 and 2021. Inspectors also hit operators with 139 violations for electrical equipment and wiring, and 75 for maintenance and repair.

Among all amusement operators in New Jersey, 62 rides were tagged “out of service” at some point in the past four years because of issues with seatbelts, lap bars, straps and shoulder harnesses, chains, secondary locking devices and any other form of restraint, according to an analysis of the state data.

Nationwide, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said from 2017-2019, an annual average of 34,700 injuries associated with amusement attractions, including water slides, were seen in U.S. hospital emergency departments.

The ride in New Jersey that generated the most number of incident reports since 2018, in fact, was a water slide, the state data revealed.

Patriots Plunge at Casino Pier & Breakwater Beach in Seaside Heights had 10 reported incidents. Most involved riders who go down the slide on mats losing control on their way down. One went head over feet over mat in the runout, with a front tooth biting into their upper lip. In June, a guest flipped near bottom and was cut on his arm. He was also not alert or oriented after he came off the slide, unable to say where he was or say his name, according to the state report of the incident.

“We will not be commenting on any incidents from our parks,” said park spokeswoman Maria Mastoris Saltzman.

Last year, the CPSC said the number of injuries attributed to amusement rides in the United States were down significantly, to 12,400, attributing the large decrease most likely due to Covid closures.

Since 2016, the CPSC said it was aware of 17 deaths across the country including the recent Adventureland death in Iowa, where an 11-year-old boy was killed after a raft on a white-water river ride overturned earlier this year.

In two of other cases cited by the agency, the victim had snuck in while the park was closed. One of the 17 cases involved a man thrown from a mechanical bull.

Here in New Jersey, 10-year old Hailey Lynn McMullen was killed in October 2019 after she was thrown from the “Xtreme Super Sizzler” at the Harvest Festival in Deerfield Township in Cumberland County.

The IAAPA, the global association for the attractions industry once known as the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, said visiting an amusement park remains a favorite tradition for millions of Americans and that safety is a priority.

“One injury is one too many,” said spokeswoman Susan Storey. “If an incident does occur, park operators investigate what happened, review the findings, and if necessary, will make adjustments to continue to provide the safest experience possible.”

She said ongoing ride maintenance includes inspection, testing, part replacement and passing inspection from local and/or state governing authorities, insurance companies and third-party inspectors, regardless if the facility is a seasonal or year-round operation.

Officials at Six Flags say they operate in a very safe industry.

“Approximately 290 million guests visit the 300 U.S. amusement parks each year, taking 1.7 billion rides. At Six Flags Great Adventure, we provide more than 15 million safe rides each year and we continue to see high demand for our rides and attractions,” said Darretta. “The safety of our guests and team members is paramount.”

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Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL