1 Dead in Kennywood [Amusement Park] Collapse

KTAE---the Pittsburgh Channel ^ | 5/31/02

[rwfromkansas]

1 Dead In Kennywood Collapse Several More Reportedly Injured

POSTED: 7:37 p.m. EDT May 31, 2002 UPDATED: 9:29 p.m. EDT May 31, 2002

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. -- The roof of a structure that houses a Kennywood Park ride collapsed during severe storms Friday night, causing one death and several injuries, WTAE's Susan Koeppen reported.

The collapse happened around 7 p.m. at The Whip, which is in the Lost Kennywood area of the amusement park. People were said to be running for safety while debris flew around in the high winds, trees were uprooted, and branches snapped off.

A park official said there were riders on the Whip's 16 cars when the accident happened. Early reports indicate that as many as 20 people were injured, and several of them were taken to hospitals in Pittsburgh.

The park was heavily attended Friday, and the Penn-Trafford School District was having its annual picnic.

Patrons were asked to leave after the accident, and the park was closed. People waiting for rides home have been moved to the guest relations office. Anyone who needs information may call the park at 412-461-0500 (ext. 1100).

The Whip is Kennywood's oldest flat ride, said park spokeswoman Mary Lou Rosemeyer. It was built in 1918 and relocated once before moving to its current pavilion-like home in 1995.

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WTAE's Michelle Wright reports that trees are down in the area just outside the park, and the roof of an auto-body shop on Route 837 caved in.

Heavy rainfall is still hitting the western Pennsylvania area. Action News has received reports of widespread damage, including flooding, trees and wires down, and mudslides.

Hail and funnel clouds have been reported in some areas, and tornado warnings were issued Friday evening, but no tornadoes have been confirmed.

Several weather warnings and watches remain in effect. Go to thepittsburghchannel.com/severeweather for a complete list of affected areas.

WTAE meteorologist Don Schwenneker said the National Weather Service will likely send investigators to the region Saturday morning to determine whether it was hit by a tornado or a microburst.

[rwfromkansas]

There has been some very active weather across the east today. Out here we have lost power twice and are roasting in near 100-degree heat.

I hope no other people are seriously injured in the collapse.....

[MadelineZapeezda]

I had posted this earlier

[FF578]

I used to go to Kennywood all the time. I grew up about 30 miles south of there. I just moved from the Pittsburgh Area to North Carolina.

I have been on that ride many times.

In fact it was one of the few rides the my wife would ride.

She is from the middle of nowhere in Georgia, and was afraid of the roller-coasters.

This is sad.

[rwfromkansas]

This is in from a person monitoring it on tv:

Latest news: 27 injured. Video of aftermath coming in, ambulances lined up, people in shock, windows blown out of cars in the parking lot by wind and/or hail. Kennywood Amusement Park is known amoung coaster freaks as one of the best coaster parks in the world, and is right outside of Pittsburgh city limits, southeast of the city in West Mifflin. For all you who check out hourly conditions on NWS sites around here, it is roughly 3 miles northeast of the Allegheny County Airport.

[rwfromkansas]

Well, it isn't my fault if the FR search engine doesn't do its job.

[Palladin]

That's a darn shame. Didn't they see and hear the weather reports in the Park Office? Rides should have been shut down immediately when the storm alert went out, and park-goers brought to a safe indoor location. This was always the practice at Hersheypark, when my kids worked there.

[rwfromkansas]

It looks to me like the people in charge need to resign. Not closing the park is an extremely stupid move.

[MadelineZapeezda]

I wasn't complaining, just wanted you to see the other post.

[MadelineZapeezda]

Something tells me that the Park is talking to their attorneys about now. They should have called a new conference already. Warnings were all over the news today about a possible tornado. You would think they'd be the first to shut down.

[FF578]

PICTURES

[FF578]

MORE PICTURES

[JenB]

40-60 injured, supposedly none life threatening, and they think they've got everyone out.

What a horrible thing to happen. My sister was supposed to be there today but at the last minute her friends canceled because of the weather. All the kids in my area were there today, it was the school picnic day for our school district. Keep these people in their prayers, please!

[FF578]

This is a picture of the ride. It is a series of cars that literally "Whip" around two wooden circles by being pulled by chains.

The entire ride is inside a wooden structure, from the pictures it looks like the roof fell straight down.

[glorygirl]

The whip is one of the oldest rides at Kennywood -- at least since the 20s. But the TV says the new roof was erected in 1995.

FYI, this was a tornado, or close to one, so there wasn't much opportunity to prepare for it. Just blew threw for about five to ten minutes. And they're now saying 50 to 60 hurt.

[JenB]

I have ridden that thing a dozen times, I was there three weeks ago. They say the victim is an 8 yr old girl, and possibly (?) that her body is still in the rubble... I guess most of the people in the park would have left beforehand, that the numbers could have been a lot worse. You know, Kennywood was just voted 6th best park in the world. It was cool to have that in the backyard. This isn't cool, this is horrible.

[rwfromkansas]

Will do.

Lord, protect these children and give them comfort. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

[RayBob]

They have not yet removed the body of the child who was killed. All injured are at local hospitals. My daughter is about to turn 7. I don't know how I could go on if this happened to her.

Injured confirmed 40 at hospitals up to 60. No life threatening injuries, mostly fractures. The storm moved very quickly. I saw it move in as I left my parent's house just up the river from Kennywood. Clear skys quickly gave way to storm clouds, then lightning, then high winds and black as night.

In my parent's neighborhood there are dozens of trees down- a 60 foot red cedar in my folk's yard is snapped off at about 30 feet, the top on their roof. A covered lawn swing they had next to their koi pond was lifted off the ground and thrown more than 30 feet away. Large pine trees and oaks and maples--all tres that were huge when I was a kid 30 years ago, were snapped like twigs. It looks like this storm cell moved in a line, thru Lawrenceville, into Greenfield, Swissvale, Rankin/Homestead and then to Kennywood. Trees toppled. Roofs blown off, building collapsed. The storm blew out car windows on vehicles parked at Kennywood.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning about 3 to 7:00. The storm blew threw a few moments later. There was no warning. There was no time to react. Its tragic, but it was unavoidable.

[AmishDude]

I was out running when it started. The lightning came quick and hard. My guess is that they shut everything down when they saw lightning. I could be wrong.

[RayBob]

I doubt that they had much time. The lightning strikes came on suddenly, then it all went black and all hell broke loose. Not much time elapsed from the time we saw the first stike to when the sky turned black as night and the trees started snapping!

[Benrand]

My grade school used to have annual trips to Kennywood. That was one **old** ride. Still was a bit fun, but no match for the JackRabbit or Thunderbolt.

But I wonder why anyone would go to an amusement park in bad weather...oh well.

[MadelineZapeezda]

RB, glad you weathered the storm. My youngest(10) went to Idlewild Park today-elementary school picnic. She was safe at home by 8pm

[MadelineZapeezda]

But I wonder why anyone would go to an amusement park in bad weather...oh well.

it was an otherwise beautiful day today.

[rwfromkansas]

It must have come up VERY quickly.

[41Thunder]

Kennywood still ranks as my all time favorite amusement park. I learned to love rollercoasters after my friends dared me to ride the Pippen, later renamed the Thunderbolt. I loved that nasty doubledip drop, you got some serious air time after that second dip.

I hope and pray that those who were injured make a speedy recovery and my heart and prayers go out to the family of the little girl that was so tragically injured. May she rest in peace.

[Ciexyz]

I was at work in Pittsburgh at 7 PM when a co-worker came inside the building and said, "It looks like tornado weather outside. It's getting black and the winds are terrible." (Everyone remembered the tornado that hit Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh three years ago in June. So this is the season for wind shears and tornados.) The radio stations were broadcasting severe storm predictions from late afternoon.

[Ciexyz]

The 11 PM Pittsburgh newscasts are saying that a thirty year old woman is dead in the rubble and her body has not yet been removed. Also that twelve people are being treated for head, neck and back injuries but none are life-threatening, however two of those people are in surgery. A father probably saved his young daughter's life when he threw himself over her as the roof fell, but the daughter still has a head injury.

[Eska]

Grew up in westmoreland, many fond memories of Kennywood. Moved to Alaska and we have parks, but they are more natural up above treeline in wide old melted out glacial basins. Still quite nice up there with the pika's and sheep.

Remember the strong man bell and the jackrabbit. I really miss all the ethnic food and pittsburgh is a pretty decent city, for a city; but could never go back.

[smokeyb]

I live 2 miles from Kennywood. I JUST got my power back at 4am today ! It was a beautiful day and I had just come home. Then it came on so fast! No one at Kennywood could have prevented what occurred. I saw it the next morning - what a mess !

[Eska]

I was back thru that country about 6 years ago. The area has experienced quite alot of economic change; but still way to many people jammed like sardines for me and we cut it short and only stayed a couple of days.

I imagine it would be pretty tough without power. Where I live, many people are off the grid, just reality.