Why does everyone still go to Six Flags parks even though...?

Question

people keep getting killed?

My uncle was killed at Six Flags New England in 2004 after being thrown from the Superman ride.

It just still boggles my mind when I think about my uncle and all the stuff we went thru after it happened that how could people still want to go to the park.

Answer 1

I think several others have probably answered your question, but perhaps it will help to have more opinions, even if they are the same/similar to the others.

I, too, am very sorry for your family's loss. It is never an easy thing to lose a loved one, regardless of the means. And no matter my feelings or opinion, I in no way want to take away from the loss I'm certain your family has endured.

Like a few others have said, riding the rides at theme parks is safe. There *are* strict safety guidelines each park must follow with regard to ride inspections, maintenance, etc. and all rides must pass all inspections before they can be opened to riders.

Yes, tragic accidents do happen; it's a very sad fact. But these types of accidents really are few and far between, and *are* 'flukes'... relatively speaking.

For example: As routine maintenance, you may have the engine of your car checked out, to make sure everything is in good working order. The air filter, the radiator, the spark plugs, the belts. All may check out to be fine, and you're on your way.

Then one day as you're driving along, one of the belts break... and depending on what belt, a myriad of results could happen. But this 'accident' isn't your fault... it's not the mechanic's fault, it not the vehicle manufacturer's fault. It just happens when a belt wears out.

And there are millions of examples just like this that all of us could think up, having to do with every day life.

There are so many car accidents around the country every day, and many lives are lost in a lot of them. If every vehicle accident were listed in the newspapers and mentioned on the news, it would boggle the mind. But we don't stop driving.

Statistics show that the risk of slipping and getting seriously inured or dying from a fall when getting out of the bathtub are extremely high; yet, we don't stop taking baths.

Perhaps these examples seem simplistic in comparison, but death is death regardless of how it occurs... accidents do happen, and it *is* a sad fact of life. We can't become so afraid of injury or death during our daily life's activities that we cease to "live" at all.

After the drop tower incident at Kentucky Kingdom, my husband asked me: "Would you still ride one of those?"  I responded, "Yes."  He asked why. I told him exactly what I've written here. The response was something like "Yeah, you're right."

So to answer your question, we continue going to the parks and riding the rides for the same reason we get in our cars every day after hearing of a tragedy on the local highways, or go swimming in the ocean after hearing of a shark "attack", or any other such accident, large or small. We're just moving on, and living our lives.

Answer 2

Ride Mechanics go to work 4 hours before the park opens checking to see if the rides are working properly and are safe to ride. The rides are closed down if they are deemed unsafe, these things happen to people and theres nothing you can do about it. sure you'll mourn the loss, but what if it was their fault, maybe they took off their seat belt, maybe they stood up, or maybe they didnt follow directions. There are the ride malfunctions to, that would be no one's fault,or it could of been the parks fault (Hersheypark 2003, ride operater accidently presses emergency stop button when boat for tidal force is halfway up the hill, turns it back on, and 6 people get injured) theres a website dedicated to ride accidents. heres some other examples, waterslide fails at siam park; 28 children injured, log flume accident leaves 1 dead 5 injured, and rollercoaster crashes at oklahoma state fair, injures 6. the rides are closed down and if they are deemed safe once again then they open. Its just bad luck really, if your at the wrong place at the wrong time then some one could fall out of the ride. Disney and Six Flags have the most deaths and injuries, disney mainly  because people go on rides like rock n rollercoaster, and space mountain who have heart conditions and they have a heart attack or stroke. People ride rollercoasters for thrill and if someone i knew died on one i would be sad , yes but chances are that i would go on the ride in a year or two because theres nothing i could of done about it. Same with your uncle, im sorry for your loss, but im sure nothing could of been done to at least attempt to save him. besides you have a better chance to be struck by lightning and have a shark attack you then being killed on a rollercoaster (one without strobe lighting). If someone dies then the world won't stop, it'll continue as usual and all you can do is mourn then remember the good times and go on with your life. I hope this helped and i left the link to the site in sources.

Answer 3

There was a girl in our state that got her legs cut off on the superman tower of power. I am scared to go after hearing that.

Answer 4

i'm sorry for your loss....

they're fun...

Answer 5

idk, that's soo strange. six flags great adventure is always has people being hurt

Answer 6

Hey I'm sorry for your uncle. But accidents happen. It's just people luck, future, or what ever you want to call it. I love Six Flags, it's my favorite park. Accidents happen in all places. If you don't like Six Flags, because of what happened with your uncle; well that's you. People make their own choices, just like your uncle made the choice of going to Six Flags, people make their choice of going there too. If you don't like my opinion i'm sorry but that's the way I think...........

Answer 7

I'm sorry for what happened to your uncle, but people don't die on those rides all the time. If you think about it, millions of people go on those rides all over the world everyday, and when was the last time you heard of someone dying? Unless you hear of people dying regularly, it really isn't a problem. Those are just sad, freak accidents. I just find the rides fun, and the chances of getting killed are very slim. But I don't go that often anyway, and don't go on the old rides that break down a lot.

Answer 8

six flags is amazing!! pretty sure people could get killed doing anything, even walking. they could trip and crack their head open. so does that mean people shouldnt walk anymore???

Answer 9

That just makes the rides scarier!

Answer 10

As a Connecticut resident, I heard about your uncle's story on the media and am deeply sorry for your loss.

people still keep going to these parks because the thing is, the chances of getting hurt are very, very low. on tv, if someone gets injured at a park, you hear about it for weeks on end (even more, I heard his story a while back and still remember it). however, you have to keep in mind many, many people go on these rides daily and they all come off nary a scratch.

people choke on food, but yet we still eat. banks get dangerously robbed, but we still go to get money. it's just a part of life, we have to look at the chances and see if we can risk it.

once again, i am very sorry for your loss and hoped my answer helped.