An ambulance was dispatched to Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, around 1 p.m. after the child fell, Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Mary Beth Eslary said. Park officials said the ride was observed by a private inspector and passed on August 6.
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She says the child was conscious and airlifted to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, about 50 miles west. His name hasn’t been released. The child, according to Trib Live, was riding on the Rollo Coaster, the park’s first coaster built in 1938. According to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, the cars on the coaster don’t require seat belts. The child’s condition wasn’t immediately available.
Filoromo said he will review the ride’s plans, safety inspection records and talk to the ride operators. On Monday, three girls – ages six, 10 and 16 – were hospitalized, after falling more than 30 feet from a Ferris wheel at a county fair in Greeneville, Tennessee. The Rollo Coaster is described as a simple ride with only ups and downs and no exciting curves nor turns.
Caleb Schwab was riding on the “Verrückt”, German for “insane”, which is billed as the world’s tallest water slide. Local law enforcement is also investigating the incident.
Keep hands, arms, legs and feet inside the ride at all times. If you don’t think he/she will be able to follow the rules, keep him/her off the ride. If you are anxious about the safety of the ride, choose a different activity.
Never force anyone, especially children, to ride attractions they don’t want to ride.
The boy plunged from “the middle section” of the ride, but the distance of his fall was unknown.
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Idlewild, which opened in 1878 as Idlewild Park, bills itself as “the longest-operating theme park near Pittsburgh” as well as in Pennsylvania, and the third-oldest in the U.S. In 2012, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recognized Idlewild Park with a roadside marker.
