Australia - 4 people dead on Dreamworld's Thunder River Rapids ride, Gold Coast, 2016

gregjrichards · Oct 26, 2016

"Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida has decided to close a river rapids ride after four people were killed on a similar water ride at an amusement park in Australia.

Officials say the Congo River Rapids ride was shut down Tuesday 'out of an abundance of caution' while they work to understand what happened in Australia.

The Thunder River Rapids ride, which Busch Gardens says is similar to the Congo River Rapids ride, whisks riders in circular rafts along a fast-moving, man-made river, with a conveyor belt helping move the rafts through the water.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rashed-killing-four-people.html#ixzz4OC7cLcbY

gregjrichards · Oct 26, 2016

"Australian theme park Dreamworld will re-open on Friday and host a Memorial Day for the mourning community after four people died in a catastrophic tragedy.

The Gold Coast park was 'closed indefinitely' on Tuesday afternoon after a failed water pump on the Thunder River Rapids ride caused a fatal incident.

But on Wednesday afternoon the park confirmed it would open its doors again at 11am on Friday, with entry proceeds going to Australian Red Cross - despite its workers facing up to five years' jail for negligence.

'Activities will be limited to smaller rides, animal attractions, and the water park,' Dreamworld said in a statement.
The reopening follows revelations the ride's emergency stop switch was reportedly being controlled by an 18-year-old woman on her first day on the job.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ace-jail-safety-negligence.html#ixzz4OC7vsZ8F

gregjrichards · Oct 26, 2016

symbah said:
Its now been revealed that the items apparently stolen from the husband of one of the women who died at Dreamworld were in fact not stolen.

http://www.newshub.co.nz/world/drea...-stolen-as-he-tried-to-save-victim-2016102616
Australia's Seven Network earlier quoted relatives saying Kate Goodchild's husband's wallet and phone was stolen from their child's pram as he desperately tried to help save his wife from under the raft.
However the network has since reported that the items were picked up by a police officer or paramedic and have since been returned.

Thank you for this update my faith in humanity has been restored a little.

Safeguard said:
Rsbm.

I wish they would just shut the dang rides down, if they are experiencing problems, get them fully tested, repaired and safe before allowing access. In both of these fatal accidents, (Thunder River, and Verruckt), other riders had experienced problems earlier that the same day! Thunder River had to be shut down and drained, as rafts were, "Piling up" according to some witnesses... Verruckt riders, likewise, claimed staff was aware rafts were going air-born, and safety belts were coming undone mid ride.

I have no idea how one should go about owning/operating an Amusement Park , but this can't be right. There are almost always warning signs prior to these malfunctions, of some kind, as we have seen, but no one seems to take the warnings seriously enough.

Why-o-why are park staff allowed to Micky Mouse repairs on the fly, to quickly get people back on board? Too quickly as we have sadly been seeing as of late.

I entirely agree with you.

sweetcaro said:
7 news tonight reported that the ride operator was an 18 year old on her first day. Maybe lack of experience has contributed? I'm curious to know how long it took to shut off tbe conveyor belt.

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

It will be interesting to see what training if any took place and if she was supervised at all. What a tragic first day on a job.

CARIIS · Oct 26, 2016

Tid Bits:

I felt sick': Father's outrage at Australian theme park which sold him $50 souvenir photos of his family on killer Thunder River Rapids ride while medics were still battling to save four dying touristsHe was sold the smiling pictures as four tourists fought for their lives. 'I was just wondering why they were still selling photos? 'Those people waited for 30 minutes to die and it doesn’t feel right to me at all. It feels weird that I got to go home and that family didn’t,'

Here it is

'This was not a freak accident': Dreamworld will REOPEN on Friday - as theme park workers face up to five years' jail for negligence

what a diff to "closed indef" yesterday!

CCTV :'Two of those (rafts) have come together and as a result one has flipped backwards and it has caught and tossed some of the people that were on the ride backwards on the conveyor belt,' he said.

40 witnesses thus far asking for video also

on 29 September 2016. The safety audit was conducted by a specialist engineering firm and details of its findings will be provided to the Coroner and workplace safety investigators.

company's portfolio of businesses include Dreamworld, WhiteWater World and the Gold Coast's SkyPoint observation deck.
Ardent Leisure also runs AMF and Kingpin Bowling, d'Albora Marinas, Goodlife Health Clubs and HYPOXI. growing portfolio of family entertainment assets in the United States'.

not the first time Dreamworld has been at the centre of a terrible incident.
Samson Sherrin, 19, almost drowned in April on the Log Ride that uses the same conveyor system as the deadly Thunder River Rapids, News Corp reported.
The teenager was unconscious in the water when two boats ran over him before he was rescued by a friend who was with him at the time. Mr Sherrin had acute respiratory failure, and still suffers mentally and physically from the incident.
'He's been knocked unconscious... his clothes were torn. He's suffered a lower back injury, a groin injury because it kind of gouged him around that area,' the teenager's lawyer, Sugath Wijedoru, said.

entry proceeds going to Australian Red Cross - despite its workers facing up to five years' jail for negligence.
'Activities will be limited to smaller rides, animal attractions, and the water park,'

A former Dreamworld employee also claimed that the 'family' ride had been plagued by technical problems since its opening in 1986 and had a 'potentially fatal flaw.' The employee worked on the ride in 1987, the year after it was opened, and said he witnessed a 'similar problem' unfold as three rafts flipped over

claims for compensation. So too could any witnesses who suffered psychological injuries.

It's believed that the victims were part of two separate groups who were put together to make up numbers on the six-person raft. It's believed that Mrs Low agreed to be separated from her husband Matthew and daughter Isla, 6, to fill another raft with her son Kieran, 10, and four other strangers

#1 of 3 things to do in Coomera

bolding not me !

Big 9 Thrill rides including Hot Wheels SideWinder, Tower of Terror 2, Pandamonium and the bone chilling BuzzSaw
Upgrade to enjoy triple the fun with unlimited entry to Dreamworld and WhiteWater World theme parks and Skypoint
Kid friendly rides at ABC kids world and DreamWorks Experience

They had positive reviews but here are some of others

A lot of rides were closed and we have not got any discounts or were not told before.

Feels a bit rundown and several rides not going.

From 2008:Nothing has really changed, plus most rides where down.

Mr Lovett said he had taken his two-year-old on the rapid ride earlier that day and was concerned for the duration as the only thing holding her in was a velcro strap that did not feel secure once it got wet.

He said the ride was 'rough' and that he had felt it necessary to grip his daughter quite firmly as he was the only thing keeping her secure and he feared she could fall out, the Courier Mail reported

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...98GOLD&d=273211&aidSuffix=tvrm&partner=Viator

tp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3874134/Busch-Gardens-theme-park-closes-water-ride-Thunder-River-Rapids-Dreamworld-crashed-killing-four-people.html#ixzz4OC7cLcbY

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g609150-d273211-Reviews-Dreamworld_TEMPORARILY_CLOSED-Coomera_Gold_Coast_Queensland.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...medics-battling-save-four-dying-tourists.html

CARIIS · Oct 26, 2016

History

ride operator :
The 51-year-old from southern Queensland told the publication that during 'start-up duties' - which involved a list of safety check-ups prior to the park opening - one of the rafts flipped on the conveyor belt while still attached to its rope mooring.

'I was unaware this particular morning that one raft had two mooring lines attached by the overnight maintenance crew, the second rope being hidden on the far side of the raft and submerged,' he said.

'When the ride started, this raft stuck and caused three other rafts to flip on the conveyor and four more to 'mount' the flipped rafts.

'It's lucky there was no one on board because if there had been, their body parts would have been pushed under the water ... and at that part, the water's deep.'

After the incident there was a formal investigation, Mr Armstrong added, and safety procedures were tightened up. The park brought in more thorough checks the rafts were untied, cameras were installed and the shutdown switch was moved into the control room.

He said that at the time a raft with “small people” on it would slip at the top of the conveyor belt three or four times a day, sending children flying on to a raft behind. It would appear that issue was resolved some time ago.
Mr Armstrong also said the rafts were heavy and “if one of the rafts got pushed around upside down, they wouldn’t know how to rescue themselves, they’d panic.”

Now most of the ride is automated,

When you walk around the river course, there are a lot of obstacles. If you’re whitewater rafting in the real world you have to wear a crash helmet.
“I doubt I’d go on that ride until they changed the format. It needs a redesign.”

In 2007, he was employed by a heavy engineering company commissioned to repair weld the Giant Drop and Tower of Terror rides.
“The lead welder/engineer came back at the end of the day and told me he had serious doubts regarding the safety of those two rides as the fatigue damage his team repaired that day was extensive and indeed needed repeating a short time later.”

Timothy Wan told news.com.au he was stuck on the rapids last month for around 10 minutes before an operator came over to say the water pump had overheated and the ride was shutting down

Patrick Boundy wrote on the park’s Facebook page: “The Tower of Terror ride didn’t brake properly and we had to wait for engineers to come and get us off the ride.”

Back in April, Samson Sherrin, 19, fell off the Rocky Hollow Log Ride and had two boats go over him before he was rescued by a friend. He is bringing a public liability claim for negligence against the Gold Coast theme park, claiming he nearly drowned.

Australian Workers’ Union Queensland AWU raised concerns directly with the company as far back as April 2015.
“We’ve expressed those concerns directly to the company. I don’t want to inflame the situation because I think people’s priority should rightly be on taking care of the situation that immediately exists but we did hold some very grave concerns about safety of equipment and the operation of equipment at that site.”

http://www.news.com.au/national/que...e/news-story/a19764056423a2064782ca13c11cb98a

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...en-employees-face-jail-safety-negligence.html

CARIIS · Oct 26, 2016

chilling pictures emerge of the battered raft that flipped and threw passengers onto conveyor belt

Chilling images captured by Channel 9 reveal the mangled wreckage of a six-person raft being lifted away from the Thunder River Rapids ride on Wednesday night.
It's believed the raft, with dangling seatbelts and a torn-up frame, is the same raft that flipped backwards on the ride's conveyor belt on Tuesday afternoon

opened in 1981 and has over 40 rides and attractions,

A witness who was about to go on the ride said "everyone was screaming" after a raft apparently flipped.
"We saw (a) little girl and we believe it was her mum because it was just her and her little sister that was an infant,"
"I was speaking to one of the guys and he said it was the raft or the boat thing in front of him, the whole thing flipped and everyone was screaming."
Another witness..."My sister and niece were on the ride, they are so traumatised, there is a woman hanging by her foot, crushed from the ride."

promoted as a family-friendly "white water rafting" experience, where people "travel down a foamy water track past the Gold Rush Country, speeding up to 45 kph through the turbulent rapids".

http://www.firstpost.com/world/aust...ps-on-a-water-ride-in-theme-park-3071384.html

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ace-jail-safety-negligence.html#ixzz4OCRCH4ec
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Presser

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/video/news/video.cfm?c_id=1501138&gal_cid=1501138&gallery_id=166967

keyleigh · Oct 26, 2016

CARIIS said:
Is this like supposed to add ambiance or is it just a piece of shu#~ I truly cannot tell

It's supposed to reflect the gold rush. So all the rust etc is decoration. Makes it hard to see how run down it is when it's designed to look like a tip.

CARIIS · Oct 26, 2016

Local coverage

http://www.9news.com.au/National/20...-one-dead-in-serious-Dreamworld-ride-accident

Just realized-- caution - by the time this post was done I feel compelled to warn that it evolved into a rant!

I don't know --very mixed feelings about reopen - at some level, I get it (Pulse) but then I feel like I am not paying to get into a place that is obviously poorly run, It seems like I would rather make a donation directly if I were involved .

At some level they feel sleazy to me - they probably know it's over - how would anyone know if all the money is even going there.

You guys wanna do something - pay for the funerals - and leave your dump out of it.

Maybe spoiled cause of Disney, but the more images I see, I am sorry, the place looks like a dump, (reminds of a traveling carnival) and the more I see the less "character" I see. That Buzz Saw ride looked just dumpy moo

In some of the shots my thought was I wonder if they make it "look" like its supposed to "look" that way, so they don't have to "do" anything. It's dirty.

It "feels" like the bathrooms would be repulsive, the food past gross, YUK I say

rant over-- feeling angry as I learn more

money money money, well your greed got to you now , now didn't it? A damn water pump - anyone would change a water pump that keeps overheating - it says I am dying.

If a water pump in our car kept dying we would replace it. Common sense in and of itself would say I got my monies worth - sure seems like it was old like everything else I have seen. Apparently, it had done the exact same thing earlier, and last weekend.

especially if it is clear Back to common sense - if something (anything) is overheating even if you get it running again - you kinda know it needs to cool down and stuff or it is just gonna do it again. there is nothing "technical" in that statement- its common sense. AND, if you are gonna be stupid, when you start it back up you have someone extra watching over it if it is clear that if it stops (again thank you) really bad things can happen. Its not like a water fountain jeeezzzz..

If a water pump in our car did that, and we got it going again, we would not floor and go 95 - we would go slow AND WATCH is happening. We would be aware, and I assume staff knew what the damn pumps "job"was, so being vigilant to water levels just makes sense.

Its not like it would just go poof water level drops and 4 people are murdered, the water level , I would think,would have slowly lowered. And may I ask, you guys had a heads up CAUSE THE OTHER ONE GOT STUCK. Why would that not , in and of itself be a ground hold instantly?

Moreover, if I had trouble with it 3 hours earlier, and then an empty one gets stuck I think I would have heightened sense that maybe it is time to call it a day. There is spacing between them - so one would have to conclude that there had to be some period of time that the empty one was there---------------stuck.

I hope we don't find out that the stuck empty one is like 20 feet from the platform - where it could just be "seen" of one moves their eyes to the right and sees an empty stuck raft and proceeds as usual . You would kinda know another raft IS coming. Obviously they were more than aware that water levels were vital. Some of this is common sense, first day on the job or not - all of this is kinda like common sense IMO.

Just logic. I also hope we don't find out from witnesses that the area smelled like electrical something or that the thing had been making loud noises for a bit.

Remain totally befuddled by draining earlier. It just makes no sense, how does that fit into a repair- what if it can't take a full load what do you do lower the level so the show can go on? There is something, IMO pardon the pun "fishy" here. I kinda wonder if they just "lowered" it to the point to where it could handle it (not). Can someone come up with a hypothesis as to why one would "drain" it to deal with a overheated pump. If anything you would just leave the thing alone - draining is the pumps job too - males no sense??

Obviously if a stuck empty raft , for whatever reason,can't make it up the incline, how on earth could one loaded with wet people do so?? An airport with 4 runways shuts down if there is a n accident on one of them.

Watch we might find out they sprayed some water on it with a hose - what exactly is it you do to an item that overheats?

Opps, I guess rant was not over quite yet...........................................

JohnPaul · Oct 26, 2016

CARIIS said:
Local coverage

http://www.9news.com.au/National/20...-one-dead-in-serious-Dreamworld-ride-accident

Just realized-- caution - by the time this post was done I feel compelled to warn that it evolved into a rant!

I don't know --very mixed feelings about reopen - at some level, I get it (Pulse) but then I feel like I am not paying to get into a place that is obviously poorly run, It seems like I would rather make a donation directly if I were involved .

At some level they feel sleazy to me - they probably know it's over - how would anyone know if all the money is even going there.

You guys wanna do something - pay for the funerals - and leave your dump out of it.

Maybe spoiled cause of Disney, but the more images I see, I am sorry, the place looks like a dump, (reminds of a traveling carnival) and the more I see the less "character" I see. That Buzz Saw ride looked just dumpy moo

In some of the shots my thought was I wonder if they make it "look" like its supposed to "look" that way, so they don't have to "do" anything. It's dirty.

It "feels" like the bathrooms would be repulsive, the food past gross, YUK I say

rant over-- feeling angry as I learn more

money money money, well your greed got to you now , now didn't it? A damn water pump - anyone would change a water pump that keeps overheating - it says I am dying.

If a water pump in our car kept dying we would replace it. Common sense in and of itself would say I got my monies worth - sure seems like it was old like everything else I have seen. Apparently, it had done the exact same thing earlier, and last weekend.

especially if it is clear Back to common sense - if something (anything) is overheating even if you get it running again - you kinda know it needs to cool down and stuff or it is just gonna do it again. there is nothing "technical" in that statement- its common sense. AND, if you are gonna be stupid, when you start it back up you have someone extra watching over it if it is clear that if it stops (again thank you) really bad things can happen. Its not like a water fountain jeeezzzz..

If a water pump in our car did that, and we got it going again, we would not floor and go 95 - we would go slow AND WATCH is happening. We would be aware, and I assume staff knew what the damn pumps "job"was, so being vigilant to water levels just makes sense.

Its not like it would just go poof water level drops and 4 people are murdered, the water level , I would think,would have slowly lowered. And may I ask, you guys had a heads up CAUSE THE OTHER ONE GOT STUCK. Why would that not , in and of itself be a ground hold instantly?

Moreover, if I had trouble with it 3 hours earlier, and then an empty one gets stuck I think I would have heightened sense that maybe it is time to call it a day. There is spacing between them - so one would have to conclude that there had to be some period of time that the empty one was there---------------stuck.

I hope we don't find out that the stuck empty one is like 20 feet from the platform - where it could just be "seen" of one moves their eyes to the right and sees an empty stuck raft and proceeds as usual . You would kinda know another raft IS coming. Obviously they were more than aware that water levels were vital. Some of this is common sense, first day on the job or not - all of this is kinda like common sense IMO.

Just logic. I also hope we don't find out from witnesses that the area smelled like electrical something or that the thing had been making loud noises for a bit.

Remain totally befuddled by draining earlier. It just makes no sense, how does that fit into a repair- what if it can't take a full load what do you do lower the level so the show can go on? There is something, IMO pardon the pun "fishy" here. I kinda wonder if they just "lowered" it to the point to where it could handle it (not). Can someone come up with a hypothesis as to why one would "drain" it to deal with a overheated pump. If anything you would just leave the thing alone - draining is the pumps job too - males no sense??

Obviously if a stuck empty raft , for whatever reason,can't make it up the incline, how on earth could one loaded with wet people do so?? An airport with 4 runways shuts down if there is a n accident on one of them.

Watch we might find out they sprayed some water on it with a hose - what exactly is it you do to an item that overheats?

Opps, I guess rant was not over quite yet...........................................

no offense, i appreciate the effort you put in here, but i really think you need to relax and maybe find a more productive way to spend your spare time, there is really no need to get this worked up over something like this, not to mention its just not healthy for your well being, unless you have friends or family members involved or related to the accident, relax and let the investigators do their job, thats what they are paid for

Hatfield · Oct 26, 2016

gregjrichards said:
"Australian theme park Dreamworld will re-open on Friday and host a Memorial Day for the mourning community after four people died in a catastrophic tragedy.

The Gold Coast park was 'closed indefinitely' on Tuesday afternoon after a failed water pump on the Thunder River Rapids ride caused a fatal incident.

But on Wednesday afternoon the park confirmed it would open its doors again at 11am on Friday, with entry proceeds going to Australian Red Cross - despite its workers facing up to five years' jail for negligence.

'Activities will be limited to smaller rides, animal attractions, and the water park,' Dreamworld said in a statement.
The reopening follows revelations the ride's emergency stop switch was reportedly being controlled by an 18-year-old woman on her first day on the job.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ace-jail-safety-negligence.html#ixzz4OC7vsZ8F

Re BBM
Ive been trying to figure out what happened and this explains it now.
Along with all the articles that Cariis helped share I think I finally have an idea what happened.

Since the pump failed then the water level in the one part got too low which caused the first raft to get stuck. Then with the raft that had all the trouble they came barreling down on top of them and rode up on them and the water pressure forced theirs to flip.

If anyone has ever been white water rafting or kayaking in
fast water then you know how much water pressure can do things.

The rushing water easily flipped the raft once it got an edge down because of riding up over the one in front.

Its very unfortunate and actually looks like a really fun ride.

The park just needs to overhaul any old pumps or parts and make it safe. These old parks need to invest in good maintenance. That is the key to keeping them safe.

PrimeSuspect · Oct 26, 2016

CARIIS said:
Local coverage

http://www.9news.com.au/National/20...-one-dead-in-serious-Dreamworld-ride-accident

Just realized-- caution - by the time this post was done I feel compelled to warn that it evolved into a rant!

I don't know --very mixed feelings about reopen - at some level, I get it (Pulse) but then I feel like I am not paying to get into a place that is obviously poorly run, It seems like I would rather make a donation directly if I were involved .

At some level they feel sleazy to me - they probably know it's over - how would anyone know if all the money is even going there.

You guys wanna do something - pay for the funerals - and leave your dump out of it.

Maybe spoiled cause of Disney, but the more images I see, I am sorry, the place looks like a dump, (reminds of a traveling carnival) and the more I see the less "character" I see. That Buzz Saw ride looked just dumpy moo

In some of the shots my thought was I wonder if they make it "look" like its supposed to "look" that way, so they don't have to "do" anything. It's dirty.

It "feels" like the bathrooms would be repulsive, the food past gross, YUK I say

rant over-- feeling angry as I learn more

money money money, well your greed got to you now , now didn't it? A damn water pump - anyone would change a water pump that keeps overheating - it says I am dying.

If a water pump in our car kept dying we would replace it. Common sense in and of itself would say I got my monies worth - sure seems like it was old like everything else I have seen. Apparently, it had done the exact same thing earlier, and last weekend.

especially if it is clear Back to common sense - if something (anything) is overheating even if you get it running again - you kinda know it needs to cool down and stuff or it is just gonna do it again. there is nothing "technical" in that statement- its common sense. AND, if you are gonna be stupid, when you start it back up you have someone extra watching over it if it is clear that if it stops (again thank you) really bad things can happen. Its not like a water fountain jeeezzzz..

If a water pump in our car did that, and we got it going again, we would not floor and go 95 - we would go slow AND WATCH is happening. We would be aware, and I assume staff knew what the damn pumps "job"was, so being vigilant to water levels just makes sense.

Its not like it would just go poof water level drops and 4 people are murdered, the water level , I would think,would have slowly lowered. And may I ask, you guys had a heads up CAUSE THE OTHER ONE GOT STUCK. Why would that not , in and of itself be a ground hold instantly?

Moreover, if I had trouble with it 3 hours earlier, and then an empty one gets stuck I think I would have heightened sense that maybe it is time to call it a day. There is spacing between them - so one would have to conclude that there had to be some period of time that the empty one was there---------------stuck.

I hope we don't find out that the stuck empty one is like 20 feet from the platform - where it could just be "seen" of one moves their eyes to the right and sees an empty stuck raft and proceeds as usual . You would kinda know another raft IS coming. Obviously they were more than aware that water levels were vital. Some of this is common sense, first day on the job or not - all of this is kinda like common sense IMO.

Just logic. I also hope we don't find out from witnesses that the area smelled like electrical something or that the thing had been making loud noises for a bit.

Remain totally befuddled by draining earlier. It just makes no sense, how does that fit into a repair- what if it can't take a full load what do you do lower the level so the show can go on? There is something, IMO pardon the pun "fishy" here. I kinda wonder if they just "lowered" it to the point to where it could handle it (not). Can someone come up with a hypothesis as to why one would "drain" it to deal with a overheated pump. If anything you would just leave the thing alone - draining is the pumps job too - males no sense??

Obviously if a stuck empty raft , for whatever reason,can't make it up the incline, how on earth could one loaded with wet people do so?? An airport with 4 runways shuts down if there is a n accident on one of them.

Watch we might find out they sprayed some water on it with a hose - what exactly is it you do to an item that overheats?

Opps, I guess rant was not over quite yet...........................................

:hug: I'm with you CARIIS, this was a tragedy that should never have happened! I'm surprised that it's being reopened so quickly.

Reports are coming in that there were persistent safety and maintenance concerns more than a year ago.

It is believed the dossier, which will be finalised today, will outline fears that maintenance work was not carried out in accordance with manufacturer guidelines and that the wrong engineers may have been tasked with looking after rides.The document could also reportedly allege workers who voiced such concerns were bullied or intimidated.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...ems-at-dreamworld-going-back-more-than-a-year

sweetcaro · Oct 26, 2016

The low water due to pump failure meant one empty raft came to a halt. In the meantime a raft witn 6 passengers came along the conveyor belt after ride completion, heading right towards that empty raft which sat idle a metre or two from the end of the conveyor belt. As the full raft came off the belt it hit the empty raft with the end lifting up on top of the empty vessel. The conveyor belt kept pushing the full raft and as it was now angled up slightly it kept raising it until it was fully vertical. We're about to see WS down, when we are back I will post 3 images that show this clearly. It's so sad and the two people who died in the machinery must have endured a terrible, terrible death. The seats on the raft that hit the conveyor belt were literally chewed up. 😢

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

sweetcaro · Oct 27, 2016

How it happened.

http://www.newshub.co.nz/world/dreamworld-tragedy-how-did-it-happen-2016102618

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

sweetcaro · Oct 27, 2016

The raft after, so cofronting. 3 seats have major damage from conveyor belt. People were in these seats. 😐

You can't even see the wooden backs of two seats, they are gone.

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

guruagain · Oct 27, 2016

Dreamworld will not be allowed to open Friday according to this article. Police have insisted it remains closed.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...en-Friday-following-deaths-four-tourists.html

CARIIS · Oct 27, 2016

He Missed ya all ha!

I cut and paste into an email what i learned last night and it put it withpot paragraphs i am just gonna randomly break it apart for easier reading!

attracts almost two million visitors each year from Australia and around the world.
Rides: 28 (two water rides, five roller coasters)
In early October, Patrick Boundy said: “The Tower of Terror ride didn’t brake properly and we had to wait for engineers to come and get us off the ride.”

Facebook user Tasneem Seedat gave the popular park a two star review on Monday, saying rides were “out of date and are not as smooth as they should be” and adding: “I injured myself on the way down from the giant drop because of your old school repairs and upgrades. Wipe-out and a few others need replacing. It just needs a general update all together. All rides are out of date

.
“Another major concern is that for all of your rides there is only 1 or at max 2 people operating it and checking harnesses.”

In April, 2015, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported that former Dreamworld worker Zoe Dennise Prince was suing the theme park for $290,000 over claims she hurt her wrist while checking harnesses on the Tower of Terror thrill ride.

A Tridadvisor user who visited on 6 October for his son’s birthday wrote in a review that he and his family “got stuck on a ride halfway through at the top of the big water slide.”
The visitor, from Taree, added: “I was surprised they didn’t ask us if we wanted to get off like they had done to other people who we saw experience mid ride complications.

“I was stuck with my two kids in this boat thing for 10 minutes, that’s a very long time in a precarious position.

the entire park seemed to be in a bit of disrepair, with railings that didn’t feel safe, dodgy temporary fences and of course a lot of broken rides”

.... 28-year-old claims that in her role as a ride attendant she was required to perform approximately 1500 safety *harness checks per shift and had to check them as quickly as possible to minimise delay between rides.

on May 20, 2013, she was checking harnesses on the Tower of Terror when she says she experienced pain in her right wrist.In the personal injury claim, prepared by Shine Lawyers, it is alleged the injury was caused by the company’s negligence for requiring Ms Prince to undertake repetitive tasks without adequate rest breaks.

“When it (the pumps) started again, the raft was basically sitting there and hit by a flood of water (from behind),” said the emergency services source. “It pushed one raft on to the other. Two people were lost sideways and the two others were trapped underneath.

A CORONIAL inquest into a horror accident that claimed four lives at Dreamworld could hold the power to change the entire theme park industry.

the area around the ride would remain a crime scene for up to a week.“The coronial hearing won’t be held until next year, but there may be recommendations around legislation for the entire industry.“Other Gold Coast theme parks should be looking closely at their machinery — there could be changes to licensing and regulations coming.

THE boss of Dreamworld owner Ardent Leisure has angrily responded to suggestions she turn down a nearly $850,000 bonus following Tuesday’s tragic accident which killed four people. Outgoing chairman Neil Balnaves said any bonus Ms Thomas received “relates to the prior year, a year the company performed in very good terms”. “The tragedy is only 48 hours old,” he said. “It is inappropriate to comment on commercial matters at this time.” The company, which draws around 34 per cent of its total revenue from its theme parks,

We’ve had 35 million people through the gate and we’ve never had a tragedy like this.

The size and the impact of this is just awful.”Mr Balnaves said experience of tragedies in theme parks around the world suggested the financial impact would “diminish as time goes by”.

forecast attendance at Dreamworld could fall by up to 20 per cent, based on the experience of the Alton Towers rollercoaster accident in Britain last year. Tuesday has wiped more than $310 million from the company’s market capitalisation, to almost $940 million.

THE union representing Dreamworld staff says it raised grave concerns about safety at the park 18 months ago, but its owner fought efforts to obtain information.

There were reports last night that the ride was supposed to be closed for maintenance yesterday, after a Twitter user shared a screenshot from the park’s web page that said: “This ride will be closed for maintenance from Tuesday 25 October through to Monday 31 October 2016 inclusive.”

In April, the neighbouring Log Ride was closed indefinitely after a man fell and nearly drowned. It was given the all clear by Worksafe Queensland inspectors and reopened two days later.

4:46 Velcro belt what a joke

http://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/what-its-like-on-board-the-fatal-dreamworld-ride/news-story/de7cc1b95cfc8453f5760aaa1da2d492

Circular rafts of six seats are used on the ride which spin and tumble along a white water course of raging rapids. People are strapped in not by the usual heavy harness but by loose straps around the waist, potentially so riders can escape if the cars flip in the water.

Theme park review website Parkz classes Thunder River Rapids as “good” with a rating of 72 out of 100. But it is listed as relatively modest when it comes to “intensity”. In the past, riders could reportedly board and dismount the boats while they were still moving but this was halted due to safety concerns.

Cindy studied at Kawerau College in the small New Zealand North Island town in the Bay of Plenty. She married Mathew Low in 2011 and both moved to Sydney where he worked as a business manager for a hearing aids company.

Roozi was working at the Australian Bureau of Statistics on secondment from the Australian Government Department of Health. Colleagues from the Bureau of Statistics described him as a dedicated, professional and hardworking part of the communications team who was very popular and well-regarded. He was helping with an organisation-wide transformation of the bureau’s statistical processes, a statement said. At one stage he was a contributor to leading gay and lesbian news site Same Same, interviewing pop stars Boy George and Jessica Mauboy, as well as writing music reviews

The Canberra trio, visiting Queensland for a wedding, shared plenty of social good times as a post from August on Mr Dorsett’s Facebook page showed. Commenting on a photo of himself in dress-up and drinking from a bottle through a straw, he jokes about being “classy!”. Mrs Goodchild replied: “I bet you weren’t feeling classy this morning ... hehe.”

DAVID Goodchild watched in horror as the love of his life was crushed to death while his daughter was flung into a pool of water and swam frantically to safety.

Husband of wife
http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/0a483933076df01875d842f3cc552ef1?width=650

POLICE have cast doubt on Dreamworld’s plan to reopen tomorrow.
Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd said police have not yet given Dreamworld permission to reopen. He said the park was “hopeful” to open, but that final approval would come later today. Asst Comm Codd said police were looking at issues around the planned reopening.

Last night, police and consular officials were working to notify overseas relatives of one of the men. Ms Goodchild’s daughter watched on in horror as the tragedy unfolded. She could be heard howling hysterically* as her mum and the other trio lay dead on the ride.

*advertiser censored* Comm Brian Codd said the 12-year-old daughter of Kate Goodchild had travelled back to Canberra with her father and grandmother this afternoon while the 10-year-old son of Cindy Low is still on the Coast with his father.Three of the four autopsies have been conducted today.

aerial of the whole park
http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/a1bbbe51943541786e898c04685288b7?width=650

In incidents like this I despise when CEOs read from a sheet of paper - it makes it so "nothing" - if you cant talk from your heart without reading stay home moo

http://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/what-its-like-on-board-the-fatal-dreamworld-ride/news-story/de7cc1b95cfc8453f5760aaa1da2d492
http://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/dreamworld-deaths-unbearable-pain-of-husbands-who-saw-wives-die-at-end-of-ride/news-story/31f25685a6db56a2d6caa3aa600ad316
http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/dreamworld-tragedy-police-throw-doubt-on-gold-coast-theme-parks-planned-reopening/news-story/2e892f531ceba2a80dfbb2381441ff29
http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/lifestyle/tributes-flow-for-cindy-low-roozi-araghi-kate-goodchild-luke-dorsett-killed-at-dreamworld-on-the-gold-coast/news-story/860f6662095b62dce5bc466340380109
http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/

CARIIS · Oct 27, 2016

PrimeSuspect said:
:hug: I'm with you CARIIS, this was a tragedy that should never have happened! I'm surprised that it's being reopened so quickly.

Reports are coming in that there were persistent safety and maintenance concerns more than a year ago.

http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...ems-at-dreamworld-going-back-more-than-a-year

I wonder if they are trained on one ride only or do the cross utilize ?

TY. Interesting other tidbit from your link

[FONT=&amp]9NEWS understands the water level of the ride had dropped yesterday afternoon, which failed to trigger a sensor that usually sets off an alarm to shut down the ride.
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...ing-back-more-than-a-year#SQyTvYwE27dTtROp.99

[/FONT]Also last night I was trying to learn -- not sure which article but there was actually and engineer who was so worried that he actually contacted a ride's manufacturer, personally and directly, to find out they were maintaining stuff differently than the entities who made the rides themselves

Also, the empty one was IN , for lack of a better word, the disembarkment area - had to be seen stuck by those waiting in line and operator.

Also found it just unnecessary ;that apparently staff were rushed to check harnesses on all the rides there. What is "rush" they have everyone money already?

O/T kinda!

That happened at American airlines resulting in a huge crash of a DC-10 in Chicago- a big one. When doing an engine removal they were supposed to be dropping the engine and THEn take the pylon off separately, They decided to just remove the engine and pylon all still together. On the accident airplane when they were remounting, they cracked a bolt that held it on the wing. On takeoff the engine completely sheared off went up over the top of the wing crashed on the runway.

e pilots did not know that the engine flew off - they just thought it was an engine failure. Hydroic fluid was leaking which made flaps so all sorts of crazy stuff, and they plummetted to the ground. It was a DC 10 that had a camera on the front (interesting idea- but not this time) that let passengers see ahead of them Continental was doing same thing. They did find other engine mounts cracked on other DC-10s. I will never forget the picture (made front pages all over) a guy took:

Google images

.It remains the worst crash in US history...............................

Gross but I cant help but recall the boy on the raft in "Jaws".

keyleigh · Oct 27, 2016

I'm appalled at the callousness of the Ardent board. Yesterday was not the time for bonuses. Yesterday should have been spent in the company of the victims families assisting them in any way they could. Deborah Thomas (CEO) said that they hadn't been able to reach the families. What rot. So much rot that one of the family's rang a reporter at the press conference and asked them to pass on their number to Thomas on air!

Trying to reopen on Friday with their ******** token "memorial" was totally inappropriate and only trying to move away from the deaths of innocent people.

I haven't been to Dreamworld in ten years but when I was last there it was grotty. I think they use the "Australian" ness of the park to justify the dilapidated equipment everywhere. It's not broken, it's the outback, everything is rusted, banged up and worn- that sort of thing. No way they will be allowed to reopen with the Gold Rush area (where the Thunder Rapids is) - that section will be gutted. Imo.

Safeguard · Oct 27, 2016

I have been trying to envision how the two children were completely unharmed...No report really saying where the children landed. I think I read one that said they were thrown "clear", but thrown where? Unless they landed on a raft coming up behind them, I don't see where they could have landed that would have resulted in them being completely uninjured...

At first I had a hard time envisioning the entire accident. I was thinking it "flipped" as in "flipped right over onto the riders, hense the drownings, I have a better idea now of what happened, but if two adults were ejected sideways, and crushed by the machinery , and the two who were trapped underneath drown, who was sitting in the torn up seats? I would think those people would have been crushed , by the look of things...were those seats occupied by the two children? It doesn't look to me, as if anyone in those seats would have died by "drowning" alone, surly they would have suffered massive injury?

Can't really get a clear picture in my mind of where everyone ended up after the crash. People were even reporting a woman was "dangling by one foot" dangling from where?

Also, if a raft was stuck, did no one notice it? I am thinking people just got off that stuck raft, as it was on the exit platform...How long was it just sitting there stuck?

Jax49 · Oct 27, 2016

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/austra...ld-accident-how-a-sunny-day-turned-to-tragedy

As he saw the raft flip, Goodchild immediately threw his wallet and phone from his pockets, jumped a fence and dove into the muddy water.
"My son managed to get to Kate who died in his arms with [her mother] Kim and my grand-dauhter screaming, looking on," Goodchild's mother told reporters on Thursday.

ETA: I keep seeing the fact that two children survived referred to as "almost a miracle" or "providence of God".

Australia - 4 people dead on Dreamworld's Thunder River Rapids ride, Gold Coast, 2016

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