From: aq009@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (David A. Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
Subject: Re: Bat "deaths" (was Re: Top Gun at King's Island)
Date: 16 Nov 1992 22:16:57 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: aq009@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (David A. Johnson)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, wjf@controls.ccd.harris.com (Bill Figie) says:

>
>In first post David Johnson wrote:
>|> >>KI had a ride like this called the Bat about 8-10 years ago, but
> they had
>|> >>a lot of troubles with it.  The cars kept falling off and people got
>|> >>killed often.  SO, Needless to say, they took it out.  Does anyone
>|> >>remember it??

No, I didn't write that!  It was Rob Dorocke!

>Next someone (I forget and I erased the name) writes:

[...]

>|> >However, no one ever died on The Bat.  Indeed, nobody has ever died on
>|> >any of Kings Island's roller coasters.  In fact, the only ride-related
>|> >death in KI's history was the Flight Commander incident during the 
>|> >1991 season.  I'd say that's a pretty good record for 20 years of
>|> > operation...

I wrote the above passage.

> Then in article David "Buddy" Johnson writes again:
>
>
>|> At least two people died on the Bat, I remember that vivdly.  One of
>|> the cars fell off and the people in the front were killed, the ohers
>|> were hospitalized.  About three years ago, two people died on the
>|> King Cobra when 3d hospitalized.  About three years ago, a man was
>|> killed on the King Cobra when his seat fell off  of the main chassis.
>|>  I remember this one also because I was there the day after it
>|> happpened.  I was dissappointed that it was not running and was
>|> told by my father that he saw the story on the news

And again, I did not write the above.  It was Rob again.


I needed to clarify that.  Watch those attributions!  Nobody likes to be
misquoted!  

Now, then...

[...]

>these accusations about deaths at Kings Island are not true.  Two years
>ago I was up at KI about a week after the Flight Commander accident took
>place and I got a Sunday Cincinnati newspaper with a realy big article
>on the accidents, and in it they claimed that this was the only death at
>this park in the 20 years it has been in existence.  They did also have
>either the same day or very close around it another death at the water
>park owned by Kings.  I have never heard of any other deaths at KI. 
>They did have problems with the Bat but there was never any bad press
>from anyone getting seriously injured.  There was also an accident with
>the King Cobra where the train did come off the track but I don't think
>anyone died.

Actually, the other death occurred the same day in the giant fountain at
the base of the Eiffel Tower.  Somebody tried to rescue another person who
had fallen in, and was somehow electrocuted.  (I suppose there wasn't
sufficient insulation on the wiring for the pump or the lights in the
fountain).  KI was cited by OSHA for violating some workplace regulations
in connection with the fountain incident.

I agree with everything else you say, though (hey, I've already said most
of it!).  :-)

>Sorry but I don't believe that KI has had other
>deaths on their coasters.

Well, since neither the Flight Commander nor the picturesque fountain is a
roller coaster, KI hasn't had any deaths on any of their coasters.  (So
there's no "other" about it...)  Sorry to be so picky!  :-)
-- 
_________________         David "Buddy" Johnson         _________________
      "I'm       \     aq009@cleveland.freenet.edu     /   ...no one
   looking for    \       "The Beast is always        /  seems to have." 
    something...   \       lurking in ambush."       /     -Mudhoney