The popular Beast ride at Playland has been closed for the day due to a tragic accident at a state fair in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, July 26, involving a similar ride.
Amateur video footage of the accident appears to show a row of seats break away from the spinning ride, throwing people to the ground. According to American media reports, one man was killed and seven others were seriously injured after they were flung from the ride at a high rate of speed. According to the Ohio State Medical Center, two of the seven injured are in critical condition.
The Pacific National Exhibition, operators of Playland Amusement Park, released a statement July 27 that says it voluntarily closed the Beast “for supplemental inspections of all aspects of the ride.” The press release noted the Vancouver ride was made by KMG, the same manufacturer as the Beast ride involved in the accident.
“The regulations overseeing ride operations in British Columbia are some of the most progressive in the world. In Playland, all of our rides are inspected by the B.C. Safety Authority prior to the opening of the season,” said Laura Ballance PNE spokesperson. “Additionally, each ride at Playland is inspected daily by our ride technicians, as well as our operations teams and we are very confident in the safety of all our rides. The safety of our guests is our number one priority so we have made the decision to do supplemental inspections of The Beast today.”
Ballance said the Beast ride was purchased new from manufacturer KMG of the Netherlands and assembled at Playland where it underwent diligent inspections and testing prior to opening in 2015. It continues to have twice daily inspections prior to each operating day and two annual inspections by a third-party industry contractor. s
“It is important to understand a key difference between Playland's Beast and travelling models. Our ride is a permanent structure assembled once and thoroughly inspected and tested prior to when it opened in 2015. Smaller travelling versions are, by their nature, continually assembled, operated, disassembled, and then shipped to their next location."
sthomas@vancourier.com
@sthomas10
