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Two Killed, 75 Hurt on Wisconsin Fair Rides Since 2006

Randy Rozek • Aug 25, 2016

Within the last 10 years, at least 75 people have been injured on Wisconsin carnival rides and two have been killed.

According to an article by the Green Bay Press Gazette , Kay Kobussen had never ridden a roller coaster before, but a 2014 couples outing in the Wisconsin Dells seemed a good time to try something new.

“The foursome boarded the  OPA “Twister Coaster”  — an indoor ride that topped out at 44 feet — at Mt. Olympus Resort, and all was well as they neared the end of the ride’s numerous hairpin turns ,” the article reads. “Then her husband flew out.”

A malfunctioning lap bar released on a turn and Tony Theisen, 63, was thrown from the roller coaster car. He struck three metal poles and then landed face down 17 feet below. Theisen spent three weeks in a coma with traumatic brain injury. He also broke his neck, back, wrist and toes as a result of the tragedy.

“I saw my now ex-husband out in space. No longer sitting in the car,” Kobussen said in the article , who said she divorced Theisen due to personality and temperament changes that followed the fall. “My life changed forever. I’m not the same person; neither is he.”

Brain injury sometimes causes subtle or pronounced changes in personality, according to an article in Psychology Today. Damage to specific areas of the brain, including the frontal and temporal lobes, amygdala, and hippocampus might leave the survivor vulnerable to agitation, volatile emotions, memory impairment, verbal attacks, physical aggression and impaired impulse control.

Physical vulnerability combines with emotional responses to life changes to cause problems. These problems might occur only occasionally, or be a repeated challenge to daily functioning and relationships.

“An ensuing  investigation  

[into the roller coaster incident] found Mt. Olympus had not addressed a 4-year-old safety bulletin (the industry equivalent of a recall) requiring daily maintenance on the lap bars,” the article reads. “Operators also had failed to notice the defective locking mechanism on the lap bar and allowed the group to ride despite totaling 720 pounds — 60 pounds over the weight limit.”

Wisconsin thrill seekers reportedly take millions of rides each year at amusement parks and local fairs, drawn to the feeling of danger and emboldened by the assumption of safety. But it’s hard to say exactly how safe those rides are.

“Two people have died and at least 75 were injured on state amusement rides in the past decade, according to a USA Today-Wisconsin review of state records and media reports,” the article reads. “But the state has no unified database to track such incidents and has no record of many incidents since it relies on operators to self-report. Ride upkeep and monitoring are similarly dependent on the operators’ good intentions, as the state doesn’t issue fines for violating requirements. Industry officials say self-regulation works since injuries are bad for business and owners are motivated to avoid them, but critics point out there is also an inherent conflict of interest.”

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