PA - Child falls off Idlewild Park roller coaster

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Child falls from roller coaster at Idlewild Park, flown to hospital

[...]
A boy was injured at Idlewild Park & SoakZone in Ligonier Township just after noon Tuesday while riding a classic wooden roller coaster with his brother, a park spokesman said.
[...]
He was seated in the middle section of the Rollo Coaster, built in 1938 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, spokesman Jeff Croushore said Tuesday afternoon.
Park officials would not detail the extent of his injuries or describe exactly where he was on the ride because the investigation is ongoing.
“He was talking. He was alert, but he was airlifted,” Croushore said.
The initial report from Westmoreland County 911 indicated the boy fell from the coaster at 12:18 p.m. He was conscious and was flown to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, an emergency dispatcher said.
Croushore said the boy was visiting the park with his family.
The Rollo Coaster is closed and will remain so while state police and Westmoreland County Detectives investigate, Croushore said. The park remained open after the incident.
[...]
http://triblive.com/mobile/10949512-96/child-park-coaster

:(


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Here's a video of the ride - [video=youtube;7Wz-mFj5oIM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wz-mFj5oIM[/video]

Not much in the way of lap bar. I wonder how old the child is. And how old/tall he and his brother are. In order to ride without an adult, you have to be at least 48 inches tall.
 
Guests under 48 inches must be accompanied by an adult.

The info says that the child and his brother were riding together. Some reports say the child was 3 years old. A 3 year old would NOT be 48 inches tall. Therefore he should have been with an adult. (Unless maybe there is a massive age gap and the brother is over 18.)

http://www.wtae.com/news/child-falls-off-idlewild-roller-coaster/41153660
 
Guests under 48 inches must be accompanied by an adult.

The info says that the child and his brother were riding together. Some reports say the child was 3 years old. A 3 year old would NOT be 48 inches tall. Therefore he should have been with an adult. (Unless maybe there is a massive age gap and the brother is over 18.)

http://www.wtae.com/news/child-falls-off-idlewild-roller-coaster/41153660

My sister and I are 10 years apart. It's possible.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Guests under 48 inches must be accompanied by an adult.

The info says that the child and his brother were riding together. Some reports say the child was 3 years old. A 3 year old would NOT be 48 inches tall. Therefore he should have been with an adult. (Unless maybe there is a massive age gap and the brother is over 18.)



http://www.wtae.com/news/child-falls-off-idlewild-roller-coaster/41153660

As an aside, that *does* occur. My son was 16 when his first sister was born; he was 18 when his second sister was born. :) Ah...the amazing body!
 
Oh how funny! The city where I grew up has similar replica of this roller coaster! And here I thought it had to be the last wooden one running. This roller coaster is a very mild one.

My guess is this child's brother was too young to hold on to him. A three year old's arms are too short to hold on to the bar constantly while his back is against the back of the seat. It would be a reach for him and the first curve would move his little body and bring his hands off the bar. It is as simple as that!

Or, and I shudder to even think this! Did big brother throw his hands up in the air, not holding on, and little brother followed him? EEK!!

A tragedy that didn't need to happen! Can't wait to hear how old the big brother was. I have a gut feeling a worker let an underaged child on with a 3 year old.

RIP little one. Big brother may you find peace and receive help to overcome what you have witnessed.
 
Sources told Pittsburgh's Action News 4 reporter Ashlie Hardway that the child, 3, suffered head and chest injuries.

The injury happened in "the middle part" of the ride, Croushore said. He declined to be more specific, and he had no information to offer regarding whether the injury was a result of a malfunction or the rider's behavior.

Read more at http://www.wtae.com/news/child-falls-off-idlewild-roller-coaster/41153660

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In the news video, the reporter says the boy was 'ejected' from the ride.
 
I don't get the height requirements. Is the adult supposed to hold the child during the ride???
 
Oh how funny! The city where I grew up has similar replica of this roller coaster! And here I thought it had to be the last wooden one running. This roller coaster is a very mild one.

My guess is this child's brother was too young to hold on to him. A three year old's arms are too short to hold on to the bar constantly while his back is against the back of the seat. It would be a reach for him and the first curve would move his little body and bring his hands off the bar. It is as simple as that!

Or, and I shudder to even think this! Did big brother throw his hands up in the air, not holding on, and little brother followed him? EEK!!

A tragedy that didn't need to happen! Can't wait to hear how old the big brother was. I have a gut feeling a worker let an underaged child on with a 3 year old.

RIP little one. Big brother may you find peace and receive help to overcome what you have witnessed.

I am guessing the brother was NOT an adult and that is why this occurred. Just speculation, of course.

There are actually a couple dozen(?) roller coasters running today that were built in the 1920's. So this was in old, but definitely not the oldest out there. (Oldest I've been on was built in 1927.)

As far as I've read, this child has NOT died. So that's good, at least.
 
I don't get the height requirements. Is the adult supposed to hold the child during the ride???

I would guess it's more that the parent needs to make sure the child remains seated, doesn't try to climb out, etc. There are no belts and the bar isn't that big. Children under 48 inches are typically quite young and therefore may not understand the dangers of a ride.
 
JMOO, 3 years old, panicked.......wanted off didn't understand and brother was unable to control the situation.
I've ridden this and it is fun. Big dips that make you scream...........personally I would not put a young child on this for many reasons.
 
Major Problem w/amusement parks (not the pop-up carnivals, those things are disasters all the way around) is that teenagers - I repeat TEENAGERS - are on/off-loading these rides. Now who here thinks that a teenager's judgement is sufficient in all situations that might arise?
 
I am guessing the brother was NOT an adult and that is why this occurred. Just speculation, of course.

.


The wpxi link in the first post says the brother is 7.
 
The wpxi link in the first post says the brother is 7.

I think that is new information added since it was first posted.

7

Simply stunning.

Croushore said the boy was at Idlewild with his family. The 3-year-old was riding the Rollo Coaster with his 7-year-old brother when he fell off, Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE reported.

TribLIVE reported that the boy is from Jeannette, and he hit his head when he fell about 10 feet as the car rounded a turn. TribLIVE also reported that the boy was in critical condition after having surgery.

Kelly Howard, who took her 3- and 5-year-old sons on the ride earlier in the day, described her experience on the ride.

“I had to literally hold him down. There was no belt to hold him in,” she said. “He even asked why there wasn't a belt.”

The Rollo Coaster has been closed indefinitely pending the results of an investigation. According to Idlewild’s website, a solo rider on the roller coaster must be at least 48 inches tall or 36 inches tall if accompanied by an adult. The coaster opened in 1938 and takes riders up, down and around a wooded hillside. It doesn't require seat belts.
 

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