A six-year-old boy was left with “traumatic” injuries on Thursday after falling more than 20 feet onto the sidewalk from a Florida roller coaster.
The incident happened on the Galaxy Spin Ride at Fun Spot America in Kissimmee, about 20 miles south of the theme park capital of the world, Orlando.
The child was rushed to nearby Arnold Palmer Hospital, where he is still recovering. The ride is temporarily closed pending an investigation. In a statement, the park defiantly promised to reopen the attraction as soon as possible.
After the tragedy, one TikToker said in a video that he had previously witnessed a baby being placed in the same ride without any objection from the staff.
‘Take a spin on a wild mouse style rollercoaster that produces heavy G-forces as you go through sharp and tight turns. With a maximum of 4 people in a seat, your whole car will scream!” reads the description of the ride at the park his website.
A six-year-old boy suffered “traumatic” injuries after being thrown from a roller coaster in Florida on Thursday
Boy was rushed to a nearby hospital with unknown injuries after falling 20 feet from the ride at Fun Spot America
The ride, Galaxy Spin, is under investigation by Sunshine State officials and remains closed
The website says riders must be at least four feet tall or four feet tall if accompanied by an adult.
A witness to the tragedy wrote in a Facebook post that he saw the child being encouraged to get up during the ride by the adult he was with who was recording him on her phone.
The Osceola County Fire Department attended the park around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. The child was found 20 feet below the coaster’s track.
In its statement, the park claimed the ride complied with regulations and had recently undergone a safety inspection.
The incident is being investigated by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Commerce. The park said the ride will remain closed until the investigation is complete.
Speak against click orlando, one visitor said on Thursday, “It’s these third-party parks where you see all the accidents happening. I am always hesitant to go to third-party parks.’
‘I think it’s pretty sad. You get on it and it spins as it goes through,” said witness John Capps, describing the drive to WESH.
“I have my grandchildren here and if something happened to them it would be terrible. I would be devastated, especially as a lot of people are here on vacation, so if he’s here on vacation and he gets hurt while on vacation, it’s just awful,” another witness, Crystal Morse, told the agency.
The Osceola County Fire Department attended the park around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. The child was found 20 feet below the coaster’s track
In its statement, the park claimed the ride complied with regulations and had recently undergone a safety inspection
The ride moves about 29 miles per hour and features “spinning cars” that spin as the ride navigates tight turns, according to the rollercoaster database.
A 2021 study conducted on behalf of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions found “0.9 injuries per million rides” across all roller coasters, said Caitlin Dineen, the group’s spokesperson.
That year, more than 1,200 ride-related injuries were reported out of the typical 1.7 billion rides that occur each year at 400 locations in North America.
“Safety is the top priority for the global attraction industry,” said Dineen. “An outstanding safety record is in the best interest of the industry, and industry leaders are committed to providing safe attractions for all of their guests and visitors.”
In 2022, Orlando’s International Drive district removed a towering 400-foot ride after it was directly linked to the death of 14-year-old Tire Sampson — a Missouri teenager who fell to his death on the ride the year before.
Sampson, who lived near St. Louis, Missouri, was visiting Orlando over spring break when he died.
An initial report from outside engineers hired by the Florida Department of Agriculture said sensors had been manually adjusted during the ride to double the opening for seatbelts on two seats, resulting in the teen not being properly restrained.
Thursday’s incident came just days after a mechanical failure aboard a ride at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, forced riders to walk the track to safety after the roller coaster came to a stop close to the top.