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Man Falls from Kráter (Gerstlauer Eurofighter)

Chris Brown

Mr CoasterForce 2016
Just saw this on the fountain of knowledge that is the lad bible! Incoming OTSR's on all Gersts as I can only assume this is a lapbar model. A little to add though apparently the passenger was severely disabled which begs the question should he have been riding anyway?
 

davidm

Strata Poster
Iron Shark clone according to RCDB ; https://rcdb.com/4386.htm - so yep lap bar only. Looks like the guy was in the front left seat and came out the side on the drop - horrible, but clearly wasn't restrained properly for whatever reason.
Suspect we might get some temporary closures of similar rides now?
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Wow, that's pretty shocking. Always terrible to hear of news like this.

I did see this quote (both on LadBible and The Sun, so take that as you like):
Jhon Faber Giraldo Giraldo, community manager of the theme park, claimed the accident was not caused by a mechanical fault “because we are following the protocol given by the producer of the attraction”.
Could it be that this guest was disabled in such a way that the restraint wasn't holding him in properly?

I'll be interesting to see how long Iron Shark is closed during the investigation - that is often the first sign we get of coaster or operator error.
 

davidm

Strata Poster
Some googling suggests this was last Tuesday.

Couple of articles saying it sounds like the chap wasn't really fit for lap bar only restraints; http://www.elespectador.com/noticia...na-rusa-en-el-parque-del-cafe-articulo-688947
Google translated obv. said:
However, some users who reported the accident on social networks said that "the man has no legs and yet let him go up."
and http://www.eltabloide.com.co/un-tulueno-el-hombre-accidentado-en-el-parque-del-cafe/
Google translated again said:
A tourist fell from the mechanical attraction known as the Krater, in the Coffee Park, in a serious accident happened around 12:30 pm this Tuesday, April 11, 2017.

According to witnesses of the event, the victim of the accident. Identified as Laureano de Jesus Ospino Arrollo, 36, is a person with a disability, who does not have legs, which could have been one of the reasons why he had to leave the protections of the attraction.
 

Astro61201

Roller Poster
This begs the questions:
a) If he had either no or very little legs(below knee amputation etc) why wasn't they put into a harness thing which is commonly supplied for the disabled (some rides have these such as Montu.)
b) if they don't have these harnesses then why was he allowed to ride at all? I hate to say this but in today's culture the employees probably didn't want to be sued for discrimination, so they let him ride.

Always horrible for an accident to happen like this no matter who or what the cause was, thoughts to the man, family and people that had to witness it.
 

Smithy

Strata Poster
The quote from the park about it following the manufacturer's guidelines very much suggests to me they're after laying the blame solely on Gerstlauer. If their operating manual says he meets their requirements to ride, and they've let him ride, then it's on them.
 

Ireeb

Mega Poster
I never read a Gerstlauer Manual, but I'm pretty sure it would say somewhere that the operators have to check for health restrictions that would make it unsafe for the guests to ride.
 

Thekingin64

Strata Poster
Going off the safety manual for Saw, riders need a minimum of 3 limbs (prosthetics don't count and would need to be removed) and need to be able to evacuate if needed. I presume that would be the same here and the ride operators either didn't notice the prosthetics or just disregarded the health and safety manual.
 

caffeine_demon

Strata Poster
if he did have prosthetic legs, then this sign should have stopped him riding:
https://rcdb.com/4386.htm#p=59662
freetranslation translates
no se permite el uso de la attraccion portando canguros, gafas, camaras, celulares, garras, elementos ortopedicos
as
The use of the attraction is not allowed carrying kangaroos, glasses, cameras, cell phones, claws, orthopedic appliances

(note - another online translation dictionary says canguro can be either kangaroo or baby sitter!)
 

Ian

From CoasterForce
Staff member
Administrator
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That's horrible. Regardless of who's at fault - the park, Gerstaluer, the ops, etc - why would any rider put themselves in a position where they could injure themselves. Obviously the rider had no idea that he could fall out and considered it safe; that's his decision. I admire any disabled person who tries to live a "normal" life, but unfortunately not everybody can do everything. That's life. Perhaps, for the safety of disabled riders, and for the psychological impact of anybody who witnesses such an horrific incident, stricter and clearer polices should be in place worldwide.
 
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