World's Most Horrifying Amusement Park Accidents

Fatal accidents on theme park rides are exceedingly rare. But they do happen.

Worst Theme Park Accidents in History

Ride malfunctions, freak accidents, passengers ignoring the rules. Amusement park tragedies don’t happen often, but when they do, the results can be terrifying.

While most of us expect a day at the theme park to be a fun, entertaining outing with friends and family, we also know that there are risks involved with roller coasters and other rides, albeit minor ones. There are roughly 30,000 amusement park-related injuries each year; however, fatal accidents are much rarer, with just a handful occurring over the last decade.

Should you be overly worried or skip your trip to the theme park entirely? Probably not. Indeed, an industry group that represents theme and water parks points out that the chance of being injured on a ride at a permanent U.S. amusement park is one in 16 million, compared to a one-in-700,000 chance of being struck by lightning.

Still, it's worth knowing what can happen when park rides go wrong and exercising caution. Read on to learn about the most frightening incidents to ever occur around the world — including some that happened on rides that remain open today.

Orlando FreeFall in Orlando, Florida

The latest tragic amusement park accident happened at ICON Park on March 24, 2022, when a 14-year-old boy fell to his death while riding the Orlando FreeFall.

The boy fell out of his seat due to a locking malfunction that is still being investigated.

The Aftermath: Orlando FreeFall

The Orlando FreeFall ride was dubbed as the world's tallest free-standing drop tower at 430-feet tall. As of now, the Orlando FreeFall and Orlando SlingShot (an adjacent ride) will be closed indefinitely.

Other amusement parks that have similar rides built by the same manufacturer, like Dollywood's Drop Line in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, have closed their rides temporarily until the proper investigations have been completed.

Terminal Velocity in Lake Delton, Wisconsin

In the summer of 2010, a 12-year-old girl decided to take a leap of faith and hopped on a ride called Terminal Velocity at Extreme World, an amusement park in Wisconsin Dells. The family had traveled all the way there from their home in Florida just for her to try it. The ride worked by dropping participants over 100 feet into a net, without the use of any safety harnesses.

Horrifyingly, the operator mistakenly released her with no net in place. She fell directly onto the concrete, breaking her back and pelvis and suffering brain damage, along with numerous other severe injuries.

The Aftermath: Terminal Velocity

Terminal Velocity in Lake Delton, Wisconsin

Miraculously, she survived. The girl, named Teagan, stayed in a nearby hospital for two months before she was well enough to head home.

Her parents filed a lawsuit, and the operator of the ride was charged with negligence. The family agreed to a settlement with the park.

Ride of Steel in Darien, New York

On July 8, 2011, 29-year-old James Hackemer fell from the Ride of Steel at a Six Flags park in New York. The U.S. Army veteran was a double amputee, losing both legs to an injury during the Iraq War.

He was seated in the front row of the ride, and because he didn't have legs to secure under the lap belt, he was violently launched out of the car.

The Aftermath: Ride of Steel

After a thorough investigation, officials ruled that the cause of Hackemer's death was operator error. While the ride was operating normally, Hackener should never have been allowed on it in the first place. The safety regulations required passengers' legs to be secured before operation, but this is obviously impossible for someone missing both of them.

Following this tragic and fatal lack of common sense, the ride was shut down for two weeks before resuming operation.

The Matterhorn in Anaheim, California

Some accidents happen on rides many of us are familiar with. Disneyland's Matterhorn ride seems fairly innocuous, but it's terrifying to realize how easily rides can end badly if safety precautions aren't followed.

On Jan. 3, 1984, a 48-year-old woman was tossed from one of the bobsled cars. She was hit by the following bobsled, resulting in instant decapitation.

The Aftermath: The Matterhorn

Aeriel view of Disney's Contemporary Resort

After the horrifying accident, investigators established that the woman's seatbelt hadn't been buckled. To this day, no one knows whether she unfastened it on purpose or if the buckle malfunctioned mid-ride.

Fasten your seatbelts, kids.

Sailing Ship Columbia in Anaheim, California

On Dec. 24, 1998, a large, metal cleat ripped free from the side of a ride called Sailing Ship Columbia. As it fell, it hit two park guests and one Disney cast member. One of the visitors, a 33-year-old man, suffered a severe head injury, later dying in the ICU.

It was the first-ever Disneyland ride death in which the guest wasn't at least partially at fault.

The Aftermath: Sailing Ship Columbia

Further investigation revealed that the tie line that was supposed to hold the cleat in place was replaced with a rope made of the wrong material to save money. The ship had also approached the dock too quickly, and the cleat wasn't designed to slow it down, leading it to tear free.

The fault was found not with the operator of the ride but with the park for not training him properly. Had he been properly trained, he would have known that the ride procedures were to reverse the ship and re-approach the dock again at a slower pace. The victim's family won an estimated $25 million in a settlement against the park.

Xtreme in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The extreme height of roller coasters is part of the exhilaration, but it's also what makes them so dangerous. On July 11, 2010, Lindsay Zeno went to visit the Blue Bayou Water Park/Dixie Landin' Amusement Park. She hopped on a ride called the Xtreme coaster that had been in operation for about three years.

Minutes later, she fell 30 feet from the coaster, later dying of the injuries she sustained.

The Aftermath: Xtreme

A witness claimed to see Zeno trying to pull the safety restraint back down over herself when the coaster made a sharp turn, launching her into the air.

The investigation that followed was unable to determine if the accident was due to a malfunction of the safety mechanism or if it had never been properly locked to begin with. After the incident, the ride permanently closed.

Askari Amusement Park in Karachi, Pakistan

One of the more recent amusement park accidents occurred on July 15, 2018, at an amusement park in Karachi, Pakistan. A ride that swung passengers back and forth from a large pendulum broke down in the middle of operation.

The collapse injured 25 people, and a 12-year-old girl was killed during the accident.

The Aftermath: Askari Amusement Park

The park was thoroughly shocked by the ride's horrific malfunction.

It had only opened one month prior to the accident, and it took six months until park officials felt comfortable reopening their doors.

Top Scan in East Farmingdale, New York

On Aug. 31, 2005, a 45-year-old mentally disabled woman went to visit the Adventureland amusement park in New York. She got onto the Top Scan ride, which took passengers on a spinning ride in six free-rotating gondolas.

During the course of the ride, passengers are spun in every direction, including upside down. Sadly, the woman's safety harness broke mid-operation, and she was flung from the ride.

The Aftermath: Top Scan

The woman landed on a parked car in the nearby lot and was killed.

After that, the ride never operated again.

Raging River in Altoona, Iowa

Water rides may seem less risky than high-speed coasters, but water poses other dangers. At Adventureland in Altoona, Iowa, a ride called Raging Rivers demonstrated how terrifying getting your feet wet can be.

On July 3, 2021, one of the rafts on the ride overturned with six passengers aboard. Four were severely injured, and an 11-year-old boy later succumbed to his injuries.

The Aftermath: Raging River

The ride had been inspected the day before and passed with flying colors, as it had for the prior 10 years.

Following the tragic incident, however, the state regulator mandated that the Raging River ride be temporarily closed until the cause of the accident is determined and any hazards are remedied.

Quimera in Mexico City, Mexico

Quimera roller coaster in Mexico City, Mexico

On Sept. 28, 2019, visitors to the La Feria de Chapultepec amusement park in Mexico City looked on in horror as one of the park's rides went horribly, horribly wrong. The last train on the track broke loose from the track and crashed to the ground 30 feet below.

Ten passengers were in the train at the time. Two men hit their heads on a steel support and fell, both dying from head injuries. Two women were hospitalized, and six others were treated at the scene.

The Aftermath: Quimera

After the ride's malfunction, the park closed permanently. Disturbingly, investigators later found that not a single ride at the park had undergone routine maintenance at the time of the accident.

It's almost a miracle nothing went wrong sooner.

Kayak Experience in Vernon Township, New Jersey

Action Park, an amusement park in New Jersey that opened in 1978, was fraught with horrifying mishaps, from drownings to head injuries. On Aug. 1, 1982, a 27-year-old man got on the supposedly tame Kayak Experience ride, which simulated the experience of going river rafting.

His kayak tipped at some point, so he got out of it to flip it over. As he did so, he stepped on a metal grate that was too close to a stretch of live wiring that powered the underwater fans that powered the waves. He was severely electrocuted, going into cardiac arrest and dying shortly after.

The Aftermath: Kayak Experience

The park had the nerve to claim that he couldn't have died from electrocution because he didn't suffer any burns, but the coroner asserted that underwater electrocutions rarely cause burns.

The ride was investigated, and the reports that followed varied in their description of how much of the wire was exposed. While New Jersey's Labor Department cleared the park of mismanaging the ride, the park opted not to reopen the ride, fearing that visitors would be too scared to go on it. That was probably the only good call the infamous Action Park ever made.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Anaheim, California

You don’t hear of too many accidents at Disneyland, the “Happiest Place on Earth,” but they do happen. In September 2003, one man died and 10 people were injured while riding the park's wildly popular Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Things took a dark turn on the ride — which opened in 1970 — when the open-passenger train cars separated from each other and the coaster came off its tracks. Riders were trapped in their cars in a cavern as emergency personnel worked to free them.

The Aftermath: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Investigators later determined that Disney staff did not follow proper maintenance procedures, which led to the accident.

You can still ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad today, though it has undergone some refurbishments since the tragic accident.

Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin in Anaheim, California

Also at Disneyland, changes were made to the Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin ride after a 4-year-old boy fell from the moving coaster and became trapped under a car in September 2000. The boy suffered various internal injuries and brain damage and spent several weeks in a drug-induced coma after the accident.

A settlement reached between the family and Disney ensured that the victim's medical care would be covered for the rest of his life, but he ended up dying eight years later in 2009.

The Aftermath: Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin

Disney installed doors and added skirt-like bumpers to the coaster’s cars following an investigation into the accident, which also found that the ride operator first called his supervisor rather than 9-11.

With these changes in place, the ride remains open, with passengers riding in “taxis” and traveling through Toontown in search of Jessica Rabbit while trying to dodge various obstructions.

Verruckt Water Slide in Kansas City, Kansas

This one is gruesome, so if you’re squeamish, you’ve been warned. In August 2016, a 10-year-old boy died tragically while visiting the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City.

He was riding the Verruckt, a 168-foot-tall waterslide that was certified by Guinness World Records as the tallest in the world. The boy was decapitated when the raft he was riding went airborne, causing him to strike a metal rod used to hold a safety net in place. Two other passengers in the same raft also suffered injuries.

The Aftermath: Verruckt Water Slide

Though the theme park’s owner and the waterslide’s designer were both charged criminally for the death, a judge later dismissed the charges, citing improper evidence.

The waterslide was eventually dismantled, but not until two years after the incident.

Thunder River Rapids in Queensland, Australia

The Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld, the largest theme park in Australia, was meant to mimic the exhilarating thrill of whitewater rafting — but in 2016, things took a turn for the chilling when two rafts collided, causing one to flip over and trap the passengers it was carrying.

Four people died in the accident, though fortunately, two young children riding in the raft somehow managed to free themselves and escape relatively unscathed.

The Aftermath: Thunder River Rapids

Theme park executives quickly decided to decommission the ride out of respect for the victims and their families. The entire theme park also temporarily shut down during a lengthy safety review and audit process.

Since reopening, the park hasn’t had any further accidents.

Texas Giant in Arlington

You can still ride the Texas Giant at Six Flags in Arlington, Texas, despite the fatal tragedy that occurred there in July 2013.

A 52-year-old woman was visiting the theme park for the first time when she decided to ride the Texas Giant, a “hybrid” roller coaster that combines steel engineering with wooden architecture. During a steep descent, the woman was thrown 75 feet from the ride, hitting a metal support beam and then landing on a metal roof. She ultimately died from her injuries.

The Aftermath: Texas Giant

Though the ride was temporarily shut down, it reopened after the theme park’s internal investigation found no mechanical issues related to the accident (though they added new restraint bar pads and seat belts).

Six Flags also went on to settle a lawsuit with the family of the victim; though the terms were not disclosed, $1 million was sought. The lawsuit included horrifying new details, including the fact that the woman held on for “dear life” before plunging to her death.

The 14-story coaster, which reaches speeds of 65 miles per hour and has a steep 79-degree drop, initially opened in 1990 before undergoing a $10 million renovation and reopening in 2011, just two years before the accident.

Tsunami in Motherwell, Scotland

As five gondolas on the Tsunami roller coaster came around a corner, they detached from the ride’s rails and fell to the ground, striking the ride’s infrastructure on the way down. Thankfully, no one was killed in the accident at M&Ds theme park, though nine passengers — mostly children — were injured that day in June 2016.

The ride’s claim to fame was that it was Scotland’s only “inverted” coaster, meaning that passengers rode under the track, rather than on top of it.

The Aftermath: Tsunami

Most of the theme park shut down for several weeks following the accident, and the Tsunami ride was dismantled a few months later.

The theme park owners were also fined £65,000 for health and safety breaches.

Drop Zone in Santa Clara, California

These types of rides are everywhere: After getting strapped into a chair with your feet dangling below you, you’re pulled up to the top of a tower and released, free-falling back down at top speeds.

That was what was supposed to happen on the 224-foot-tall Drop Zone ride at Great America in August 1999 when tragedy struck. A 12-year-old boy died after he somehow slipped out of the safety harness and fell from the ride.

The Aftermath: Drop Zone

The boy’s mother filed a lawsuit soon after, saying "You don't go to an amusement park and leave without your child. You don't leave without your child and then have to plan their funeral."

Despite a robust and lengthy investigation, it’s not totally clear what caused the accident. The ride remains in operation at the theme park today, though Great America did end up installing a safety strap on it.

King’s Crown in Omaha, Nebraska

What should have been a fun day at the carnival quickly turned into a nightmare for one Nebraska family when they boarded the spinning King’s Crown ride.

They were at a Cinco de Mayo festival in Omaha when their 11-year-old daughter’s hair got caught in the ride’s machinery. The family says she spun around, attached by her hair, for several minutes, until her scalp pulled away from her head.

The Aftermath: King’s Crown

The state’s labor department launched an investigation into the ride, shutting it down during the process, but said it did not appear that the ride malfunctioned. This one may have truly been a freak accident.

The brave girl has undergone several surgeries and says her hair is starting to grow back on one side. It’s still not clear what happened to cause the horrifying incident.

Wild Wonder in Ocean City, New Jersey

Safety mechanisms fail from time to time. But for two safety mechanisms to fail? That’s nearly unheard of. Yet incredibly, that’s exactly what happened on the Wild Wonder roller coaster in August 1999.

As the coaster was being drawn up the tracks, the drag chain released the cars prematurely, sending the cars flying backward. An anti-rollback/emergency brake device also malfunctioned, so the car just kept rolling. Though the car itself stayed on the tracks, the force of the drop sent the passengers — a mother and her 8-year-old daughter — into the air, killing them both.

The Aftermath: Wild Wonder

State officials inspect the Wild Wonder roller coaster

The coaster was removed from the amusement park not long after.

The Wildcat in Tulsa, Oklahoma

The unexpected backward rolling of a roller coaster appears to be a somewhat common accident, as the same thing happened on The Wildcat at Bell’s Amusement Park in April 1997.

A 14-year-old boy died and six people were injured as a result of this tragic accident, which occurred just as the coaster was being pulled to the highest point on the track. Instead of cresting over the top, the car slid backward and collided with another car.

The amusement park was packed with people because of a 25-cent ride promotion to celebrate its opening for the season, so many people witnessed the accident.

The Aftermath: The Wildcat

"It was rickety, but then that's the way it always is,” said Wesley Harmon, who rode the same ride about an hour before the accident. "That's scary to think that it could have been one of us.''

The ride was reportedly disassembled and relocated to an amusement park in Maryland with the new name “Avalanche.”

Sand Blaster in Daytona Beach, Florida

Inspection of Sand Blaster roller coaster

Luckily, the derailment of the Sand Blaster coaster in June 2018 didn’t do more damage.

Six people were injured when the coaster went off the tracks, which left a cart full of people dangling in the air.

The Aftermath: Sand Blaster

Investigators later determined that the amusement park’s owners had not addressed engineering problems that had caused a previous derailment a few years earlier — if they had, the 2018 accident likely wouldn’t have happened.

The crash resulted from operator error and excessive speed, according to investigators, who found rust and chipped paint along the track and saw earlier videos that showed the coaster nearly derailing. The ride is reportedly still standing but not operating.

Rollo Coaster in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The owners of the Idlewild & Soak Zone Amusement Park made some big changes to the park’s Rollo Coaster ride after a 3-year-old boy was thrown from one of the cars in August 2016.

The boy was sitting next to his older brother when the coaster rounded a curve at its highest point. After being ejected from the coaster, he reportedly fell at least 10 feet and landed near a fence.

The Aftermath: Rollo Coaster

The boy spent two months in the hospital with a head injury. No recent news reports indicate how he’s doing today.

An investigation uncovered that ride operators failed to notice when the boy switched seats to sit next to his brother, when he should have been sitting next to an adult.

The Rollo Coaster ride remained closed for nearly two years and reopened in April 2018 with several added safety features. It got a new train with fewer seats and now has seat belts and lap bars.

Roller Coaster in Farmington, Utah

It’s simply called “Roller Coaster,” though it sometimes goes by the name White Roller Coaster. This wooden ride was built in 1921 and has been running at the Lagoon Amusement Park ever since, despite a handful of deaths and accidents.

In 1989, a 13-year-old girl died after she stood up as the coaster crested a hill. She fell forward onto the tracks and was struck by two cars before plunging 35 feet to the ground.

A 20-year-old man also fell when he attempted to stand up on the coaster in 1934, and a maintenance worker was killed in 1946 after he was struck while working on scaffolding on the coaster.

The Aftermath: Roller Coaster

Believe it or not: You can still ride the historic coaster today, if you dare.

Superman: Tower of Power in Louisville, Kentucky

If you’re squeamish, this one might be tough to read about. While riding a free-fall ride called the Superman: Tower of Power at Six Flags in 2007, a 13-year-old girl suffered a freak accident that resulted in her feet being cut off.

A cord got wrapped around her feet, which severed them from her legs at the ankles. Doctors were able to miraculously reattach one foot but were forced to amputate the other leg below the knee.

The Aftermath: Superman: Tower of Power

The ride, which pulls passengers up 177 feet before dropping them at 54 miles per hour, was later dismantled. Eventually, the entire theme park closed because of financial troubles.

The girl relearned to walk and has remained optimistic throughout the recovery process. “Everything happens for a reason,” Kaitlyn Lasitter told the Vanderbilt University publication “House Organ.” “Everyone has their own life story, and mine was supposed to have this huge detail put into it at some point.”

Treetop Twister in Ripon, England

The Treetop Twister was a brand-new ride at Lightwater Valley Theme Park when a tragic accident occurred.

The spinning ride, which took passengers through various tight twists and turns, had been open roughly a month when two carriages on the coaster collided, resulting in the death of a 20-year-old university student. Three men were also injured in the accident.

The Aftermath: Treetop Twister

Faulty wiring, worn-out wheels, improper training and the actions of a ride operator reportedly caused the crash. Despite the incident, the ride remains in operation today, under the name “The Twister.”

“This spinning roller coaster gives an awesome, fun-packed experience for all the family, with passengers boarding a strange waltzer-shaped ride car and heading on an epic ascent to the treetops,” the coaster’s description states.