From: wjf@controls.ccd.harris.com (Bill Figie)
Subject: Re: Bat "deaths" (was Re: Top Gun at King's Island)
Originator: wjf@rs2
Organization: Harris Controls
 <1992Nov14.193310.1678@news.columbia.edu>
 <1e4stkINN4jo@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> <Bxro89.DqH@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 20:50:36 GMT


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??

Next someone (I forget and I erased the name) writes:
|> >
|> >I don't know if this article was entirely serious, but I thought
|> > someone
|> >should clarify..  The Bat did indeed have a lot of mechanical
|> > problems (which have been discussed here several times), and it
|> > was removed for that reason.  
|> >
|> >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...

 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

I feel I must enter this little exchange.  I am not from the Ohio area,
I am really from Florida, but have been a member of ACE, NAPHA, WNYCC,
Amusement Park Journal (now defunct), and have been actively into roller
coasters for over 13 plus years now.  In that time I have heard about
many different accidents around the country.  None of the roller coaster
clubs has tried to hide the fact that sometimes things do go wrong.  But
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.

I hate to disagree with someone who is there but I would have assumed
that in the past 13 years I would have heard more about accidents at KI
if they really did occur.  Also, why did the newspaper article, which
was definitely trying to sensationalize the other accident, not did up
the other deaths?  Sorry but I don't believe that KI has had other
deaths on their coasters.


		Bill "only 98% sure on this" Figie
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster