On the evening of the 14th of June 1986 the Mindbender roller coaster at the
Fantasyland amusement park within the West Edmonton Mall in Canada suffered a
severe malfunction. Several bolts came loose from a wheel assembly on one of
the cars, causing it to leave the track and collide with a concrete pillar,
ultimately resulting in the deaths of three of the riders and severe injuries
to one other. the Mindbender at Fantasyland (a theme park which is now known as
Galaxyland) was the largest indoor triple-looping roller coaster in the
world. Having officially opened only a few months earlier in March of 1986 it
was a popular attraction ridden by hundreds of patrons each day. The ride
lasted just under 90 seconds and featured multiple inversions, helixes, and
close encounters with pillars, supports, and other scenery. On the day of the
accident maintenance crews had temporarily closed the roller coaster
after hearing a metallic rattling sound. They conducted several test runs without
passengers on board in order to try and diagnose this problem, but could find
nothing amiss. They decided to reopen the ride and sent around a train filled to
capacity with 16 passengers. The ride functioned as normal until the
approach to the final loop. It was at this point that a faulty wheel assembly
on the final car in the four-car train gave out, and the car came loose from the
track. Now no longer attached to the roller coaster rails this final car
was held on only by its coupling to the car in front.
It fishtailed wildly, shearing off most of the undercarriage in the process. The
damage to the car caused the lap bar restraints to release and the four
riders in the car were thrown to the concrete floor below. The coaster
continued along the track, but due to drag from the damaged car was unable to
complete the final loop. It stalled and rolled backwards causing the damaged car
to slam into a concrete support pillar, finally halting the damaged train.
Passengers remaining on board the train were left suspended midway up the loop
for almost half an hour before an effective rescue could be completed. The
four passengers thrown from the damaged car included Tony Mandrusiak and
Cindy Simms, an engaged couple, along with their friends Rod Chayko and David Sager.
Rod Chayko was the only one of the four who survived the crash. He sustained
multiple traumatic injuries including a punctured lung, broken ribs, broken legs,
and other multiple fractures. Following the accident the ride was closed and
thoroughly inspected. It was determined that the cause of the accident was a
combination of a design flaw by manufacturer Anton Schwarzkopf, and a
lack of proper maintenance in inspection by West Edmonton Mall. The roller coaster
was completely refitted. The number of cars in each train was reduced, redundant
safety harnesses were added, and an anti-rollback mechanism was fitted. The ride
was made easier to inspect and a rigorous program of maintenance was put
in place. The ride continues to operate to this day with a perfect safety record
from 1987 onwards. Rod Chayko suffered from an addiction to painkillers for
more than a decade, but eventually conquered this and went on to live a
full life. He has made frequent requests to West
Edmonton Mall to erect a small plaque or a bench in remembrance of the victims of
the crash. The mall has consistently refused this request, not wishing to
remind patrons of the fatal accident which haunted the first year of the
Mindbender's operation