A 22-year-old woman died after suffering a heart attack while riding the Vekoma SLC 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…
Tram, Universal Studios Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Fifteen guests were taken to hospital after receiving minor injuries in a tram collision. Officials said the last car of the four-car tram struck a guard rail in the studio’s backlot. Source
Airplane ride, Jesus Maria fair, Jalisco, Mexico
A 2-year-old boy died when he stood up on the cycling kiddie ride, lost his balance and fell to the ground, sustaining a fractured skull. Source (in Spanish)
Waterpark, Six Flags Great Escape, Queensbury, New York
A 5-year-old child nearly drowned and was taken to a hospital after being found unconscious in the water. Source
Roller Bowl, Funfair, Blois, Loir-et-Cher, France
A 27-year-old woman died after being ejected from one of the free-spinning gondolas on the rotating fairground ride, which is believed to be manufactured in Spain. Source (in French)
Jumping Frog, Huasteca National Fair, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Nine children sustained injuries at a fair in Ciudad Valles when the “Jumping Frog” drop tower abruptly faltered. Source (in Spanish)
Aquatic Center, Plainfield, Indiana
A two-year-old girl died after being pulled unconscious from the water at the Richard Carlucci Recreation & Aquatic Center. The drowning took place in the center’s indoor pool, not the Splash Island outdoor water park. Source
Taron, Phantasialand, Brühl, Germany
Oceana, Waterpark, Gothenburg, Sweden
A fire broke out at Liseberg’s new $10.6 million water park, which is under construction and was scheduled to open in the summer. One male park employee was killed and over a dozen people suffered slight injuries. Source
Tomahawk, PortAventura Park, Salou, Spain
Strong winds knocked a tree over onto the Custom Coasters International wooden roller coaster injuring 14 people. Two suffered serious injuries are were transported to hospital. Source