An overloaded water slide snapped in half and crashed 30 feet (9 m) to the ground. Of the 16 people who were trapped inside the slide, eight were taken to a nearby hospital and three of them suffered broken bones. The park said that the attraction had worn out and weakened over time. Source
Accidents
Theme parks and roller coasters are statistically very, very, very safe. Out of the millions of people who ride the thousands of rides every year, there are only a small handful of incidents. You are statistically more likely to be involved in an accident driving to an amusement park than having one at a park. The rarity of accidents is one reason why the media report them, similar to plane crashes.
Every important element of a ride is inspected on a regular basis and every ride is tested every day without passengers before it opens. A ride might not open, or a safety system might activate, if there is an imperfection. For theme parks to operate, they must obtain insurance and one stipulation is their rides are frequently inspected and signed off by a strict Health & Safety governing body. Every theme park does what they can to prevent accidents because the negative press would be bad for business.
Having said all that, theme park accidents still happen…
Giant Wheel, Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, Ocean City, New Jersey
A 62-year-man fell to his death from an aerial mobile lift while repairing the 144 feet (44 m) tall Jersey Shore Ferris Wheel. The subcontractor had finished working on the attraction and was beginning to lower and relocate the lift when the concrete that it was parked on gave way. Source
Hydra, Clay County Fair, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
A 28-year-old ride attendant was injured after being caught in the rotating pendulum attraction’s raising platform as he attempted to retrieve a guest’s hat at the end of the ride cycle. At the same time, the attraction’s operator mistakenly raised the platform to disembark the riders; pinning the attendant. Source
Olympia Looping, Prater Park, Vienna, Austria
A 31-year-old woman died while working on the world’s largest transportable roller coaster when she was hit attempting to cross the path of a moving train and succumbed to head injuries. Source (in German)
Orlando Free Fall, ICON Park, Florida, USA
A 14-year-old boy plummeted to his death from the “world’s tallest freestanding drop tower” when he was forced from under his seat’s over-the-shoulder-restraint, about 3/4 the way down the 430 feet (131 m) attraction, as the ride’s auto-magnetic brakes were engaged. Source
Vertigo, St. David Catholic Church Carnival, Davie, Florida
A carnival worker was hospitalized after falling from the tower of the transportable aerial swing ride. The victim was approximately halfway up the 95 feet (29 m) tower when a co-worker mistakenly pushed a button on the ride’s control panel that moved a large chair swing frame down onto the victim’s arm, causing him to fall. Source
Tagada, Galliate Street Fair, Novara, Italy
A 15-year-old girl died after she was ejected from the spinning disc attraction, where riders sit around the edge and are free to move around as it spins and bounces up and down (see video). She was thrown from the moving ride before hitting a nearby tree, receiving blunt force injuries to her head. Source (in Italian)
Volcano, diRoma Acqua Park, Goias, Brazil
An eight-year-old boy died after falling 45 feet (14 m) from the partially dismantled water slide. The attraction is made up of four water slides that come out of the top of a replica volcano. Three of the slides were partially dismantled for repair and the boy accessed the attraction via a gate that only had a piece of tape across it. He then launched himself from one of the slides that was missing parts of its tube, fell out of the missing section, hitting a metal structure that supports the ride. Source
Sky Tram, Florida State Fair, Tampa, Florida, USA
A 7-year-old girl who was “horse playing” with her two cousins slipped under the safety bar and fell 35-40 feet (10-12 m) from the gondola-style ride. Fortunately she landed on a grassy surface and only suffered a broken wrist and other minor injuries. Source
Ice Breaker, SeaWorld Orlando, Florida, USA
A 12-year-old boy injured his left leg during pass member previews, just over a week before the Premier Rides Sky Rocket coaster officially opened to the public on Feb. 18. The accident led to the ride’s safety requirements being changed from a minimum ride height of 48 inches (1.2 m) to 54 inches (1.4 m). Source