Spinning Rides

Spinning rides – you either love them or you hate them. Spinning rides like Gravitron, Tilt-a-Whirl, Enterprise, and Music Express are favorite rides that can appeal to all ages. The people that hate spinning rides often feel dizzy, nauseous, and completely sick after getting off a spinning ride. Other than just making you sick though, what risks come along with these types of rides?

Rotor/Gravitron

The Rotor or Gravitron ride is a circular chamber that spins around as the floor lowers, causing riders to stick to the wall because of friction and centrifugal force. The scary part about these rides is that they pin riders against a wall with a force that is three times the force of gravity. Rapid spinning and extreme forces of gravity can cause blood in the heart to pump faster to get blood to the brain. This ride may not be suitable for people that suffer from certain medical conditions. The most common accidents that can occur are riders hitting against something or someone during the ride, getting pinched, falling down as spinning subsides, body pain from extreme forces, electric shock, seizures, and equipment failure. Another common occurrence is dizziness, nausea, and vision or hearing problems. These injuries usually occur because of a preexisting condition that a rider had such as a weak heart, asthma, or a neurological condition. Be cautious about riding these types of rides at amusement parks or carnivals if you have a medical condition, especially if these rides lack warning signs.

Tilt-a-Whirl

The Tilt-a-Whirl is a ride that spins carts on a platform, while going over small inclines, causing the carts to spin at all different speeds. This ride can spin at all different speeds and directions, making it unpredictable. Usually the tilt a whirl has very minimal safety restraints other than a bar that goes in front of the riders. This can cause riders to bump and crash into the sides of the ride and each other as the ride spins in all directions. The Tilt-a-Whirl should be ridden with caution if you suffer from a medical condition or get nauseous easily. There have been reported incidents of passengers being thrown from their spinning cart and mechanical errors that cause the cards to crash into one another. When allowing young children to ride this ride, be sure an adult is riding with them and making sure that they are properly restrained and will not be crashing into things as the ride operates.

Enterprise

The Enterprise is a ride that looks like a fast Ferris wheel from a distance, but the carts actually go upside down instead of staying right side up. These rides usually do not have seat belts and only have a metal bar that comes down and is the same for all sizes. This lack of restraint can mean that small riders can rise up during the incline and hit their head on the top or fall forward coming down. The fast motion of the ride and strong force of gravity can lead to nauseousness, dizziness, loss of consciousness, and even brain hemorrhaging. Like other rides with strong gravity forces, they should be ridden with caution if you have medical conditions.

Fireball

In the past few years, the Fireball ride has made the headlines on a few occasions. At the Ohio State Fair, there was an accident caused by a malfunction because of corroded pieces on the ride. Similarly, an accident at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk lead to a death and the ride was closed due to corrosion on the supportive beams of the ride. These accidents have called into question the safety of traveling rides like the Fireball that are especially dangerous, and may have a lack of supervision and enforcement of proper inspections. Witnesses to one of the accidents said that before the accident, they noticed a large crack on the ride. Before going on a ride like the Fireball, check the outside and report any issues that may stand out like rusty parts or cracks.

Music Express

The Music Express has connected carts that spin around in a circle forwards and backwards and over hills. In 2017, a girl was thrown from her spinning cart and broke her nose. When other riders and those on the sidelines saw what had happened, they screamed for the ride to stop, but the music was so loud that the operator could not hear them. Other safety concerns regarding the Music Express have been that riders can get pinned against the sides of their cart or collide within the vehicle, causing injuries.

Getting Help

If you or your child is injured on any of these rides, seek medical attention and contact the manager or owner of the attraction to make them aware of the injury. Speaking with an attorney can help assist you on what to do if an injury has occured and can walk you through how to proceed with a personal injury case.