Boy, 6, plunges to death from top of Ferris wheel

[Mixability]

Are you SURE about that? Did you see these signs? See, cus signs like that would make sense. So would putting bars on the entrance to the gondola. But they didn't have the later, so what makes you think they would have the former?

ok, i guess SURE was a bad word to use, i meant I'd HOPE they had those signs.

[Extra Stout]

I usually agree with Manny...but not here. You claim that there are other things that aren't covered by the hight regulations, such as emotional maturity. Well, the only rule is height, the guy did his job, and as for emotional security...who will know better? The stupid ass mom, or the ride operator who has never met the kid, and sees 1000's go through his line every day. He does NOT have time to do an emotional I.Q test.

The blame it solely on the mother in this scenario. Sure, maybe things would be better if we had better laws regulating rides, but we don't so all talk in that regard is irrelevant. The autobahn has no speed limits, so would a cop be justified in arresting somebody who is driving 120 mph? Sure, anybody with any sanity can tell you that that speed is unsafe, but there are no regulations prohibiting that action. So no harm, no foul.

You can't expect a ride operator to do anything other than the job he/she is given. Don't take responsibility from who deserves it, the dumbass who knew the kid the best. His "mother".

I sense a disconnect here... the unskilled laborer "ride operator" I agree bears minimal responsibility. He does not have the la ude to make decisions about who can and cannot ride the ride, other than the concrete rules about height.

However, the "ride operator" as in the business that operates the ride has responsibility to provide a reasonable level of safety for its customers. According to their own rules, it was OK for a six-year-old to ride unattended on a ride that had no safeguards to prevent falling over the side 90 feet to a horrible death.

It is not onerous to have belts that a six-year-old cannot easily unlatch. It is not onerous have bars along the side of the gondola to prevent falling out. These would be reasonable safety measures, and both the manufacturer and the ride operator (as in the business) were negligible not to have them.

It's not unreasonable to say that even if the mother had been on the ride, the child quickly could have unlatched his belt, and bolted off the side of the gondola before she could react.

[SpursWoman]

If litigation has to be involved because stupid people procreated, I think ES's suggestion is awesome...I couldn't stomach seeing this woman rewarded financially, because you know the damages will be substantial, for the consequences of what I strongly feel is her gross negligence.

[Mixability]

Since when does being a parent mean being responsible? So because a kid's parents are idiots, then no measures should be taken to protect them? They deserve to be scraped up off a parking lot pavement somewhere because their parents did not fulfill their moral obligation to be good parents? When the law can easily step in and make some VERY SIMPLE, VERY INEXPENSIVE safety requirements?

I guess I just hope that there'd be less moronic parents out there, then there'd still be that 6 year old with a whole life ahead of him. I see how the operator could've intervened, but I'm sure he's one of those employees who was just "doing his job". If I was the operator and the only guidelines in place were height dependent, then I'd find another job. I see kids over the age of 15 at Fiesta Texas who I wouldn't trust on a Ferris wheel, much less a ing 6 year old!

[MannyIsGod]

I don't know what percentage of blame I'd apply to who. I nkow that the motehr shares in the blame, and I know that the owner operator shares in the blame.

But I am saying that legally, the owner operator is the only one to blame because they are the ones with the liability here.

[MannyIsGod]

I said in this thread prior to my posts on this page that there obviously needs to be better standards in place than just height. Tpark went off on how that was ridiculous.

[Extra Stout]

Cracked his head open = boo boo?

Does this Power Wheels go so fast that it is going to shatter your child's skull if he falls out of it?

[MannyIsGod]

I'm telling you, even with me on the damn thing I don't let my six year old child ride that thing. Its a fall waiting to happen.

[Mixability]

It is not onerous to have belts that a six-year-old cannot easily unlatch. It is not onerous have bars along the side of the gondola to prevent falling out. These would be reasonable safety measures, and both the manufacturer and the ride operator (as in the business) were negligible not to have them.

That I totally agree with. If I was the parent and saw that there wasn't any safety devices (belts/locks/bars) then I would've yanked my child off that ride in an instant, thats if I let them ride alone in the first place.

[turambar85]

The ride passed safety regulations. The operator acted within the parameters of his employment guidelines. A parent of a 6 year old with a low emotional I.Q should check what rides she lets her baby ride. And this kid was a baby.

I could not fathom not knowing what the ride was like and letting my 6 year old ride. Sure, maybe some safety regulations are lax...but that it NOT the operators nor the companies fault. The lax safety is in the hands of the people who make those laws, not those who enforce them.

There is no way this is not 100% the mothers fault, at least if we're talking about people who were actively at the scene. If not, I'd say 85% mothers fault, 15% safety regulators fault.

There are plenty of things in life that are dangerous is not done right, but that are safe enough to be entrusted to the public, and this is one of those. If a half-way decent mother were with him, he would never have been allowed on that ride, regardless of his tall he is for his age.


Parents have a responsibility to their children.
Operators have a responsibility to follow rules.
Owners have a responsibility to enfore rules with operators.
Safety regulators have a responsibility to make sure that rides are safe enough for a reasonable person to be 100% safe while on the ride.

If this ride, which looks rather old, has never killed another human being than they are doing their job, at least to a degree. If the owner enforced the rules, then he did his job. If the operator followed the rules, than he did his job. If the parent protected her child from things which she knew would not be safe for him, knowing his emotional level, then she did her job....

Well, she didn't.

[Extra Stout]

I said in this thread prior to my posts on this page that there obviously needs to be better standards in place than just height. Tpark went off on how that was ridiculous.

Objective proof of other requirements is very difficult, unless parents are going to be required to have signed affidavits of their children's ages and levels of emotional maturity before the children can board amusement park rides.

[Mixability]

I said in this thread prior to my posts on this page that there obviously needs to be better standards in place than just height. Tpark went off on how that was ridiculous.

Don't most places have an "under 12 must be accompanied by adult"? I wonder if by only having a height requirement they were seeing more business?

[Mixability]

Does this Power Wheels go so fast that it is going to shatter your child's skull if he falls out of it?

If you knew my boy.......

Even when the thing has a dead battery, he's been known to try and stand on the hood and with his newly acquired higher center of gravity, it'd be a pretty big fall.

[Mixability]

I'm telling you, even with me on the damn thing I don't let my six year old child ride that thing. Its a fall waiting to happen.

I can't wait for my boy to be 6......

, you can never have enough hands to keep a child in place for a long time.......

[Melmart1]

I guess I just hope that there'd be less moronic parents out there, then there'd still be that 6 year old with a whole life ahead of him. I see how the operator could've intervened, but I'm sure he's one of those employees who was just "doing his job". If I was the operator and the only guidelines in place were height dependent, then I'd find another job. I see kids over the age of 15 at Fiesta Texas who I wouldn't trust on a Ferris wheel, much less a ing 6 year old!

You and I don't disagree here. I would wish more parents were not morons. But the sad fact is that this is simply not the case. A lot of parents are morons and so thier innocent spawn need to be protected.

I would bet cash money that half the owners of these machines would not put thier own kid on these rides, even if they met the 'safety requirement' of height. By those standards, Manute Bol could have ridden this ride alone at the age of two. No matter what the manufacturer says, ride operators can and should have thier own standards. Hopefully now, they will be forced by law to do so.

[Mixability]

No matter what the manufacturer says, ride operators can and should have thier own standards. Hopefully now, they will be forced by law to do so.

Shouldn't there be a clear cut standard as to the requirements for each ride? I'd rather not let individual operators decide what and what isn't safe. Let the law dictate strict requirements (height/age/supervision) and maybe we'd save a few lives.

[Melmart1]

Shouldn't there be a clear cut standard as to the requirements for each ride? I'd rather not let individual operators decide what and what isn't safe. Let the law dictate strict requirements (height/age/supervision) and maybe we'd save a few lives.

Obviously, there needs to be some very black and white standards. If T-Park is indicative of other owners in the industry, they are satisfied to just meet GUIDELINES rather than take the extra step of additional safety reqiurements (and possibly saving lives) for fear of being called a .

[jcrod]

If litigation has to be involved because stupid people procreated, I think ES's suggestion is awesome...I couldn't stomach seeing this woman rewarded financially, because you know the damages will be substantial, for the consequences of what I strongly feel is her gross negligence.

Why couldn't you stomach it?? Its not your child that was lost or your ride you own. You think she's happy right now thinking of all the money she'll get?? I could care less about money if I was in her situtation, i would just want my kid back.

Like I said, not everyone has common sense. Its easy to tear her apart.

Does anybody have any qoutes from her?????

[Mixability]

Obviously, there needs to be some very black and white standards. If T-Park is indicative of other owners in the industry, they are satisfied to just meet GUIDELINES rather than take the extra step of additional safety reqiurements (and possibly saving lives) for fear of being called a .

I was at a go-cart amusement place and this moron insisted that the operators allow his 7 year old to ride on his own. He even threw money around by saying that he was planning on paying for an hours worth of driving for him. FYI, the requirements were that anyone under the age of 16 had to be accompanied by an adult, if over the age requirement, then a drivers license was required to operate the go cart alone. The two seater go cart was $1 more.

It was a high powered go cart, so I can see why they had those requirements. He made a big fuss, they still refused, everyone looked at him like he was a moron. He was a moron, he wanted to spend all this money for his kid to ride, but didn't want s up the extra $1 to ride with him.

[jcrod]

Wow, ok I just saw a video of the Mom talking. She is trully stupid, clueless. She does not give herself any blame.

She says they should have better restraints and guidlines/saftey precautions. She said he wanted to get on and they told the attendant to put him on with other people, but the attendant put him in by himself. He was fine after going around two times, but freaked when it stopped on top and tried to get out.

Its hard to feel sorry for her, when she doesn't seem to feel at fault.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Does anybody have any quotes from her?????

In the newsclip from the website she explains that she didn't want the kid to go up alone but the operator said there wasn't any room the other baskets. While some might see that as the operator being unsafe it really makes me mad with the mother. Because something (maternal instinct, common sense, or whatever you want to call it) was setting off a warning bell in her head that it was not safe for the kid to be in there alone. I don't know her situation as to why she didn't just get in there with the kid, but the bottom line is that at some level she KNEW this was not a good idea but let the kid ride anyways.

That's not to say that she is solely to blame, but I put the brunt of it on her. I say have the company pay for the funeral, and not a cent more.

[SpursWoman]

Why couldn't you stomach it??

Because I think she was grossly negligent. (!!)

[Mixability]

Wow, ok I just saw a video of the Mom talking. She is trully stupid, clueless. She does not give herself any blame.

She says they should have better restraints and guidlines/saftey precautions. She said he wanted to get on and they told the attendant to put him on with other people, but the attendant put him in by himself. He was fine after going around two times, but freaked when it stopped on top and tried to get out.

Its hard to feel sorry for her, when she doesn't seem to feel at fault.

So she requested the child be put in with other people and when that didn't happen, she said, "ah well". What a ing moron. What happens if the kid WAS put in with other people and the kid still jumped, would she be suing the people who didn't restrain her kid? I still am dying to know what her excuse for not going on the ride with her child?

[atxrocker]

per cnn, a 12 year old boy died on a mgm studios ride called the "rock n roller" ride today. just sad. no details on exactly what happened but after the ride ended he was not responsive. they performed cpr on the spot with no success. there needs to be some serious changes made.

[jman3000]

sometimes people just have conditions that they don't know about or that trigger at the wrong times and it costs them their lives. he coulda been obese and had heart trouble for all we know. i say don't judge until you hear the details.