YOUR HOME. I’M CONSUMER INVESTIGATOR HANK WINCHESTER. HELP ME HANK FOR LOCAL THIS
WEEKEND MARKS THE UNOFFICIAL
START TO SUMMER WITH THE
MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY, AND THAT
MEANS IT IS ALSO THE BUSIEST
SEASON FOR AMUSEMENT PARKS.
RAMPING UP RIGHT WELL FOR
FAMILIES AND THOSE OF YOU WHO GO
TO PARKS WITH YOUR KIDS MAKING
SURE YOU’RE SAFE IS A TOP
PRIORITY. SO WHAT ARE THE PARKS
DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS
. OUR SANDRA ALI SET OUT TO GET
SOME ANSWERS ON THAT. SHE JOINS
US LIVE TONIGHT. HI, SANDRA. HEY
JASON. HEY, KAREN. YOU ARE
EXACTLY RIGHT. IT IS THAT TIME
OF YEAR AGAIN. LOTS OF END OF
THE SCHOOL YEAR TRIPS PLANNED
AND YOU KNOW WHAT? LOTS OF THOSE
TRIPS ARE PLANNED TO GO TO
AMUSEMENT PARK, SO WE RECENTLY
TRAVELED TO OHIO WITH INSPECTORS
TO TAKE A LOOK AND FIND OUT
EXACTLY WHAT THEY’RE DOING TO
TRY TO KEEP KEEP YOUR FAMILY
SAFE. I COULDN’T DO ANYTHING FOR
MY SON. BUT GRAB THE PHONE DAD
HEARTBROKEN AFTER HER 14 YEAR
OLD SON, TYREE PLUNGED TO DEATH
ON THE FREE FALL RIDE ICON PARK
IN ORLANDO. I DON’T WISH THAT ON
ANY PARENT POPULAR RIDE IS
ADVERTISED AS THE WORLD’S
TALLEST FREESTANDING DROP TOWER
, WHERE RIDERS FALL 400 FT AT
SPEEDS OF MORE THAN 75 MPH. THE
INCIDENT, WHICH HAPPENED BACK IN
MARCH RAISES SERIOUS QUESTIONS.
IT GOT US WONDERING ABOUT RIDE
SAFETY HERE IN OUR AREA THEY
NEED TO BE LICENSED AND
INSPECTED BY THE ART DEPARTMENT
. STEPHEN MYRON OVERSEES A TEAM
FROM THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE WHO INSPECT RIDES AT
AMUSEMENT PARKS ACROSS THE
MIDWEST, INCLUDING THE BIGGEST
ATTRACTION TO DRAWING CROWDS
FROM METRO DETROIT. CEDAR POINT
POINT. INSPECTION IS VERY LONG,
ONE IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE THEY
HAVE SO MANY RIDES OF REALLY
LARGE COMPLEXITY. HOW OFTEN ARE
THEY INSPECTED? THAT’S A GREAT
QUESTION, SO WE INSPECT THEM AT
LEAST ONCE ANNUALLY, DEPENDING
ON THE RIDE. THAT’S BEFORE THE
PARK OPENS UP. RANDY IN HAS BEEN
A RIDE INSPECTOR WITH ODA FOR
THE PAST 18 YEARS, HE SAYS RIDES
ARE CLASSIFIED INTO FOUR
CATEGORIES. LOW INTENSITY LIKE
KIDDIE RIDES INTERMEDIATE,
FOLLOWED BY TOWERS AND THEN
ROLLERCOASTERS. ON THIS DAY WE
TRAVELED TO NORTHEAST OHIO,
ABOUT 60 MILES SOUTH OF
CLEVELAND. THEN WE CHECK TO MAKE
SURE THERE ISN’T AN ISSUE AND IF
THERE IS, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T
ALLOW THE BRIDE TO OPERATE UNTIL
THAT’S BEEN CORRECTED,
REGARDLESS OF SIZE. ALL
INSPECTIONS BEGIN THE SAME WAY.
SO THIS IS OUR BREASTS. I D TAG
. THIS IS WHAT THE STATE OF OHIO
ISSUES. THIS GIVES US A HISTORY
ON THE RIDE LETS US ENTER IT
INTO OUR DATABASE KEEP TRAFFIC
OF INSPECTIONS. INSPECTORS START
BY LOOKING AT THE FOUNDATION.
FIRST RIDE LIFTS UP IN THE AIR.
THERE’S SOME WHEELS THAT THIS
THING RIDES ON. OKAY IT’S
DIFFERENT THAN YOU GO BUY A NEW
TIRE FOR YOUR CAR. EVENTUALLY
THEY WORK THEIR WAY UP, LOOKING
FOR OBVIOUS SIGNS OF WEAR AND
TEAR. SOMETIMES THEY HAVE TO
REMOVE PANELS TO LOOK AT
INTERIOR BEAMS AND CONNECTIONS.
THEY’RE LOOKING FOR CORROSION OR
FATIGUE. GENERALLY IT’LL CHANGE
A DIFFERENT COLOR, USUALLY A
BROWNISH TYPE COLOR WHEN YOU SEE
SOME TYPE OF INDICATION
GENERALLY WHEN WE SEE THAT TYPE
OF STUFF, THAT’S WHAT WE WOULD
KIND OF MARK POINT OPEN FOR
BUSINESS. DAVID’S TEAM OF AT
LEAST FOR INSPECTORS SPENT
SEVERAL WEEKS THEY’RE MAKING
SURE THE PARK’S NEARLY 60 RIDES
ARE GOOD TO GO. BY LAW. PARK
EMPLOYEES ARE THEN LATER
REQUIRED TO DO DAILY INSPECTIONS
ON THEIR OWN. BEFORE YOU CAN
RIDE THEM. INSPECTORS SAY YOU’D
BE SURPRISED TO SEE HOW MANY
RIDERS IGNORE THE POSTED
HEIGHTENED WEIGHT SAFETY
RESTRICTIONS. A LOT OF THESE
RIDES ARE DESIGNED AROUND THOSE
HEIGHT REQUIREMENTS, WHETHER IT
BE A CITY IN THE SEAT FITTING
INTO A SEAT PROPERLY OR SPECIFIC
RESTRAINTS, SO THOSE HEIGHTS
ACTUALLY DO PLAY A VERY CRITICAL
PART. AND THE SAFE OPERATION FOR
ANYBODY, DAVID SAYS. THERE’S ONE
BIG THING. PARENTS OFTEN MISS
SOMETHING YOU SHOULD PAY
ATTENTION TO. NEXT TIME YOU TAKE
YOUR FAMILY TO ANY AMUSEMENT
PARK WOULD PROBABLY LOOK AT THE
OPERATORS OF THE RIDES TO MAKE
SURE THAT THEY SEEM COHERENT AND
DOING WHAT THEIR JOB AND THEY’RE
PAYING ATTENTION TO THE RIDE.
EXERCISE GOOD CAUTION. IF THEY
FEEL UNSAFE IN ANY PARTICULAR
MANNER, THEN DON’T GET ON THAT
RIDE. YEAH AND OBVIOUSLY WE
CAN’T STRESS THAT NOTION. ENOUGH
WE SHOULD POINT OUT WE DID GO
BACK TO THE FOLKS AT CEDAR
POINT, AND WE ASKED THEM TO
ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT MORE ON
THEIR PROCESS WHEN IT COMES TO
HANDLING THOSE DAILY INSPECTIONS
, AND HERE’S A PORTION OF WHAT
THEY TOLD US AND THIS IS A QUOTE
CEDAR POINT TAKES MANY STEPS AND
MEASURES TO ENSURE SAFETY AT THE
PARK. THIS INCLUDES DAILY RIDE
INSPECTIONS WHERE OUR TEAMS LOOK
AT EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING FROM
TRACKS TWO WHEELS TO SEAT BELTS
AND EVEN THE COMPUTERS THAT
CONTROL THOSE RIGHTS BACK TO YOU
AND SANDRA MENTIONED THE STAFF.
I WAS CURIOUS ARE THEY AFFECTED
AT ALL BY THE STAFFING SHORTAGES
WE SEE IN OTHER PLACES. YEAH
JASON. GREAT QUESTION. YOU KNOW
WHAT WE ASKED ODA SUPERVISORS
JUST THAT THEY SAID NO. AT THIS
POINT, THEY ARE FULLY STAFFED.
THEY HAVE NINE FULL TIME
INSPECTORS AND THEY’RE ACTUALLY
WORKING ON ADDING 1/10 HERE.
COMING UP IN THE LATE SUMMER AT
THAT POINT, AND I KNOW WE JUST
TALKED ALL ABOUT AMUSEMENT PARK
RIDES. WE’RE ALSO WORKING ON
GETTING SOME INFORMATION FOR YOU
ABOUT CHURCH CARNIVALS AND
FESTIVALS, AND WE’RE GOING TO
TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
THAT INSPECTION PROCESS, WHICH
IS QUITE DIFFERENT. WE’RE GOING