Roller coasters: a fun time or a risky chance???

Jovani Arroyo and Miguel Tecuanhuey|April 8, 2014

Roller coasters: a fun time or a risky chance???

commons.wikimedia.org

This is the Knotts ride the Xcelerator. One incident that occurred was when the launch cable snapped and split one of the cable cars in half while also injuring a man whose leg was lashed and later had to get a $30,000 surgery to remove the scar tissue
This is the Knotts ride the Xcelerator. One incident that occurred was when the launch cable snapped and split one of the cable cars in half while also injuring a man whose leg was lashed and later had to get a $30,000 surgery to remove the scar tissue.
Picture provided by en.wikipedia.org.

Roller coasters were invented for families to have a fun time. However, many injuries and deaths have been reported due to roller coaster malfunctions. Over approximately 13,000 people are injured out of the one billion riders in carnivals per year, which has a higher rate of injury than theme parks, which have approximately 9,200 injuries out of the 1.7 billion riders every year.

Wendy Ronquillo, eighth grader, said that she has never heard of any injuries related to roller coasters and thought that it’s stupid to know that some people have some type of health problem and still get on the ride. Wendy also said if she ever saw someone fall off, “I would make sure that I am secured.”

Eighth grader, Viviana Hernandez, said that she has never heard of any injuries but said, “I’ve seen videos where people get hurt, and it makes me feel unsure if roller-coasters are safe or not.”

Sixth grader, Max Sebastian, said, “I was browsing on YouTube and it said Disney Park accidents. One of the deaths I heard was on Matterhorn [Bobsleds] when someone stood up when going down and fell down and their skull was crushed. ”

Eighth grader, Chris Ramirez, said that he heard of an incident that took place in a fair and said, “They didn’t check if it was safe and then the roller coaster was wiggling and it fell off [the track]. Luckily no one was hurt.”

One death occurred in 2012 at “Six Flags” on the ride “Texas Giant” where a woman named Rosie Esparza fell out of the ride in front of her son and other people. The German creators of the ride sent experts to find out what went wrong. Carmen Brown said to ABC News that she heard Esparza tell an employee before the ride started that the ride might not be secure. According to the ABC News report, a “Six Flags” spokesperson said,” We are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident and will utilize every resource  throughout this process.” It is possible that Esparza’s size could have been the cause of this tragic incident.

Despite all the dangers, many people still ride roller coasters. They want to have a fun time. However, this choice can lead to a tragic accident. If you get on a roller coaster, you should know the risks you are taking. Before you get on a ride, read the Warning sign as it may include something that you may have. Some conditions that may  be included are if you are pregnant, have a heart condition, or have recently had surgery , you should not get on the ride.