Speculation and media beat ups - Thunder River Rapids incident

[bladex]

1 hour ago, AlexB said:

take a look at this type of ride all around the world - and notice that every single one of them uses wooden slats

roaring rapids at six flags doesn't.

 

see how much safer that looks. notice an attendant right in the middle of it ready to hit the emergency stop button at ANY sign of trouble.

Edited October 30, 2016 by bladex

[Brad2912]

That attendant looks asleep, or at least staring into the trees rather than looking at the only boat nearby..

[bladex]

LOL at least the conveyor is safer

[Life]

5 hours ago, Themeparkfan said:

I totally agree  I can't see gold rush country reopening the way it is now with 3 SBNO gold rush attractions eureka skylink and now TRR and the incident now attached to it.  I think they will either demolish the current ride system for TRR replace it with a new intamin system With a new name 

or demolish everything minus buzz saw and possibly retheme the whole area  but I think the first option would be the cheaper and more logical way to go 

I think they have to do something with it... If they don't, they will have to close the log ride as well, it shares the reservoir infrastructure in place. I think the cost of closing 2 major family attractions may be too much and they will work on a redesign instead...

[grrofunger]

4 hours ago, Brad2912 said:

Imo, and not based on any inside knowledge, DW will have new owners with 2 years, and then we'll see some significant investment. 

As long as a Sunway type doesn't buy it....

[Ashley]

Well we can say this much until the coronial is finished there job where safe to say the rapid ride and the remainder of Gold Rush Country will remain, SBNO but still remaining. 

[Jamberoo Fan]

10 hours ago, Bailz said:

I wonder if the memorial will be put on the site of the Thunder River Rapids or out the front, or somewhere else around the park.

I think they should put it out the front somewhere so some people who want to give their respects to the 4 victims shouldn't have to pay to go do it. That would be totally disgusting if they did. 

Dreamworld CEO confirmed it will be inside the park the other day. If there is anything I'm sure about the memorial's location is that it will be in a quiet spot. They may even use noise barriers or special acoustics to ensure the noise of the rides doesn't affect the memorial's atmosphere.

I'm unsure if this is of any significance? It is from the Australian Financial Review:

Quote

Bill Shorten's former chief of staff, who has had strong factional support from the Australian Workers Union, has emerged as the lobbyist for Ardent Leisure as it faces allegations of safety breaches from the same union over the deaths of four people at Dreamworld last week.

Ardent Leisure has engaged Next Level Strategic Services as its lobbyist since December 23 last year, according to the Queensland government's lobbyist register.

Next Level's key lobbyists include Mr Shorten's former chief of staff, Cameron Milner, who joined the firm after unexpectedly quitting after the election in July, and Stephen Beckett, a former deputy chief of staff to former Queensland premier Anna Bligh.

The link will draw attention to how Ardent has and will handle the AWU after the union's strong public comments on the Dreamworld crisis. 

[themagician]

I wonder how much of an effect this incident will have on the completion and opening date of the LEGO store and the completion of Stage 2 of Tiger Island.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

1 hour ago, Life said:

I think they have to do something with it... If they don't, they will have to close the log ride as well, it shares the reservoir infrastructure in place. I think the cost of closing 2 major family attractions may be too much and they will work on a redesign instead...

I'm quite surprised nobody has pulled you up on this yet.

They do not share reservoir infrastructure.

 

[Brad2912]

Sometimes it's easier to let people believe what they want, as it saves explanations ...

[GoGoBoy]

3 hours ago, bladex said:

roaring rapids at six flags doesn't.

 

see how much safer that looks. notice an attendant right in the middle of it ready to hit the emergency stop button at ANY sign of trouble.

This particular ride, Roaring Rapids at Six Flags over Texas, has not been without its own serious troubles though. A woman was killed and a number of people were seriously injured on it about 15 years ago when one of the rafts flipped towards the end of the ride (before the conveyor belt). I understand one of the rafts was slightly deflated and caught on a pipe on the base of the channel used to create the rapids. It then flipped and its occupants were trapped underwater. A number of modifications were made including ensuring the pipes have a graduated ramp to ensure rafts would not get stuck, and some modifications to the rafts themselves.

Edited October 30, 2016 by GoGoBoy

[Aw hype]

Just seeing if anyone was wondering but, with all due respect, I would say the slats on the conveyor belt are around 175cm apart. Judging on the fact from a photo that I saw of the incident, in which a body barely lay on 2 slats from head to toe, and cross referencing that with average human height etc. either way it is still a tragic event and a miracle that he/she didn't fall through gaps between slats. But in saying this, if they had fallen through slats, is there deep enough water under there to survive/tread, and how big is the gap from the conveyor to whatever is underneath? Rip

Edited October 30, 2016 by Aw hype

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

You're basing this on the fact that you think you saw a full length adult body on the conveyor?

#fail

Nearmap suggests the slats are about 75cm apart. Given that the raft is about 2.5m across, this would make sense, as you would need at least 3 slats under the base for it to be stable in normal conditions. If the spacing were as wide as you suggest, there would be the potential that the raft would come up on a single slat, potentially tipping the raft either forwards or backwards.

To answer your other question, I believe there is a grating underneath the conveyor, and below that is the conveyor return. As you can see from the picture above, the water trough only starts about three metres before the conveyor ends - but if you fall through, and are conscious, you would land on the grating. I don't believe there is much clearance between that and the conveyor though.

[razza1987]

Is this true or yet more media beatup?

 

 

[webslave]

The facts in isolation are true, but I get the feeling you think they suggest a conclusion that they don't.

[Aw hype]

1 hour ago, AlexB said:

You're basing this on the fact that you think you saw a full length adult body on the conveyor?

#fail

Nearmap suggests the slats are about 75cm apart. Given that the raft is about 2.5m across, this would make sense, as you would need at least 3 slats under the base for it to be stable in normal conditions. If the spacing were as wide as you suggest, there would be the potential that the raft would come up on a single slat, potentially tipping the raft either forwards or backwards.

To answer your other question, I believe there is a grating underneath the conveyor, and below that is the conveyor return. As you can see from the picture above, the water trough only starts about three metres before the conveyor ends - but if you fall through, and are conscious, you would land on the grating. I don't believe there is much clearance between that and the conveyor though.

But then would the conveyor be able to make people "incompatible with life" or dismembered, therefore half of them are on the slats. And even with a 75 cm gap, it's still likely that you would fall through

[Original]

18 hours ago, joz said:

Where would you re-build the rapids?  You don't.  I reckon it's pretty well over for that type of ride in Australia for a very, very long time.

I think that's true and very much a shame because it's a ride type I would have loved to have seen at MW as a much better version since technology has advanced so much in the last 30 years and with how hot MW get's in Summer the parks could really do with a second water ride. 

[Brad2912]

3 minutes ago, Aw hype said:

But then would the conveyor be able to make people "incompatible with life" or dismembered, therefore half of them are on the slats. And even with a 75 cm gap, it's still likely that you would fall through

I really don't see much point to your line of questioning.

the gap between slats was certainly well short of a metre. At 1.75m you'd have had every 2nd boat flipping.

a 170cm person falling over a void that is 75cm wide would not likely fall through providing they had the use of their arms and hands (i.e. Conscious). You'd only likely fall through if you fell and went down head first. 

I don't think talk of dismemberment is what we should be talking about here personally. 

[rac2703]

13 hours ago, themagician said:

I wonder how much of an effect this incident will have on the completion and opening date of the LEGO store and the completion of Stage 2 of Tiger Island.

I'm wondering if it would have much greater implications, could Lego decide to pull out all together? Could other properties decide to cancel their licensing agreements with the park (Dreamworks, ABC, Wiggles, Hotwheels etc)?

[BNErider]

9 minutes ago, rac2703 said:

I'm wondering if it would have much greater implications, could Lego decide to pull out all together? Could other properties decide to cancel their licensing agreements with the park (Dreamworks, ABC, Wiggles, Hotwheels etc)?

I've thought about that too. At the end of the day, it depends on what is in their contracts with DW. I'm definitely no lawyer, but I'm thinking there might be something in there that suggests if DW's actions affect their brand in a negative way, they can do X/Y/Z?

Either way, I'm sure all of the co-branded companies have had discussions with their own teams and have plans in place if sh*t hits the fan for DW.

I don't personally believe they would face branding problems except for Lego (maybe), as their opening announcement and media attention will be only a few months after this incident. Has construction continued during DW's closure?

Edited October 31, 2016 by ash.1111

[Brad2912]

The only way I see commercial partners jumping out of their contracts would be if the inquest finds blatant and documented evidence of poor/inconsistent/fraudulant maintenance and/or records of maintenance. At this stage I don't believe there to be evidence of such.

[Harold]

You're not 'falling through' if for no other reason than there is a solid mesh sheet under the slats and belt in the relevant area. Can't find a decent photo right now but it stops between the 4th and 5th slat counting from the upturned boat, 

[themagician]

There are currently 3 of the rapids boats in the carparks, just out the front of the BuzzSaw, with the other 6 to be brought out shortly. Apparently they are all going to be individually weighed as part of the rides investigation.

[bladex]

1 hour ago, Harold said:

You're not 'falling through' if for no other reason than there is a solid mesh sheet under the slats and belt in the relevant area. Can't find a decent photo right now but it stops between the 4th and 5th slat counting from the upturned boat, 

if you feel onto the mesh and the convener is still moving what do you think is going to happen?

Edited October 31, 2016 by bladex

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I'm not 100% here, but i think theres a decent gap between the belt and the mesh panelling.