A 37-year-old woman suffered serious injuries after getting thrown out of the kiddie roller coaster. 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…
Crazy Dance, Dino’s Luna Park, Pefkochori, Greece
A 19-year-old man died after being ejected from a locally built copy of a Break Dance ride. Source
Flying Swings, Waldameer, Erie, Pennsylvania
Several guests, mostly children, suffered non-life threatening injuries when the ride operator lowered the Zamperla Wave Swinger due to improper conduct by one of the riders. However, the attraction kept spinning at full speed causing some riders’ legs and feet to come in contact with the railings and the umbrella at the operator’s station. Source
Ferris Wheel, Highfield Festival, Leipzig, Germany
At least 30 people were injured at the music festival when the Ferris Wheel burst into flames while the ride was operating. Source
Radja River, Walibi Belgium, Wavre, Belgium
Two minor injuries were reported when a vessel synchronization technical glitch on the Intamin river rapids ride resulted in traffic congestion. One of the boats started to take on water, which caused panic among riders. Source
Desert Show, Axel’s Tivoli, Kristianstad, Sweden
A three-year-old girl was injured at the city fair when the miniature car she was in overturned on the convoy style ride. Source (in Swedish)
Tea Cups, Dreamland, Margate, England, UK
A mother and her three-year-old daughter were injured when the spinning teacup they were sitting in detached from its base and sent them crashing into railings. Source
Saltamontes, Matamá Festival, Vigo, Spain
A man died when he was crushed after the arm carrying his passenger gondola detached from the Grasshopper ride at the city fair. Source
Wave Swinger, Lake Winnepesaukah, Rossville, Georgia
A 16-year-old female employee suffered minor injuries when she was hit by a chair on the Wave Swinger ride and launched into the lake after hitting a concrete pillar. Source
Bounce, Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Several people were injured when the passenger gondola suddenly dropped to the ground from approximately halfway up the 148 feet (45 m) tall Huss shot ‘n’ drop tower during an emergency stop. Source