LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Six Flags and another company shut down eight more thrill rides around North America today after a teenage girl’s feet were sliced off during a ride in Kentucky.
State inspectors were at the Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom to examine the Superman Tower of Power, where the accident happened. The ride lifts passengers 177 feet straight up, then drops them nearly the same distance at speeds reaching 54 mph.
It was not clear at what point in the ride the 13-year-old was injured yesterday, said Wendy Goldberg, a Six Flags spokeswoman. The girl was taken to a hospital, where her condition was not immediately available.
Six Flags shut down similar rides at Six Flags America in Largo and in St. Louis and Gurnee, Ill., as a safety precaution, Ms. Goldberg said. She said Six Flags Over Texas, near Dallas, also has a Superman Tower of Power, but it is not the same ride.
There had been no reports of injuries on the ride before yesterday, she said.
“Millions of people have safely ridden this ride in our parks,” she said.
Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. also shut down drop-tower rides at five of its amusement parks for inspection, including Kings Dominion in Doswell, Va., company spokeswoman Stacy Frole said. She described it as a precautionary measure.
Intamin AG, a Swiss company, made all the rides but did not supply all the parts, said Sandor Kernacs, president of the company’s American operations, Intamin Ltd. in Glen Burnie, Md.
The other four Cedar Fair rides that were shut down are at Kings Island near Cincinnati; Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto; Carowinds in Charlotte, N.C.; and Great America in Santa Clara, Calif.
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