Woman Falls from Coaster 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
At Holiday World amusement park, over the weekend, a woman fell to her death from the Raven roller coaster. No defects were found upon inspection of the coaster and witnesses reported seeing the woman standing up as the coaster was operating. Apparently she had unbuckled her seatbelt to stand up during the ride. The news story is at this website:
CONFIRMED URL: http://www.theindychannel.com/news/2241093/detail.html
Investigators Try To Determine How Woman Fell From Coaster
32-Year-Old's Death Called An Accident
POSTED: 12:42 p.m. EST June 1, 2003
UPDATED: 10:23 p.m. EST June 2, 2003
32-Year-Old's Death Called An Accident
SANTA CLAUS, Ind. -- The cause of a woman's fatal fall from a roller
coaster remained unclear Monday, as police termed the death an accident but
state inspectors found nothing wrong with the ride. Tamar Fellner, 32, of
New York City, was among a group of roller coaster enthusiasts at Holiday
World amusement park Saturday night when she fell from The Raven.
William Koch, the president of the amusement park, said the six-car
train had 20 people aboard when it left the station and that all were
strapped in with a seat belt and bar restraint. He said Monday he did not
know how Fellner fell, but that in the past some of the coaster enthusiasts
have done "some things some of us wouldn't try to do." "The enthusiasts
stretch things to do what they can," Koch said.
Sean Flaharty, spokesman for American Coaster Enthusiasts, to which
Fellner belonged, was at the amusement park about 40 miles east of
Evansville on Saturday for the park-sponsored "Stark Raven Mad" event.
Flaharty said the club emphasizes safety, and that Fellner -- who weighed
about 100 pounds -- had not unnecessarily put herself at risk. "It's like
a big mystery right now," Flaharty said of her death. "Nobody knows for
sure what happened." Fellner is the first member of the 25-year-old club
to have died on a roller coaster, Flaharty said.
State inspectors on Sunday checked the seat belt and bar restraint where
Fellner had been sitting and found everything working properly, said Alden
Taylor, spokesman for the state Department of Fire and Building Services.
Fellner fell from the ride while it was in the midst of a 69-foot drop,
park officials said. "Our inspection discovered no mechanical problems,"
Taylor said.
Inspectors began conducting a complete inspection Monday afternoon of
The Raven and another roller coast called The Legend, Taylor said. The park
voluntarily stopped running The Legend. Investigators have disclosed only
that Fellner fell from the ride. They have classified her death as an
accident, the Spencer County Sheriff's Department said.
Town Marshal Lee White was assisting the state in the investigation,
Taylor said. Two phone messages were left Monday for White at his
office.
Taylor said an April inspection of The Raven found that a grease fitting
on one of the cars needed to be replaced, which he described as a minor
problem. That problem was not related to Fellner's death, he said. "It had
nothing to do with this and had nothing to do with the safety of the ride,"
Taylor said. "The park has an excellent safety record." State records
indicate the park has not had any serious accidents since at least
1988.
The park was closed Sunday but reopened Monday. The Raven and The
Legend, however, remained closed.
[snip local color]
Nationwide, the most common cause of amusement ride accidents is riders
not following rules by doing things such as standing up or sticking arms
out during rides, Taylor said. "The ride itself doesn't give enough
thrill," Taylor said. "They need to have an extra thrill."
The Raven is known among coaster enthusiasts for its speed and design,
Flaharty said. Its layout is quick, they say, but the speed makes it
enjoyable for both families and die-hard enthusiasts. "It really doesn't
let up," he said. "This roller coaster, it's known around the world as
being really fun and thrilling."
Copyright 2003 by TheIndyChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed
to this report.
CONFIRMED URL: http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/06/06in/met-front-irnd0606-4664.html
Friday, June 06, 2003
Around Indiana
SANTA CLAUS
No problems found with roller coaster
Continuing state inspections have found no problems with the roller coaster
at Holiday World from which a woman fell to her death last weekend. The
Southern Indiana amusement park shut down both of its wooden roller
coasters after the accident Saturday night that killed 32-year-old Tamar
Fellner, a roller coaster enthusiast from New York City. She was riding a
wooden roller coaster called The Raven.
Inspectors on Sunday reviewed the car in which Fellner was riding and found
nothing wrong with it. Inspectors continued to examine all the cars on The
Raven and The Legend, the park's other wooden coaster, through Wednesday.
Alden Taylor, spokesman for the state Department of Fire and Building
Services, said both roller coasters were working properly.
Spencer County investigators said witnesses found Fellner's seat belt
unbuckled after the accident and saw her almost standing up in the car as
it neared the 69-foot-high drop from which she fell.
The Legend reopened
on Wednesday. Park President Will Koch said The Raven would remain closed
until it was inspected by an independent safety consultant and the
manufacturer.
Submitted on 06/03/2003
Submitted by:
Anonymous
Reference:
WRTV news website, 6/3/03
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