Theme park accident lawyer notes the passing of a questionable ride concept at Universal Orlando. Universal Orlando theme park has decided to change the design of its Dragon Challenge dueling roller coaster in response to two accidents that occurred on the ride. In one accident, rider Carlos Montalvo emerged from the ride with an eye injury after something struck him in the eye at one of the dueling points of the roller coaster. Carlo Montalvo subsequently lost his eye to the injury; doctors were unable to save it.
The dueling points of the roller coaster are where two separate roller coaster trains pass very close to each other to create the illusion that a crash is about to occur. In the second accident, rider Jon Wilson received injuries to his head, leg, and arm after being struck with something at a dueling point in the roller coaster.
The park closed down the Dragon Challenge dueling roller coaster ride in response to both accidents. But investigations turned up no objects that could have caused the injuries. No safety issues were found with the roller coaster structure or equipment. And no other riders or witnesses saw any objects that caused the injuries.
This theme park accident lawyer emphasizes that the basic safety issue with the Dragon Challenge dueling roller coaster lies in the coaster of the ride, which allows the possibility that malicious passengers could hurl objects across at the other roller coaster train during the duels. Indeed, the evidence (or lack thereof) suggests strongly that the objects that caused both injury accidents must have come from a passenger on the other, dueling roller coaster train.
So Orlando Universal has decided to re-conceptualize the ride so that the roller coaster trains will no longer set off simultaneously to “duel” at the intersection points. Going forward the roller coaster trains will set off in an alternating fashion instead of simultaneously. This helps eliminate the possibility that malicious passengers will decide to change a false duel into a real one.
Theme parks may never eliminate ride accidents completely. But, in my experience as a theme park accident lawyer, I’ve noticed that some ride concepts and designs just seem to be asking for accidents. The whole concept behind the Dragon Challenge dueling roller coaster was one of these concepts.