One of the craziest attractions was the Cannonball Loop. WebA. I remember some guy yelling, LET GO! So I did. The Tagada may not be as fast or as steep as a roller-coaster, but it is certainly more dangerous. Because nothing was spelled out to you, you had no real understanding of what to do., I remember the noise as the handlebars violently hit the end of the line, Mark continues. They've since reopened with an emphasis on not killing or maiming people. After minutes of sitting on the track, anticipating the stomach-dropping sensation to come, riders realized there was an issue. WELCOME to New Jersey's Action Park, the country's most dangerous attraction, which took the lives of several visitors in the decades after it opened in 1978. The story of Action Park is like capturing the essence of the 1980s in a nutshell. On top of this, the pool was often overcrowded and when the waves grew too intense, guests flooded the ladders in order to get out. See Our Before-and-After Layouts and Vote! Twenty-seven people were injured as a result of this accident. While most visitors often only left with a scrape or bruise, others were unlucky enough to receive broken bones, bloody noses, concussions, and worse. The top of this thing was a good 8 feet off the ground and I remember so many kidsincluding myselfgetting battered from using it. In Kansas City, a waterslide ride that boasts being one of the tallest in the world, took the life of a young boy back in 2016. #ActionPark, Why a Fake TV Simulator is the Perfect Addition to Your Home Security System, Princess Bride Trivia: 25 Inconceivable Facts About The Beloved Film, Richard Belzers Last Words Were, F*** you, Motherf*****!, 11 Things You Need To Consider Before Creating An Employee Wellness Program, Head Injury at The Alpine Slide July 8, 1980, George Larsson, Jr., a 19-year-old employee at the parks ski resort, Drowning at The Tidal Wave Pool July 24, 1982: 15-year-old boy, Electrocution at The Kayak Experience August 1, 1982, a 27-year-old man from Long Island, Drowning at The Tidal Wave Pool August 27, 1984: Donald DePass, 20-year-old from Brooklyn, Drowning at The Tidal Wave Pool July 19, 1987: Gregory Grandchamps, 18-year-old. For what feels like hours, I watched bro after bro in the 25- to 45-year-old range go down the slide headfirst, seemingly reach top speed at the bottom of the slide, glide across the landing and fucking smash so hard into the barrier, a roll of padding you might see in a gymnasium, he says. The dummies were coming out completely mangled. Some of the first few who tried it came out the bottom with bloody mouths. Eventually, they put it all together in 1978, to form Action Park.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'everything80spodcast_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_3',104,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-everything80spodcast_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Water slides were the main attraction, but the park was divided into three sections. But in 2007, five people were injured on the log flume ride, which remained closed for a significant amount of time while technicians worked to fix a malfunction that caused the traumatic event. Or opt for something more contemporary with these amusement park rides opening this year. D. The Disneyland Company.4. The water was so filled with gas and oil that you dare not fall into it. Most infamous of all the rides was the famed Cannonball Loop, a water slide with an enclosed loop in it. But kids were finding the gas tanks and lighting the balls on fire to shoot them. Flash forward a few decades and Im an adult with access to the internet and a phone. At an amusement park down under, a faulty water pump lead to a water ride raft being stranded. We recommend our users to update the browser. The leading independent voice for aviation news and insight. CONFIRMED - Disney's Typhoon Lagoon To Reopen In March, Blizzard Beach To Remain Open! How could a park that went through all this turmoil still attract people? It became notorious for being unsafe with many accidents and was a place where rules didnt necessarily have to be followedby visitors or owners. Your email address will not be published. In the late 1970s, he began looking for a way to make money during the summer months. So you can understand why this is seen as one of the most dangerous parks in the States. The owner of Action Park also had connections to some higher-up people, which seemed to lead to even fewer restraints. I dont think we had that person., Brian, now 35, grew up in West Milford, the next town over from Action Park. Not only did he have a company to prevent him from paying insurance, but he could also launder money through it. Since these attractions bring in a ludicrous amount of money a year, it's highly unlikely there will be changes. Soon after winning the Super Bowl, the 1986 New York Giants went to Action Park to celebrate, Porges says. If you were a kid who grew up in the tri-state area in the 1980s and 1990s, just hearing the words Action Park will unleash a flood of memories as overwhelming as the parks infamous wave pool, affectionately known as the grave pool. The popular theme park featured rides so unsafe they seemed almost designed to injure. THEN & NOW: How Did Mr. Toad's Fantasyland Ride Turn into Pooh? Well, Disney World is definitely the most dangerous place on Earth for a sense of fashion. It seems like a fairly safe place, but after hearing abouta tree branch falling on the rails of a roller coaster ride and derailing the coaster's car, that's enough for anyone to want to stay away. Theme Park Tourist is one of thewebs leading sources of essential information and entertaining articles about theme parks in Orlando and beyond. And they were allowed to determine what constituted a serious injury. That was the case with Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey. Nobody actually died in it, but the park had to build a hatch into the loop so stuck visitors could climb out before they drowned or got hit by another patron. Then there were the issues with Robert Brennan. As youre riding down it, kids are shooting out of the tubes next to you. It was a daredevils dream, just like these incredible amusement parks. Like Action Park, we seemed to have very few limits and restrictions. There was Surf Hill, which was like a giant Slip n Slide, but that went down a cliff. I vividly remember getting yelled at for throwing out four-day-old shriveled-up hot dogs that legit looked like Slim Jims, he says. In the Documentary, they tell of kids being rammed and launched straight out of the ride. While most of these places aren't where you'd catch Mickey Mouse and Ariana Grande, some are extremely popular attractions that you have been to. Batman: The Ride gives you all the fun of being Batman, which is actually, it's no fun being Batman. At least Alabama Adventure Amusement Park in Bessemer shut down the Wild River Gorge Ride after it overturned and trapped numerous riders back in the summer of 2009. Stuck in quarantine, these guys built roller-coasters in their backyards, Tickle Me Kaczynski: How the Inventor of the Ultimate Elmo Toy Became a Unabomber Suspect, Real Italians Put Hot Dogs and French Fries on Their Pizza, The Other Drug War: Inside the World of Counterfeit Viagra, The $65 Million Art Heist That Put Oceans Eleven to Shame. They say theres no such thing as bad publicity, but in the case of Action Park, the negative press reports caught up with them. There was also the Tarzan Swing. As the theme song boasted, The action never stops at Action Park and neither did the life-altering injuries. There are some terrible and unfortunate stories, but it remains the perfect microcosm for how so many kids experienced the 80s. His first summer attraction took advantage of the ski lifts and was called the Alpine Slide, a 2,700-foot-long cement slide that guests would go down on a mini-sled with just a hand-operated brake helping them manage the speed. While there have been no major injuries reported at this park, it's only a matter of time before something goes wrong. It doesn't matter where adrenaline enthusiasts live, there's always a theme park or two they're trying to chase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The ride called, "Shoot the Rapids" malfunctioned and injured several people back in 2013. It was never open on any trip I made there, he tells me. It wont surprise you to learn that we got a lot of complaints., In fairness, the job wasnt exactly a walk in the, um, park. Copyright 2009-2020 Theme Park Tourist, website by Siruss. Holding up to 1,000 people at a time and sporting meter-high waves, around 30 people needed to be rescued from it daily. Magical Midway in Florida offers a ride known as the Reverse Bungee where passengers sit in a vehicle that is tethered to two different towers using spring cables. And unfortunately, occasionally there were some unfortunate results that occurred where people pushed themselves too far, he said. They decided to add some padding. We would disappear for hours on end, no cell phones, no checking injust be back in time for dinner. The people who worked there were beyond ill-equipped to fit me with one of their four harness sizes. And that's just in Florida the Monorail at Disneyland in California also has one fatality to its name, though that was due to idiocy by a teenager who climbed up on the tracks and got run over. abandoned amusement parks will give you the creeps. This is the 80s, so they didnt have to disclose their injury reports, only the most serious. Going from super hot weather into freezing cold water was putting some people into shock. More lawsuits had also popped up. In particular, Disney World in Florida has had some pretty awful things happen, including that very publicized event with the alligator. The initial focus was on skiing, but what would they do in the summer? Additionally, there have been 110 reported injuries. I wasnt technically allowed to ride my bike outside of my neighborhood, but we would often ride to explore old abandoned homes. When I recently saw an old ad on YouTube, it reminded me exactly how I felt the first moment I discovered the parks existence: I was desperate, begging my mom to let me go to Vernon, New Jersey, as soon as humanly possible. And happen they did a lot. Andy, who released a book about Action Park this year, spent his youth working in the park, which consisted of three themed areas. They would draw out the cases so long that it became too much trouble to even pursue. These incidents took place in the early 80s. In 2016, the name went back to Mountain Creek Waterpark. THIS Midwest Park Sat Closed for 5 Years and Now Thrives. an entertainment centre B. a popular theme park C. a dangerous project D. a nuclear power station3. So, unless you are very healthy and can handle crazy roller coasters, you may want to give this one a miss. Then, on the way down, when you actually skin your knee, youre like, I knew I shouldnt have done this. After you survived, though, you did feel a real sense of accomplishment.. Naturally, this has resulted in numerous incidents at SCAD Towers around the world (including a 12-year-old girl who suffered multiple fractures, a brain injury, and was paralyzed for several years) , due to the nets being at the wrong height, not deployed at all, or people missing the net entirely. Three years later, a power outage at Luna Park brought the roller coaster to abrupt stop along its journey, and riders were once again obliged to walk down the steep steps that line the track. Cyclone. Unfortunately, another death occurred in the wave pool. According to The Seattle Times, Waterworld California in Concord is responsible for harming 32 teens. Mulvihills company, Great American Recreation, was $48 million in debt and backed into a corner of bankruptcy, up to its ears in lawsuits and an insurance fraud indictment. This ride took four lives in 2016. The Hong Kong citizens. An older man fellnearly 17 feet from a roller coaster and suffered serious injuries. His next move was to buy up some old ski resorts in Vernon, New Jersey. But that wasnt the main problem: the water was actually freezing cold spring water with live trout in it. It represented the freedoms kids had during this era. She is a member of the Class of 2021 at Duke University, where she writes for the school newspaper, The Chronicle. 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