OCEAN CITY, N.J. (AP) -- Roller coasters at the nation's theme parks should be considered generally safe despite last week's spate of mishaps that left four riders dead, an industry group says.
"This season has been quite saddening in that regard, and it's certainly not normal," said Joel Cliff, spokesman for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. "I think it's just a set of coincidences. The industry is fundamentally as safe as ever."The latest accident, which occurred Saturday night at Gillian's Wonderland Pier , killed 39-year-old Kimberly Bailey, of Pomona, N.Y., and her 8-year-old daughter, Jessica.
The victims were ejected from a car on the Wild Wonder ride after it suddenly slid backward from a 30-foot ascent and crashed into another car, said William Connolly, director of the state Division of Codes and Standards, which regulates the rides.
The accident may have been caused by the failure of an anti-rollback device. "The coaster car should not roll back due to this. Obviously, that did not happen as it is supposed to," Connolly said Sunday.
Saturday's accident was the latest in a rash of recent thrill-ride accidents, and brought the number of roller-coaster deaths this summer to four. That's twice the average number of amusement park deaths annually, Cliff said.
A week ago, a disabled 12-year-old boy died on the Drop Zone ride at Great America park in Santa Clara, Calif., when he slipped out of a harness.
A day later, a man who had partially wiggled out of a shoulder harness fell from the Shockwave, a stand-up roller coaster at Paramount's Kings Dominion in Doswell, Va.
On Wednesday, a coaster at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, Calif., came to a sudden halt and stranded 28 people for nearly four hours. And on Thursday, a chain broke on a roller coaster at the Cedar Park amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, with passengers aboard.
No riders were seriously hurt in the California and Ohio mishaps.