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Thorpe Park Ride Rethink

Thorpe Park: The new Swarm ride has been taken back to the drawing board after the test dummies lost limbs on test run.

From Rob P
Posted January 26, 2012 at 11:16 AM
Sky News reports that Thorpe Park has redesigned it's new " The Swarm " ride for safety reasons.

Do you think that this information should have been released into the public domain ? Is it merely a PR stunt designed to stimulate interest ? and Would this kind of report make you less or more confident about riding a coaster ?

Thorpe Park officials claim it's in the public interest to release such information.

Here's the link :
http://news.sky.com/home/strange-news/article/16155736


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From steve lee
Posted January 26, 2012 at 11:26 AM
PR stunt. And a rather tasteless one at that.

From Mike Gallagher
Posted January 26, 2012 at 12:28 PM
PR stunt, definitely. But "tasteless?" That's in the eye of the beholder.

From steve lee
Posted January 26, 2012 at 1:14 PM
There's a nice girl in Kentucky who would probably agree with me, Mike. Some folks don't find the whole "haha - the ride maimed me" thing funny.

I first became aware of this, about 10 years ago, the summer my oldest boy Bill Jr. died. You know that carnival that comes to town every year? Well this year it came with a ride called the Mixer. The man said "Keep your head and arms inside the mixer at all times." But Bill Jr., he was a daredevil (just like his old man). He was leaning out saying, "Hey everybody! Look at me, look at me!" POW! He was decapitated. They found his head over by the snowcone concession.

Wow. I've wanted to use that for so long. Pity only one person will probably get it without having to resort to google-fu.

From Mike Gallagher
Posted January 26, 2012 at 1:52 PM
Dead Milkmen, huh? Cool reference, although I did have to look it up. I was much more into another "Dead" group myself..the Kennedys, not the Grateful.

Weird Al also did a song about a decapitation on an amusement ride.

From Mike Gallagher
Posted January 27, 2012 at 10:36 AM
The New York Post prints a daily column called Weird But True, which collects four or five odd news stories from around the USA, as well as the world. This story about the Swarm actually made the column today.

From Adam O'Malley
Posted January 31, 2012 at 11:25 AM
I don't care I just wanna be a the front on opening day!

From Rob P
Posted February 6, 2012 at 5:21 AM
Steve wrote : There's a nice girl in Kentucky who would probably agree with me, Mike. Some folks don't find the whole "haha - the ride maimed me" thing funny.

No matter how hard I try I can't help but read that part of your post in Ben Stiller's voice. ;>)

From Caroline Davis
Posted February 6, 2012 at 6:13 AM
And the huge "redesign" was that they shaved a foot or so off the church. I would love to work Merlin's PR department, they sound like a bunch of jokers. It was a story about a ouija board last year, wasn't it.

Excited by the ride though. That first inversion looks like fun.

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