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It was 2, the only other rides he tried before this one. Per his mother, he also told her in a phone call that he wasn’t able to go on any rides yet.
Since my almost 6'6", 309 lb teenager is severely autistic, he won't ever be able to go on a school trip or play sports or patronize an amusement park without me. I think that if I took him somewhere like this, after even being just turned away from ONE ride; we'd leave. My spidey-sense would be tingling & I wouldn't be willing to keep trying.
But this teenager was ... a typical teenage boy & was allowed to be there unsupervised. And teenage boys (I've had seven, lol) don't typically err on the side of caution.
Even though my son statistically has a life expectancy now of just 39 years old (due to accidental deaths of the severely autistic), I suppose the silver lining is that decisions regarding his safety are dependant on the determination of an adult with fully developed "spidey sense". And we've had some scary "learning experiences" before (like learning that those lap bars on ski-lift style sky rides don't actually lock ... that one was really bad).
I would have left the rides if my son was determined to be too big to safely ride just one. I remember a few years ago I picked what could be considered a "kiddie" roller coaster to ride on with him. Lots of parents (including large sized ones) were riding with their kids & nobody was having any issues. So we rode.
But when the ride stopped, I realized the forces from the coaster had wedged my son into a position where he couldn't get his legs underneath him ro stand back up. He was firmly wedged in the car. I panicked, trying to pull him up myself but couldn't & started waving for help from the operator. The operator happened to be this grizzly, wiry old carnie with no teeth, lol. I thought to myself "We're doomed. He's less than half my son's size."
I kid you not, that carnie walked over, winked at me & gently pulled my massive kid out of the car & cradled him like a baby before safely setting him down on the platform. I was stunned. And so grateful. I asked him "How did you do that!?" He simply said "He's no problem for me, ma'am."
And after that night, I have never allowed him to ride a "kiddie coaster" again. No way would some teenage employee be able to do what he did.
I wonder if this kid's mom, during the phone call, had a bad feeling, or told her son to stop trying to go on rides. But maybe not, because how many parents, other than parents of the disabled, actually ride WITH their kids & have seen/experienced what I have? It probably didn't occur to her at all. And for sure, it's not going to occur to any teenage boy to just stop trying.
*Editing to add that in no way am I blaming either parent or child here. They had a reasonable expectation of safety.
Personally I think the blame for this tragedy is two-fold. There's a design flaw ... The "light" goes off when the harness senses resistance at the shoulders instead of the groin, maybe. And on the operator, who should have known the wight limit AND checked & noticed that the harness was not engaged properly.
Last edited by coschristi; 04-02-2022 at 09:40 AM..
Reason: clarify
The attendant is guilty for not securing the patrons.
The designer is guilty for not installing a secondary safety belt. (Did profit motivate him to ignore that step?)
The owner of the ride is responsible for not employing older, more responsible people to operate such a dangerous ride. There's some guilt there too.
The parents are guilty for not warning their oversized child that carnival rides of that nature are simply not for him to go on. Period! Had his parents instructed him more responsibly, that kid would have listened and obeyed, I'm sure. He would have respected his parents wishes and remained on the ground, limiting himself to safer rides.
After being turned down on several other rides, maybe the kid should have used his head and stayed off the ride.
Terrible tragedy that could have been easily avoided by several people.
The attendant is guilty for not securing the patrons.
The designer is guilty for not installing a secondary safety belt. (Did profit motivate him to ignore that step?)
The owner of the ride is responsible for not employing older, more responsible people to operate such a dangerous ride. There's some guilt there too.
The parents are guilty for not warning their oversized child that carnival rides of that nature are simply not for him to go on. Period! Had his parents instructed him more responsibly, that kid would have listened and obeyed, I'm sure. He would have respected his parents wishes and remained on the ground, limiting himself to safer rides.
After being turned down on several other rides, maybe the kid should have used his head and stayed off the ride.
Terrible tragedy that could have been easily avoided by several people.
How would his parents have known that? I wouldn’t have thought a ride with weight restrictions would publish them in the operators manual but not on the ride itself. There are a lot of obese people at amusement parks. It would not have occurred to me that there was nothing he could safely go on without having been there, maybe they haven’t been to an amusement park in years.
If you were 14 at an amusement park with your school friends I kind of doubt you’d stop even trying to participate. He trusted the ride attendants to let him know certain rides weren’t safe for him, which they had done on the other 2 rides.
How would his parents have known that? I wouldn’t have thought a ride with weight restrictions would publish them in the operators manual but not on the ride itself. There are a lot of obese people at amusement parks. It would not have occurred to me that there was nothing he could safely go on without having been there, maybe they haven’t been to an amusement park in years.
If you were 14 at an amusement park with your school friends I kind of doubt you’d stop even trying to participate. He trusted the ride attendants to let him know certain rides weren’t safe for him, which they had done on the other 2 rides.
How would the parents have known that? COMMON SENSE! It's something we're all born with, but too many people ignore it. Why? Because society is too quick to place all the responsibility on outside agencies and people. Nobody thinks they have any personal responsibility anymore. Not the ride operators, not the designer, not the parents, not the kid.
With everything the poor family of the 14 year old is going through, now they are having to deal with some sicko who is trying to claim fame by pretending to be the 14 year old's cousin. Tyre's family said she is not related to them and they have no idea who she (woman with weird glasses in link below) is.
With everything the poor family of the 14 year old is going through, now they are having to deal with some sicko who is trying to claim fame by pretending to be the 14 year old's cousin. Tyre's family said she is not related to them and they have no idea who she (woman with weird glasses in link below) is.
Yes actually, I was surprised she wasn't related because she had been there giving news interviews for days before the family said anything.
I can understand that…
I, however, am not in the least bit surprised. The world is twisted, and is full of individuals who will be quick to slit a stranger’s throat (figuratively) for self-gain.
Using a child’s untimely, accidental, tragic death to promote oneself is sick, but not at all shocking to me.
I really hope this woman faces harsh repercussions.
How would the parents have known that? COMMON SENSE! It's something we're all born with, but too many people ignore it. Why? Because society is too quick to place all the responsibility on outside agencies and people. Nobody thinks they have any personal responsibility anymore. Not the ride operators, not the designer, not the parents, not the kid.
And now, because of that, a kid is dead.
I just can’t disagree with you more about the parents having responsibility here, sorry. I don’t think it’s common sense at all. Most people would assume rides with size restrictions would post them. Just like they post “you must be this tall to ride this ride”. I don’t think this kind of thing would occur to any parent.
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