Ten riders suffered minor injuries, and another a suspected fractured ankle after the ride collapsed. 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…
Wild Bill’s Runaway Train, Adventure Wonderland, Dorset, UK
At least two children sustained head injuries after the emergency brakes triggered, bringing the kiddie coaster to a sudden halt. Source
Frisbee, Traveling Fair, Toowoomba, Australia
A 5-year-old boy was thrown 33 feet (10m) from the ride at a school fete, suffering serious head injuries. Source
Rotor, Parque de Attractiones, Madrid, Spain
A worker from Huss was crushed to death between a beam and a counterweight while carrying out maintenance work at the top of the ride’s tower. Source (In Spanish)
Space Coaster, Wonder Land, Fukui, Japan
A 6-year-old boy was thrown from the ride, after his seat belt came undone, suffering a fractured rib. Source
Fun Factory, Louisiana State Fair, Shreveport, USA
A 20-year-old woman was thrown 20 feet (6m) from the KMG whirling ride and suffered broken bones as well as internal injuries. Source
Hollowell Steam Rally and Heavy Horse Show, Northampton, UK
A 9-year-old girl was hospitalized with internal injuries after she was ejected from a whirling amusement ride and thrown 15 feet into a metal fence. Source
Top Buzz 2, Goose Fair, Nottingham, UK
A woman stood watching the ride was hit on the head by a falling handrail. She required stitches in her head and suffered back and shoulder pain.
Windseeker, Knott’s Berry Farm, California, USA
The circular swing ride stalled, leaving 20 people stranded 300 feet (91m) in the air for nearly four hours. No one was injured, but the evacuation, which took three hours and forty minutes, is one of the longest on record for any amusement ride. Two weeks earlier the same ride stalled and left 15 people stranded for about three hours and in July, Windseeker at Carowinds near Charlotte, North Carolina stalled and left 25 riders stranded hundreds of feet in the air for nearly three hours. In June, the same ride at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio left 29 riders stranded 150 feet (46m) in the air for more than an hour when it stalled. All six of the Windseeker rides operating at parks throughout the Cedar Fair chain were ordered closed for the rest of the season. Source
Jet Coaster, Dreamland, Koriyama, Japan
A park employee suffered fatal injuries after becoming pinned underneath the front car of the coaster’s train.