Accidents
YEAR
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 while driving to an amusement park than having one at a park. The rarity of accidents is one reason why the media reports 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 that their rides are frequently inspected and signed off by a strict Health & Safety governing body. Every theme park does what it can to prevent accidents because the negative press would be bad for business.
Having said all that, theme park accidents still happen…
Accidents
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,
April 3, 2025 – A 24-year-old woman died after falling off the family roller coaster when one of the supports collapsed. Source
March 30, 2025 – A 19-year-old woman was seriously injured after being thrown from the top spin style ride when her seat belt malfunctioned. Source
February 28, 2025 – A 29-year-old employee, who was inspecting the S&S roller coaster, got caught between a stopped vehicle and rail, and later died at a local hospital. The employee was part of an 11-man team inspecting the ride, which was closed for the day and not in operation at the time of the […]
February 26, 2025 – Although it’s not an accident, a 14-year-old boy died after suffering a heart attack during a school trip to the park. The incident occurred when the student started feeling uneasy, sat on a bench, and collapsed on the ground. Source
February 23, 2025 – A 13-year-old girl was injured after being ejected from the Chance Rides spinning Trabant-style attraction. Source
January 2, 2025 – A couple suffered minor injuries when they were thrown out of the breakdance-style ride after the passenger gondola collapsed due to defective bearings in one of the ride’s arms. Source (in Portuguese)
December 31, 2024 – A 17-year-old employee died when the go-kart he was driving collided with an industrial forklift, which another park employee was also operating. Source
December 20, 2024 – A 17-year-old boy died after he disembarked the Morgan hyper coaster when he suddenly reported feeling unwell and collapsed. Paramedics transported the boy to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed he had sustained cerebral and pulmonary edema. Source (in Spanish)
December 15, 2024 – A 14-year-old girl sustained several fractured vertebrae when the local fair’s drop tower malfunctioned and dropped to the ground. Source (in Spanish)
December 13, 2024 – Two women were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after the 180-foot (55 m) tall Star Flyer failed and crashed to the ground while in operation. Another 11 riders were assessed by paramedics and discharged at the scene. Source