Almost everyone looks forward to spending the day at the amusement park. For one family, however, what should have been a day of rides and entertainment turned into a nightmare after the log ride at a park in Riverside flipped over and ejected them.
CBS affiliate, KMOV 4 reported that the accident happened on Saturday, May 25th at Castle Park amusement park in Riverside. A woman on the ride suffered critical injuries while a man and a 10-year-old boy who were on the same log-shaped car suffered only minor injuries.
Fire Captain Brian Guzzetta from the Riverside Fire Department said in a statement to reporters that a water pump on the ride had malfunctioned and no water was coming down the slide portion of the ride. This caused the car to come down the slide at a higher than normal rate of speed, flip over and eject the passengers in the car.
Robert Mahler, an eyewitness, described watching in horror as the boat overturned and passengers fell out of the car and into the water. “I stood up and looked and all of a sudden I saw the boat careening around the corner, and it went way too fast, and it tilted,” he said.
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The log ride is one of the largest and longest of its kind in the country and features two separate drops as high as 48 feet. Castle Park officials stated to the media stating that all rides, including the log ride, are inspected at the park daily. The log ride was inspected earlier that day before the accident occurred.
Park administrators are in full cooperation with administrators. While Castle Park is open and all other rides are still available to guests, the log ride has been shut down. The log ride will remain closed until the investigation is completed.
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