Killer Carnies Exposed

One of the best web sites EVER is http://www.rideaccidents.com. The short, concise, lurid and often gruesome copy combines death and dismemberment with silly names like Giggle a Minute Boats and Happy Fun Time Inc. Miss Fidget lost a childhood friend to a roller coaster ride, no shit. Carnies can kill you, and that includes hucksters like Disney and Six Flags.

Here’s a sample article from their site:
Yo-Yo ride injures 6 at Pennsylvania carnival
(Saturday, April 1, 2000) - At a carnival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, six people were injured after parts of a Yo-Yo ride broke, leaving a metal chain to lash through the air, striking the victims in their heads and backs.

The Yo-Yo is a flying swing ride which consists of 32 individual seats that are suspended by chains from overhead booms which lift, tilt, and rotate during operation, allowing riders to circle through the air.

Eyewitnesses heard a loud noise, then noticed that a chain had broken off one of the ride’s seats. Victims say that they screamed and shouted, trying to get the ride operator to stop the ride, however the ride continued for another 10 revolutions, during which time the riders were repeatedly struck by the flying chain. The chain also hit at least one person who was standing nearby the ride. When the ride had finally come to a stop, the chain had wrapped around the neck of one passenger, who was choking and foaming at the mouth.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture were investigating the accident on Sunday. The ride has been shut down. The carnival runs until April 9.

Carnival security workers would not identify the owner of the ride.

Still think amusement parks are amusing?

Check out these photos. First photo, ok, so people are stuck upside down, call the fire department, it’ll work out. The second photo shows the true extent of the mishap-dang, thats a problem. News sources have conflicting info on how riders were saved. Big national media says firemen rescued riders using a ladder truck, a hell of a ladder truck with a 150 foot of ladder?? Yeah right. Local news says power was restored 30 minutes after a mini brown out. Mark Hunt, no relation to Mike Hunt, manager of Entergy Arkansas said this: “…marks indicated a bird or large animal touched the insulators simultaneously, causing a fault on the line and blowing the fuse connecting the park to the electrical services. ” Power came back on. Ride powered up and coaster cars returned to the platform.