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Accident Watch

What is Accident Watch?

In the United States, no official source is keeping a complete national record of theme park accidents. And in many U.S. states, including Florida, theme parks are not legally required to report accidents involving injury to anyone.

That's why Theme Park Insider users are stepping up, to provide amusement park safety data that the public needs, and ought to be entitled to get.

In 2001, the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and the Online News Association honored Accident Watch with the Online Journalism Award for Service Journalism.

Recent Verified Incidents

Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain
8/30/2008
A 20-year-old man scaled a security fence surrounding the roller coaster, allegedly to retrieve a hat, when he was struck by the train. The man was taken to a local hospital, where his condition was unknown.

Recent Reports Awaiting Verification

Batman-The Dark Knight at Six Flags New England
10/11/2008
10/11/2008 I was injured on The Batman roller coaster at Six Flags New England when a cell phone hit me in the face during the ride, just missing my eye. It took about 20 minutes for the park's medical staff to arrive and give me ice for my swelling face. I refused an ambulance ride to the hospital. Although roller coaster incidents are rare, this could have been prevented if Six Flags safety policy prohibited people from having cell phones and other loose items in their pockets. The owner of the cell phone was not detained or questioned after he assured the attendant that the phone was secured in his cargo shorts and that he did not remove it during the ride. It is scary that compliance with their safety policy still allowed this injury to occur. I was told that this type of injury involving a cell phone had never been reported before this and that they would not change their policy, insisting that it is unfair to not allow cell phones in the park. The Six Flags management staff denied me a refund since I had been in the park for over 3 hours. I was not physically able or willing to enjoy any more rides that day. When I politely but obstinately stated I would not leave without a refund the staff threatened to call security/and or the police to escort me out. I left the park on my own terms, listening and watching other people have the time of their lives, knowing that I will never again be able to feel the same as them. Having joined the small statistical pool of amusement park injuries makes me inclined to see the darker side of the industry. I am unlucky in that manner but also very lucky that I did not loose my eye-or worse. I beg Six Flags to crack down on their safety policy but so far they refuse to see a problem. The scary part is that as I left the park that day a small group of people as gathered around the fence at the bottom of the Superman:Ride of Steel examining a cell phone that had been hurtled off of the ride. A girl standing close by said that she felt her phone slipping out of her pocket during the ride and that she had to hold it in place.

How to stay safe at a theme park

For more information on how you can keep yourself and your family safe on theme park rides, check out this advice from Theme Park Insider and its readers.

Browse recent theme park accident reports

You'll find the five most recent verified accidents reported to Theme Park Insider on the right of this page. A complete list of all verified accidents reported to us is available here.

How to report an accident

You can submit an accident report for any attraction listed on Theme Park Insider from its attraction listing page. Or, go straight to the report submission pages by using this form.

Official information

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission surveys a sample of U.S. hospitals to collect information about product injuries, including those at amusement parks. However, this survey does not include incidents from seven of the nation's most popular theme parks, including those at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. Nor does the survey include injuries that required medical care, but not a trip to an emergency room.

The CPSC has used this survey data to create a report on amusement ride injuries and deaths from 1987 to 2004. The CPSC estimated 3,400 accidents at fixed site parks in 2004.

The CPSC also provides an overview of what states are--or are not--doing to inspect rides. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required for both reports.)

These remain the best *official* sources of information on theme park safety in the United States.

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