Accident at Kentucky Park Prompts Closure of Tower Rides

On Thursday, June 21, a malfunction on the Superman Tower of Power ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville severed a 13-year-old passenger's feet. According to news reports, a cable snapped during the ride and caused the injury. The condition of the teenage girl, who remains hospitalized, is unknown. The Kentucky park, as well as a number of parks that operate similar tower attractions built by the same manufacturer, have closed the thrill rides pending an investigation.

The ride slowly lifts passengers to the top of a 177-foot tower, then releases them into a freefall. The braking system did engage, preventing harm to other passengers. It appears that the sheared cable itself caused the girl's injury, although it's unclear how and why the cable snapped, and at what point during the ride it occurred.

Swiss-based Inatmin built the ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, but other companies also create tower rides. S&S Power, Inc. of Utah, which manufactures freefall rides using a compressed-air system, is one of the most popular tower ride vendors. It built a ride for Six Flags Over Texas, also called Superman Tower of Power.

The trade organization, International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, cites the industry's outstanding safety record. It points to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which estimates that more than 300 million people visited U.S. parks in 2005 and boarded more than 1.85 billion rides, resulting in 132 ride-related injuries that required hospitalization, or .1 injuries per million rides.

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