vituperation

April 18, 2005

Behold, I live.

In July 2003, Robyn and I went to Gatlinburg alone to celebrate Independence Day. Since there were no aliens for us to kill, we made do with the things we normally do while vacationing up there: eating junky foods, shopping in tourist-trap stores, and (for me) doing things the kid in me loves. On this particular trip I spotted a ride on the Strip in Pigeon Forge, called “The Hawk”, that piqued my interest. You can see me on it, just up there, as it began swinging me back and forth like one of the giant pirate ship rides.

I enjoyed the Hawk, though I’ll freely admit to getting a little scared when it starting doing full loops, like this:

I had my arms locked so tightly around the restraining harness they were practically numb when the ride ended. All in all, though, I considered the $5 the ride cost me to be well spent (plus, it was cool being the only person on it). When we went back last year, the Hawk was gone. I looked last week, too, just to make sure, but it still wasn’t there.

Today I found out why.

On March 14, 2004, June Alexand3r (above) stopped at the Rockin’ Raceway — home of the Hawk — with her sister and her 15-year-old son. The three paid their $5 and crossed from the ticket counter over to the ride. The 17-year-old attendant let them into the ride area and led them to the front row of seats. June got the middle seat, the same seat you see me in in the top picture. The attendant lowered shoulder harnesses onto the three, checked them, and walked back to the control booth.

The ride started with a jerk and hiss of air.

Several seconds passed, then the three began yelling and screaming at the operator. June’s safety harness wasn’t locked. The operator hit the “GO STATION” button, then the emergency stop button, but the ride didn’t stop. It swung, higher and higher. The operator hit the buttons again. And again.

The ride, almost as if it had a mind of its own, didn’t stop.

June held on as best she could while the ride pendulumed back and forth, back and forth. By now, the cars were almost to the point of going upside-down. Her sister and son watched in horror, unable to do much because of the tight restraints holding them in place. Down in the control booth, the operator frantically stabbed at the emergency stop button, to no avail.

The cars looped the loop, and June lost her fight with gravity. She fell over 60 feet to the concrete pad below, striking an air compressor on the back side of the ride with her head on the way down. She landed on her back, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Rockin’ Raceway was immediately shut down, and an investigation into the accident began the next day. Investigators quickly made a horrific discovery in the electrical control panel of the ride: someone had used alligator clips and jumper wires to bypass the ride’s safety systems, including the system that would have prevented the ride from starting with an improperly secured restraint. Further investigation revealed that the manager of the Rockin’ Raceway, one Charles M@rtin (below), was the sole person who conducted maintenance on the rides at the amusement area.

The Hawk was dismantled in April 2004, and sits in storage today. There are no plans to reassemble the amusement. Charles M@rtin was indicted on charges of second-degree murder and reckless homicide last October, and is currently free on a $100,000 bond. His charges carry a 15-to-25 year sentence, with a requirement that 85% of the sentence be served if he’s convicted. The family of June Alexand3r has filed a lawsuit in the amount of $96,000,000 against the Rockin’ Raceway, Stan M@rtin, and the manufacturer of the Hawk, Zamperla, Inc.

The lawsuit reveals that a similar incident happened on the ride in 2003, to a man from Indiana. He managed to hang on with his leg and wasn’t seriously injured.

You know, some things really are better not being known.