Incidents at Busch parks

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This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various Anheuser-Busch-owned amusement parks, water parks or theme parks. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy.

The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, or deaths that occur at a Busch park. While these incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities due to where they occurred, they usually fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to break park rules.
  2. The result of a guest's known or unknown health issues.
  3. Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance.
  4. Act of God or a generic accident (eg slipping and falling), that is not a direct result of an action on anybody's part.

Please see the references for each listed item for specific details.

[edit] Busch Gardens Africa

[edit] Gwazi

Main article: Gwazi (roller coaster)
  • 52-year-old Thomas Welch of Palm Harbor, Florida died shortly after riding the Gwazi roller coaster on July 24, 2006. After riding, he had difficulty breathing, then collapsed. Paramedics performed CPR, but Welch was pronounced dead two hours later.[1] The medical examiner's report showed that Welch suffered from high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries. The ride was closed for an hour after the incident to confirm that it was functioning properly.[2]

[edit] Kumba

Main article: Kumba (roller coaster)
  • On June 10, 1995, 13-year-old Lacey Ingram of Pinellas Park, Florida died shortly after riding Kumba due to a rare heart condition she had that triggered a heart attack.[3] Her mother, Robyn Ingram, sued the park and won a judgement of $500,000. The jury cited the park for failing to administer CPR in a timely manner and slowing rescue efforts. The jury also cited Ms. Ingram as 30% responsible for Lacey's death, thereby reducing the award amount to $350,000. Reasons given were Ms. Ingram's previous drug abuse during her pregnancy, possibly contributing to Lacey's health problems.[4]

[edit] Python

Main article: Python (roller coaster)
  • A few weeks after Python opened in 1976, a 6-foot-6, 340 pound, 39-year-old heart patient died after riding. The ride was advertised previous to this accident with the tagline "I challenged the Python and lived!" This campaign was pulled quickly afterwards. [5]

[edit] Busch Gardens Europe

[edit] Apollo's Chariot

Main article: Apollo's Chariot

On the maiden voyage of the ride Apollos Chariot in March 1999, a stray goose flew into the face of the Italian model Fabio Lanzoni during the 210 foot drop, killing the bird. Fabio survived with only a broken nose.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Man dies shortly after riding Busch Gardens roller coaster", Orlando Sentinel, 2006-07-25. Retrieved on 2006-07-27. 
  2. ^ "Busch Gardens Patron Had Health Issues", AP, 2006-07-25. Retrieved on 2006-07-27. 
  3. ^ "Kumba rider had heart attack, autopsy finds", St. Petersburg Times, 1995-07-08. Retrieved on 2006-08-15. 
  4. ^ "The Week in Business", Tampa Bay Business Journal, 1996-06-21. Retrieved on 2007-01-04. 
  5. ^ "Classic coaster doomed?", St. Petersburg Times, 2006-09-19. Retrieved on 2006-09-19. 
  6. ^ "Bird slams into Fabio's face", CNN, 1999-03-31. Retrieved on 2007-04-27. 
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Amusement park accidents