Great America Will Change Its Signs (subtitle: girl chokes to death on ride with taffy in her mouth)

Daily Herald (newspaper serving the NW/W Chicago metro area) ^ | May 06, 2003 | Madhu Krishnamurthy Daily Herald Staff Writer

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Starting today, Six Flags Great America visitors will see signs throughout the amusement park prohibiting them from eating gum, candy and other foods while on rides.

The new restrictions come two days after the death of an 11-year-old Gary, Ind. girl who choked on a piece of taffy while riding the Raging Bull roller-coaster.

Officials at the Gurnee amusement park say signs had been in place at some rides with a more general warning forbidding "food and drinks."

"We are now making sure that (signs) will be at every single ride at the park," spokeswoman Susie Storey said Monday.

No sign was in place at the Raging Bull when Erica Emmons choked to death Saturday.

Initially after the tragedy, park officials claimed signs were posted along the queue lines for the roller coaster, but later retracted that statement.

"There are no signs restricting food and beverages at that particular roller coaster," Storey said.

Six Flags acknowledged the mistake in a written statement adding, "we regret any pain this miscommunication may have caused the Emmons family. This type of tragedy has never occurred at Six Flags Great America. Our employees were understandably shaken and distracted in dealing with the event and this likely led to the miscommunication."

Erica's family refused to comment on the girl's death or the decision by Six Flags to change signs in the park.

Park officials said the circumstances that led to Erica's death forced them to expand the number of signs and include gum and candy in the restrictions.

Visitors also cannot have any unsecured personal items onboard the rides. They will not be allowed to board a ride if they are eating and will be asked to finish the food or set it down.

Food will continue to be sold to customers standing in line waiting to board a ride. Operators will be responsible for not allowing anyone with food in their mouth or hands to enter a ride car.

"Our operators have been trained and they will continue to (stop riders) so that people do not get on with loose items in their hand," Storey said. "We are going to do all that we can to make sure that it's never an issue again."

Employees worked Monday to install the more restrictive signs, and officials promise all signs will be changed by the time Six Flags opens today.

[Coop]

What a tragedy for this family! But I honestly cannot fault the park for not having signs posted specifically forbidding gum, candy, etc.

[DeuceTraveler]

I agree. This is so over the top. Our corporations are running scared, another reason why we need tort reform. All this coddling of our population is enough to make me batty.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Part of the problem, though, is that adolescents go to parks like these all the time without parents and get on rides like this without thinking.

[Okies love Dubya 2]

What happened to common sense? If you are going on a roller coaster, maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to have food in your mouth! Sorry if I injected reason into this :) This is a case of somebody using poor judgement and as a result the park has to cover their collective behinds in order to avoid lawsuits. Sigh...

FWIW, I have never been to this park, but I have spent plenty of time at Gurnee Mills Mall (hehe). My in-laws live about 15-20 minutes from Gurnee--we exit at the ramp leading to Great America to go to their house.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Do most 11 yr. olds have enough common sense when it comes to getting on rides with gum, etc. in their mouths? It's one thing to get on a kiddy ride with gum/taffy in one's mouth. It's quite another thing to get on these high-flying roller coasters with anything in your mouth, except your tongue!

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

BTW, I shop at Gurnee Mills too ;-).

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

And another thing - do kids really read the disclaimer signs posted in parks like these? Probably not........

[randog]

They will not be allowed to board a ride if they are eating and will be asked to finish the food or set it down.

Oh, that'll speed things along.

[Mears]

I agree with you both.

Tort reform is needed,the lawsuits are out of control.

Kids that age have no commonsense and even if signs were posted would probably ignore them.

I feel sorry for the family but I will not feel sorry for them if they sue.

[aruanan]

A better title would be, "Stupid Parents Fail to Make Sure Kid's not Gnoshing While on Ride".

[ChemistCat]

Glenn Beck was talking on his show about his first ride on a jet launched off an aircraft carrier. He knew there'd be no beverage service on a military jet so he brought a can of Coke aboard and put it between his legs for takeoff. He was sitting facing the rear of the plane; other (military)passengers were sitting facing him. He had no idea (though he should have) of the forces that were involved in takeoff from a carrier, and was surprised to find after he recovered from takeoff that the coke was missing. Just gone. He had no idea where it had gone, and tried to pretend nothing had happened. His fellow passengers knew, however, and were highly irate--"You could have killed somebody!!! What were you thinking!!!" They retrieved the can of coke where it had completely flattened into some crevice in the plane. It's like he shot a missile at their heads. SPOOOSH! Nobody thought to warn him not to take anything unsecured onto this plane, and I guess he never took physics in HS or college!

Some people need warning signs for EVERYTHING! Kids, especially, don't have the experience yet to appreciate subtle dangers...they need the signs, AND a check to make sure they understood that "this" meant them.

[ghost of nixon]

Sounds like a scene from Willie Wonka and the chocolate factory

[jriemer]

Part of the problem, though, is that adolescents go to parks like these all the time without parents and get on rides like this without thinking.

On a similar thread about lack of parental supervision: Great America used to have a terrible time with gangs trying to establish "turf" back in the 80s because the amusment park is located between Milwaukee and Chicago. There were a lot of fights, usually in the parking lot, that the park management and the Gurnee PD tried to keep out of the news.

[thepitts]

Our corporations are running scared, another reason why we need tort reform.

Lawyers are the root of most problems here, tort reform will not change that.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Very interesting. I guess I'm not surprised, but it's just one more reason why I wouldn't let my kids go to a place like this by themselves.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

What if the parents aren't around to keep an eye on the kids?

[xp38]

amen... as an example take a look at all the warnings on a simple ladder if you happen to see one in a store somewhere. They are all a result of lawsuits.

[Coop]

Some people need warning signs for EVERYTHING!

Which is neither practical nor possible. So, what if you put signs up for everything that could possibly go wrong at an amusement park? No earrings on rough rides, throwing up because a kid ate before the spinning teacups, dumping beverages on people below from skycars, no screaming "Help!" on any ride, etc. Not only would the experience of the park be somewhat lessened because of all the clutter and Big Brother atmosphere (and the higher ticket prices we'd have to endure), but you'd never possibly think up all the scenarios.

And if you DID somehow manage to think up every scenario, you'd then have to translate each sign into every language of every tourist that may someday "enjoy" your gulag park. :-)

[MissAmericanPie]

Being an over protective mom I would never let my child on a ride with anything in their mouths. I'm sorry for the family, but I don't see how this is the parks fault.