Thrill or Tragedy?

You hands fly into the air as the adrenaline rushed through your body. You open you mouth, only to realize you can’t scream. The feeling a rollercoaster causes is incredible. The sensation that you are flying, but is it worth it? These rides can be unsafe and have been known to cause serious injuries and death.
There are many stories that begin with a fun day at the amusement park, but end in tragedy. It seems that most of these deaths are young people that have bright futures ahead of them. Some of these stories include mechanical error. A relatively receient story that most people are firmilar with is the story about the teenager who lost her legs on the “superman” thrill ride. Another popular story was the twenty-one year old whose harnessed released while riding the “Extreme” rollercoaster in Baton Rouge. Not all of injuries and deaths from thrill rides are mechanical errors, there are many incidences including worker and victim mistakes. If the rides are not accurately checked throughout the day it can lead to errors and death. I think the most common reports of incidence at amusement parks include mistakes made by the victim. The person failed to follow the rules of the park, or had an unknown health condition. I think this topic hit a lot closer to home when an 11 year old girl died at the six flags in Gurnee, Illinois. This young girl choked on a piece of gum or candy while riding “Raging bull.”
I would be a liar if I said that any of these stories stop me from going to amusement parks. I use this information to remind myself that there are risks, but I believe you have to live in the moment. I am planning a trip to six flags this weekend, and without a doubt I will be riding the “Raging bull”.