
Amusement Park Disasters: Independent Parks
Descripción del Episodio
Since the late nineteenth century, amusement parks have been providing countless hours of enjoyment for people all around the world. Often driven by the latest technology and advances in mechanical engineering, the thrill rides at parks like Disney Land, Great America, and other independent parks offer a controlled environment to experience terror and excitement.
While these rides, and the parks in general, are very safe and held to strict safety standards, there are times when the unthinkable happens—a cable snaps, a safety harness breaks—and the once safe ride becomes a nightmare for passengers. Far more often than not, tragic amusement park accidents are the result of human foolishness or, far less often, operator error. But other times, they are a bizarre fluke; a one in a million mechanical problem no one saw coming. Either way, the results can be shocking, horrifying, and even deadly.
Recommendations:
References
Adler, Eric, and Katy Bergen. 2016. "Questions swirl as grief befalls family of boy killed on slide." Wichita Eagle, August 9: 1.
Associated Press. 2016. "Slide complaints surface." Iola Register (Iola, KS), August 10: 2.
Bella, Timothy. 2019. "How a freak accident happens." Esquire, January 29.
Boston Globe. 1923. "Couple injured on Derby Racer." Boston Globe, May 31: 14.
Brennan v. Ocean View Amusement Company. 1935. Unknown (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, January 16).
Daily Item. 1911. "Fatal accident on Revere Beach roller coaster." Daily Item (Lynn, MA), June 9: 19.
—. 1911. "Fatally hurt on roller coaster." Daily Item (Lynn, MA), May 22: 9.
Merrill, Jamie. 2015. "The funfair disaster that Britain forgot." The Independent on Sunday, June 7.
Omaha Evening Bee-News. 1930. "Ban coaster after plunge kills four." Omaha Evening Bee-News, July 25: 1.
—. 1930. "Survivor tells story of tragedy." Omaha Evening Bee-News, July 25: 2.
O'Neil, Elise. 2023. Benson's almost forgotten amusement park. July 27. Accessed February 4, 2026. https://douglascohistory.org/9743-2/.
Pound, Cath. 2022. The scandalous roots of the amusement park. August 21. Accessed February 3, 2026. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220818-the-surprisingly-scandalous-origins-of-disneyland.
Saner, Emine. 2024. "The rollercoaster I was on hurtled backwards and crashed." The Guardian, September 23.
Standard-Times. 1922. "New Bedford man, thrown from roller coaster, on danger list." Standard-Times (New Bedford, MA), September 12: 1.
The Times. 1973. "Big dipper a death trap, Crown says." The Times, November 6.
—. 1973. "Engineer says many parts of big dipper were unsafe." The Times, March 2.
—. 1972. "Two teenage boys and a girl killed in Battersea big dipper crash." The Times, May 5.
Vockrodt, Steve. 2018. "The making of Schlitterbahn’s Verrückt water slide: Too much, too fast? ." Kansas City Star, April 3.
Yesterday's America. n.d. The early history of theme parks in America. Accessed February 4, 2026. https://yesterdaysamerica.com/the-early-history-of-theme-parks-in-america/.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Episodios Recientes

Más podcasts de Sociedad y Cultura
Ver toda la categoría →
Strike Force Five
By shows
Late night talk show hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver are teaming up for a new podcast to support their striking writers and out of work staffs. Strike Force Five! welcomes you to a conversation between five rival colleagues for an inside look at late night television.

On Purpose with Jay Shetty
By shows
<p>I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace.</p> <p>I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!</p>

La Radioteca con Dieter Brandau
By shows
Un podcast de Dieter Brandau, producido por Libertad Digital, que apuesta por un periodismo sereno y comprometido. Sin prisas, pero con una causa: la verdad y la libertad en España.

Your Own Backyard
By shows
A documentary podcast series investigating the 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly student, Kristin Smart.

The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe
By shows
<p>When a group of women from all over the country realise they all dated the same prolific romance scammer they vow to bring him to justice. </p> <p>In this brand new season of global number 1 hit podcast, The Girlfriends, Anna Sinfield meets a group of funny, feisty, determined women who all had the misfortune of dating a mysterious man named Derek Alldred. </p> <p>Trust Me Babe is a story about the protective forces of gossip, gut instinct, and trusting your besties and the group of women who took matters into their own hands to take down a fraudster when no one else would listen. </p> <p>If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show, our charity partners NO MORE have available resources at <a href="https://www.nomore.org">https://www.nomore.org</a>. </p> <p>To learn more about romance scams, and to access specialised support, visit <a href="https://fightcybercrime.org/">https://fightcybercrime.org/</a> </p> <p>The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts. For more from Novel, visit <a href="https://novel.audio/">https://novel.audio/</a>. </p> <p>You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.</p> <p>Open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “iHeart True Crime+, and subscribe today!</p>

4 CACHIVACHES de Arturo González-Campos
By shows
No es otro podcast de Arturo, es el podcast de Arturo. Ven a ver la grabación: https://go.elterrat.com/4Cachivaches En cada episodio mensual, el invitado trae cuatro objetos personales que sirven de hilo conductor para desarrollar la charla. De este modo, el propio invitado es quien trae los temas de los que quiere que se hablen, llevando el podcast hacia un terreno seguro, irrepetible y absolutamente real y humano. Una producción de EL TERRAT en colaboración con iVoox.

Así Sonaba by Jose AM
By shows
¡Todos los himnos del Dance mezclados y presentados por Jose AM! PODCAST SEMANAL EXCLUSIVO DE HIT FM
