Accidents Involving Injury at Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls

Official U.S. federal and state data on theme park accidents is almost nonexistent. That's why Theme Park Insider users are creating this visitor-maintained database of theme park accidents--to give public at least some information about attraction safety records.

Do you know of, or have been part of, an accident involving injury at Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls? Report it to Theme Park Insider.

(If you are looking for general information about Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, please visit Theme Park Insider's reader reviews for Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls.)

Verified Incidents

8/20/2000 - Submitted by Name Withheld on 9/10/2001

A 40-year-old woman was injured on the last drop, when she was propelled out of the seat and slammed back down hard. The ride was actually stopped for a few hours and she was taken off of the ride by paramedics. She sustained a fractured coccyx, herniated cervical discs and other injuries.

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Follow-up:
I have spoken to the lawyer representing the individual described above and can confirm the incident from emergency response reports. -- Submitted by robert on 9/10/2001

Unverified Reports

My son was injured on the last drop and hurt his neck. They should install lap bars.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Follow-up:
they did install lap bars as of last year i am supervisor of that ride and as a safety reason we had to install lap bars -- Submitted by wolfie on 10/22/2007

I know for a fact that lap bars were not installed until at least after July 07' as i was there then with my family and this was the first ride we went on. We didn't know so we screwed up and got in the single riders line and my mom had been on this before so when we got split up she told me to be sure and hold on to the side of the car because there were no lap bars. -- Submitted by WllwnBad on 8/1/2009

On the final drop, my husband (age 54) said he felt like he was going to be thrown out of the ride, and was then slammed back down hard on his tailbone. He reported it to Universal's health center, who recommended that he go to Sand Lake Hospital. Personnel at Sand Lake told us that they had noted an increase in injuries from this ride. He was prescribed a heavy duty pain killer for a bruised coccyx, and was in pain for 6 months. Universal will not accept any responsibility for his injury.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Follow-up:
the final drop on this ride is pretty intense it is likely that your husband was hurt due to the impact of the splash when you come down it is a very hard jerk but luckily they have recently added a lap bar within the last year or two i have heard -- Submitted by coasterloverx13 on 4/25/2008

59 yr old woman experienced being propelled up out of the seat and slammed down hard. Taken off the ride by ambulance, to Sand Lake Hospital who reported no fracture. After two days of travel a CAT scan confirmed a compression fracture at L1.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

I am not one to complain so I did not report this at the time. I was lifted with a little "air time" on the main drop and came down quite hard on my tailbone. It hurt but I figured it would heal fast. It has been a week now and I still feel pain. I have ridden this log ride 3 times before and not had any injury.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Follow-up:
Just to update I have fully healed from my brused tailbone. It took about 2 weeks to fully recover. I will ride this one again. -- Submitted by a1stav on 11/10/2003

Injuries at Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls... I have been on the ride 3 times on different occasions and will never go on it again!!! The first two times I was thrown into the air landing on the person in front of me; and the last time I was on it I bruised or possbily fractured my coccyx. I didn't report it at the time but it hurt for months afterwards and occassionally it will still bug me every once in a while. It is a very dangerous ride with no restraints what-so-ever and the seat and leg positionings are very uncomfortable, exactly like sitting on a hard log.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Follow-up:
A comment to LWARD369's post about there being no restraints on this ride. There is a hand grab rail on both sides of the vehicle/boat. -- Submitted by rayking on 2/15/2004

while your in line for this ride there are signs saying please hold on to the grab rail. Now if people had been holding on they would not of been thrown. The park cannot be blamed for a mistake that you have caused. -- Submitted by martini on 11/17/2004

I've ridden this ride 3 times (in the summer of 2002, 2003 & 2004), and every time I held the hand rails and still came out of my seat on the last drop. I bruised my tailbone twice. It's not worth the pain. I'll never ride again.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

I rode this with my husband and I did, in fact, hold onto the handrails. I was still lifted out of my seat by quite a few inches and slammed back down, as was he. We both had a painful ride home (8 hours on the road). It took about a week for me to get over my pain. It wasn't enough to ruin the day for me at Universal, but I will never ride this ride again. Also, people who state holding hand rails are enough of a harness to hold someone in a log flume ride such as this, must not understand the laws of physics.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

A 44 yr.old female was seated alone in the last compartment of the ride and was propelled out of the seat after the final descent. Although she felt that she "jarred" her body, she did not report the incident at the time. She sustained a fractured coccyx. She said that if there was somehing on the ride to restrain her or to hold on to, she wouldn't have been injured.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Follow-up:
And yet again, we must update--there ARE bars to hold onto at the side of the boat, and these bars were on the logs as early as 2001. I know this because I've been attending the park since it's opening. -- Submitted by Name Withheld on 8/2/2004

I would have to agree, ive been going to IOA since it opened in 1999, and ive never had any problem with the rides. Their are hand rails as well as foot notches on the ride to help you brace for the end fall and if you use them you wont have a problem. I myself, as well as friends have gone on the ride and put our arms in the air and never "came out of the seat". -- Submitted by rythecomputerguy on 8/9/2006

My daughter suffered a broken neck while on Dudley DoRight's Rip Saw Falls.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Follow-up:
I have rode dudley du right over 10 times and nothing has happened to me. I do not see how your daughter broke her neck. -- Submitted by 18withM on 12/28/2008

my son was thrown out of the log and landed near the entence, he broke both of his legs.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Follow-up:
So, what your saying is your son literally flew out of the log like a kite into the air and landed near the entrance -- Submitted by Rollercoasterguy on 9/16/2005

How was he thrown out of the log? If you mean after the drop, the drop is nowhere near the entrance. Also, the ride slows down to a very slow speed by the time the ride ends. -- Submitted by daydr3am on 9/15/2006

I don't understand how your son was thrown out of the log and landed in the entrace. I have rode Dudley Do Right 20 times and not 1 thing has happened to me. -- Submitted by 18withM on 8/17/2008

If you have additional information that can confirm, clarify or refute any of these reports, please e-mail the editor! (Please don't forget to include the attraction's name in your message.)

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