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Accidental deaths of any kind are tragic – but there’s something particularly poignant – and chilling – about deaths that occur at amusement parks.
Yesterday, four people – Kate Goodchild, 32, her brother Luke Dorsett, his partner Roozi Araghi and a 42-year-old woman has been named as mother of two Cindy Low by New Zealand media – were killed at Australia’s biggest amusement park, Dream World. They apparently died after the Thunder River Rapids Ride malfunctioned.
The deaths are the latest in a string of high-profile fatalities at global amusement parks – and one of the worst incidents in Australian history.
RELATED: “My whole family has been wiped out” Dreamworld tragedy
Boy dies on world’s tallest waterslide
Just a few months ago, the world’s tallest waterslide claimed the young life of Caleb Schwab, a 10-year-old boy who was decapitated when he was suddenly flung from the 51.4 metre-long ride.
Many witnesses asserted that the young boy, standing at roughly 137cm tall, had been too small for the ride and should never have been permitted access in the first place.
The opening of the Sclitterbahn Waterpark slide, named ‘Verruckt’ or ‘Insane’ in German, had been halted just two years earlier in 2014, when problems with the rides conveyor system had occurred.
Crocodile attacks toddler at Disney World
In July of this year, the world witnessed yet another heartbreaking amusement park death when a 2-year-old boy, Lane Graves, was killed when an alligator snatched the toddler during a family trip at Disney World in Florida.
Disney World has since made changes to limit visitor contact with alligators on the property, and also removed all alligator and crocodile references from the theme park.
Australian amusement park tragedies
Luna Park 1979
Australia’s worst amusement park tragedy took place in 1979 when the Ghost Train at Sydney’s Luna Park caught on fire.
Six children and one adult died in the accident, yet the exact cause of the fire could not be determined. The incident forced the closure of the world famous park for almost three years.
2014 Royal Adelaide Show
Eight-year-old Adelene Leong was killed when the ‘AirMaxx 360’ malfunctioned at the Royal Adelaide Show.
The owners of the ride, along with a safety inspection company and the lead engineer, were charged over the young girl’s death in a landmark health and safety case.
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