Woman killed on ride at N.Y. amusement park
Ride at New York park under scrutiny after second death in 4 years
Stand and be counted
Updated: 8:52 a.m. ET June 30, 2007
NEW YORK - A gyrating ride at a historic amusement park is under renewed scrutiny after a young woman died in the second fatal accident in less than four years.
The woman was killed Friday night in an accident involving the Mind Scrambler ride at Playland Amusement Park in Rye, N.Y., just north of New York City, said Westchester County Police spokesman Kieran O’Leary.
Emergency workers responded quickly, “but there wasn’t very much anybody could do for her,” O’Leary said. The woman, who was in her 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene around 9:30 p.m., he said.
Police were investigating early Saturday and released few details about the accident. The woman’s name was not released because her family had not been notified, O’Leary said.
The indoor attraction spins riders around in a darkened tent with flashing lights. It was the scene of another deadly accident on May 22, 2004. Stephanie Dieudonne, 7, wriggled free of the restraining bar on one of the cars, knelt on the seat and fell soon after the ride started, according to investigators.
The amusement park was not cited for any violations or required to make improvements to the ride after the girl’s death, but officials announced plans to add seat belts, more lighting and a second attendant at the Mind Scrambler.
Friday’s accident marked the fourth fatality within as many years at the county-owned Playland, a National Historic Landmark that opened in 1928. After the Mind Scrambler accident in 2004, a 7-year-old boy was killed the next year when he climbed out of his boat ride and fell, according to investigators. A 43-year-old man drowned after wading into a lake at the park on July 4, 2006.
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The park’s director and a spokesman for the county Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation, which oversees Playland, did not immediately return telephone messages left at their offices late Friday.
The Mind Scrambler and a nearby section of the amusement park were closed after the accident Friday, but other areas remained open, O’Leary said.
Playland is on Long Island Sound, about 20 miles north of the George Washington Bridge between New York City and Fort Lee, N.J. Featuring more than 50 rides, a pool and a beach, it draws more than 1 million visitors a year.
