Some theme park rides are designed to give guests a thrill and make them feel like they’re in danger. Others, however, are simply meant to be fun experiences that people can have to relax and enjoy themselves. We’ve seen more than once this year that sometimes thrill rides can be as dangerous as they feel when accidents happen. But the same is true of the simpler attractions, as an accident on a steam train ride at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, has led to seven people going to the hospital.
The accident occurred last night on the Frisco Silver Dollar Line Steam Train when sections of the train derailed. Images from the scene after the fact show sections of train completely turned on their sides. Silver Dollar City confirmed on Facebook that the accident happened and that six guests and one employee were transported to an area hospital for treatment.
While Silver Dollar City promises updates when information is available, at this point no new information has been provided. Silver Dollar City paramedics tended to the injured immediately following the accident until first responders arrived. It’s unclear what the severity of the injuries were. The seven people sent to the hospital may have been sent primarily as a precaution, but it’s also possible some people were seriously injured.
No cause for the derailment has been announced, at the time of the post it’s unlikely a cause was understood and that may very well still be the case. According to a guest named Gary Eldridge who was on the train at the time, in one of the cars that did not derail, who spoke with CNN.…
We went around the next corner and the car in front of me acted like it hit a bump and started shaking real bad. It derailed and took the cars in front of it with it.
Eldridge also posted a video of the aftermath of the accident. In the attached post, he says that the people sent to the hospital were only sent for minor injuries. Based on the video, things certainly could have been worse.
This is the latest in a series of amusement and theme park accidents that have resulted in injuries and even deaths. The El Torro Roller Coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey malfunctioned earlier this year, injuring 14 people. The El Torro coaster will be shut down for the foreseeable future following an inspection of El Torro that found significant damage to the ride. Another coaster derailment at a park in Denmark led to the death of a 14-year-old girl.
We’ll certainly be keeping an eye on this story in order to find out what the cause of the accident was. Certainly the steam train will be out of commission for some time while it is repaired.
