Cops Shot Far Rockaway Teen 11 Times
Video: New School Students, Comrades Toss Trash Pre-Arrest
Turkey Cruelty Ad Nixed By NBC
Would You Be Comfortable Locked On A Train With A Murderer?
Schumer: "Real Momentum" For Health Care Reform Now
Last summer was a rough one for some riders of the 81-year-old Coney Island Cyclone; the Post reports that at least seven people were injured throughout the season while riding the roller coaster. According to Astroland operator Carole Albert’s website, the ride “has the highest safety standards in the outdoor amusement industry,” and in order to maintain that perception, Albert’s been trying to quietly settle the ensuing lawsuits out of court.
The injured riders all sustained neck or back injuries, which Albert’s lawyers blame on a malfunction that caused the Cyclone to make its first 85-foot drop with too much speed. (It reaches top speeds of 60 mph.) The problem has since been corrected, but not before it finally resulted in a fatality. After a ride on the Cyclone last July 31st, 53-year-old Keith Shirasawa of California fractured three neck vertebrae and died four days later after complications from surgery.
Photo courtesy Wally G.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
AMAZING! I'm glad I was never hurt. I guess I'll have to lay off my son for not going on it with me.
It amazes me that people will sue for things like this. There are plenty of warnings before you get on this ride. Plus common sense should kick in at some point and tell you that it's dangerous.
I bruised my taint on there last summer, but fuck it, right?
That thing has always been deadly- which is part of it's charm. Still, it would suck to DIE as a result of riding it...
Not to worry, in a few years the most dangerous thing to do in Coney Island will be, I dunno, Build-a-Bear or something.
The Cyclone is rough! I myself have actually never been a big fan of roller coasters. After I rode the Cyclone in 1996 (and got terrible whiplash), I said 'That's it! I'm done with roller coasters, I have ridden the most iconic one and I don't need to ride another one' - haven't ridden one since, don't miss it.
Yeah, I just noticed last week that it now costs *eight bucks* for that sixty-second ride, which kind of broke my heart. I figured the high price was to cover insurance costs, but maybe it's more for those out-of-court settlements.
And yes, the feeling that the whole thing was incredibly rickety has always been the thrill of the cyclone. But still, you shouldn't be breaking neck vertebrae on it.
I looove the cyclone, but at the very beginning of the season last summer I also bruised my freakin tailbone on it. The seat had slid forward a few inches and so I was bouncing up and down against the metal frame instead of the cushiony part. Ow.
I do remember a story that the guy who manages it doesn't actually like to ride it, which is not so good. I wonder how long this "malfunction" went on and exactly what caused it.
I wonder if all these injuries are the reason they were doing one person/car when the Cyclone opened this season.
bklynd it says in the story that the malfunction was from it having too much speed on the first drop. The key to the Cyclone is riding near the front. The last cars will whip you around pretty good.
I made my ex-wife ride once. She cried all the way. That wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back, but it didn't help matters much.
It's a pretty rough ride, especially if the only other roller coasters you've been on have been those smooth, modern ones that look like monorails.
I'm surprised there wasn't more fuss about the guy who fractured neck vertebrae and ultimately died. I don't remember hearing anything about that.
Riding in the back seat is rough. I got some nice bruises on my knees from that.
One of my favorite rides was when I got in a car solo. You really get whipped around without anything to hold you in place.
I've been on that thing literally hundreds of times and yes, it's a rough ride. A friend of mine's wife is a coaster enthusiast to the point where she travels around the country riding every huge coaster she can find. She went on the Cyclone around five years ago and hurt her neck to the point where she's still getting treated for it. The worst that ever happened to me was getting squished against the seat by a fat guy.
"Rough" doesn't begin to describe it. Last summer I actually 'entered' the person in front of me after a sharp plunge. This year, I'm bringing lube.
That's very funny, sony. I haven't heard a good roller coaster joke in a long, long time. Thanks for the laugh.
I don't believe a word of this story. The Post is Thor's mouthpiece. Always writing negative stuff about Astroland. Are they trying to help get the Cyclone closed so Thor can tear it down and build condos? Timing of story, same day as the one about the Mayor of Coney living in the sideshow building bought for them by the city, is very suspicious. Bigtime smear campaign.
Have a nice day, suckers
Definitely a rough ride. I remember being a little scared about my neck while riding it, but thinking, I guess this is a safe ride, just a little violent....
The Cyclone is landmarked -- it can't be torn down. Unlike what Giuliani did to the Thunderbolt.
I rode The Cyclone for the first and last time about 5 years ago and had a stiff neck for 2 days, but I never thought much of it.
#18 yes, it's landmarked, but haven't you heard of "demolition by neglect." The term means the destruction of a building, or in this case historic ride, through abandonment or lack of maintenance. First off, the owner lets the property become derelict, then they say it can't be rehabilitated, next thing it's declared a public hazard and demolition permit granted.
If you're thinking NYC owns the Cyclone, they aren't going to neglect it, think again. It's owned technically by the Parks Dept, which let the Parachute Jump rot for decades. The first attempt to landmark it failed, because funds weren't available to maintain it.
The NY Post smear job on the Cyclone was fed to reporter Rich Calder by Thor publicist and ex-Post reporter Stefan Friedman. The story plants the idea the Cyclone is not being properly operated and is a deadly and dangerous ride. Trying to make people afraid to ride it so ridership goes down and it's no longer profitable to run? Trying to make the city fear it's a liability for them to operate. If the Cyclone ceases to operate as a ride, there will be no funds to maintain it. Then it could very easily become a victim of demolition by neglect.
You can believe anything you read in The post...after it's absorbed enough catshit.