And I saw him fall to the ground, to his death, right in front of my eyes. In February 2000, a judge found the owner of the ride Anderson Ventures and the Delaware-based company guilty of violating the Ontario's Amusement Devices Act. Mother of 2 children!!! "Its business as usual for them. The two women who were riding the raft with Caleb (Hannah Barnes and Matraca Baetz) have been speaking out in the media about possible negligence by the workers at Schlitterbahn. Gary Winslow, who was waiting in line for the ride when Joshua died, told SFGate in 1999 he "saw the bar fly up after the ride started braking to stop.". Although the actual go-kart was in line with safety practices and regulations, the child should not have been in the go-cart in the first place. A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists. Chanaud did say that the boy had "severe mental and physical handicaps, but his disabilities would not disqualify him from riding the attraction. Morec said the Police Department may hire an independent consultant to determine how the child could have fallen. Joshua Lee "Josh" Smurphat found in 4 trees View all. #inline-recirc-item--id-91e18158-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-91e18158-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { ", He said nothing has changed since his son died on March 24, and he worries about the safety of others. Attorneys and safety consultants say that ride designers should either anticipate such problems or restrict access. The family feels Joshuas accident is similar to what happened to 14-year-old Tyre Sampson in Orlando. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. This Walking Pad treadmill made getting 10,000 steps a You can still overpack the smaller Monos check-in suitcase, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). The lady was allowed to ride the ride by the instructions that we were given by the manufacturer, Falfas said. At about 78 feet, a magnetic braking system catches the riders and gently brings them to the ground. 2023 FOX Television Stations, from WED 3:26 AM EST until WED 9:00 AM EST, Orange County, Osceola County, Florida man high on meth gets life for DUI crash that killed 2 girls, grandfather, Buc-ee's one step closer to opening new Central Florida location, Pedestrian hit and killed while walking on I-4, FHP says, Wreckage of US Navy submarine from World War II found off Japans coast, Affidavit details moments around deadly shootings of Orlando journalist, 9-year-old girl, Cheerleader competes alone at state champs after squad quits: It felt amazing, 'We dont believe it was random': New piece of evidence surfaces in murder of Kissimmee man, Student's history raises questions over alternative school options, Lakefront chaos: Man on jet ski arrested for allegedly slapping 68-year-old woman, Matanzas High student to be charged as adult in attack against teacher's aid: court docs. Guyton had apparently wandered into the restricted zone accidentally. The mother, Lindsay Kukich, explained to police that she received an OK from the go-kart operator to take the child on the ride. 2 girls age 19(Adrianna)& 3 (Aisla)& A boy age 5 (Tommy) Tami Smurphat said she is convinced her son would be alive today if the park had taken more precautions. His mom saw it all. Its the responsibility of the industry to look out for those who cant--or wont--look out for themselves, said Ed Pribonic, an independent ride inspector. And I love my son unconditionally.". Kevin Fagan is a longtime, award-winning reporter at The San Francisco Chronicle, specializing in homelessness, enterprise news-feature writing, breaking news and crime. "I saw him fall out and hit the ground. The Family of 12-year-old Joshua Smurphat was on a drop ride at a California amusement park when he slipped out of his seat and fell to his death. "I personally feel like that is something that every free-fall ride should have. Although the ride had passed inspection, Ventures replaced the strap which connected the harness to the bungee cord with one half as thick as the regulated strap had been. Site Map Park officials claim that there was no malfunction with the ride itself and the Great American spokesman Timothy Chanaud explained to the public that Joshua's safety harness was locked for the duration of the ride. However, once Joshua was fastened into the ride, things started to go bad. "There is no possible relation between that vehicle that was closed off and the vehicle in which the accident occurred," he said. Joshua Smurphat died at 3:20 p.m. on Sunday at Paramount's Great America Theme Park in Santa Clara, California, according to park spokesman Timothy Chanaud. The Smurphat family says officials added a safety strap to the ride Joshua was on after his death. How tales of posh mums drinking babies' blood turned into UK's most dangerous conspiracy - & is still ruining lives now, Eerie pictures show Walmart's warning signs cautioning shoppers they are constantly being watched. In all three thrill-ride accidents, at parks in California and New York, the victims slipped free from shoulder harnesses, lap bars or seat belts. The ride features a 22-story free fall. This incident is just one of many that have happened at one of the Cedar Fair Amusement Parks across the US. . "I saw everything," Smurphat said. The accident occurred on "The Superman Tower of Power" which is essentially a free-fall thrill ride about 200-feet high. One manager said he found it hard to believe that the safety harness could pop open, regardless of what people may have thought they saw. Gayle Hokenson, 38, of Morgan Hill brought four kids to the park and said her whole group was nervous. He is seeking $15 million in punitive damages, funeral expenses and attorney fees. A padded bar operated by a hydraulic locking mechanism comes down over the shoulders and secures the upper torso. AP Photo/family photo. Representatives of the amusement park in Santa Clara said yesterday they could not confirm or deny whether the harness was open. Witnesses stated that the boy began trying to slip out of the harness when they began their ascension up the tower, and once the ride dropped into free-fall, Joshua allegedly fell out. Rosa Ayala-Goana Esparza was 52-years-old the day that she tragically died on the roller coaster called "The Texas Giant" at Six Flags. But in each case, the rider fell out, because either he or she wasnt adequately restrained or the restraints didnt work, according to government investigation reports or lawyers for the victims. Joshua's mother, Tami Smurphat, told television station KTVU she was still reeling from the horror of having witnessed her son's death. Please contact your hosting provider to confirm your origin IP and then make sure the correct IP is listed for your A record in your Cloudflare DNS Settings page. Witnesses claimed to have seen her trying to stand up while the car inched up the hill and when the empty car returned to the station her seat-belt was unfastened. Her daughter as well as other riders witnessed Esparza being thrown from the coaster as it plummeted down the hill. The three boys had been at the park all day riding different rides and everything was normal until they went around a corner on Space Invader. Switch to the dark mode that's kinder on your eyes at night time. About 1.9 million riders use it every year. Thrill Ride Harness Opened In Fatal Fall, Witnesses Say / Sunnyvale boy dies in plunge at Great America, Thrill Ride Death Probe Expected to End Soon, 12-year-old Joshua Smurphat of Sunnyvale died when he fell off Paramount's Great America Drop Zone Stunt Tower in Santa Clara. Her family sued Six Flags as they were to blame for the ride malfunctioning, as well as a slow response time on behalf of the person operating the ride. The ride has since been shut down. "A young man lost his life. About Us "When the braking system started, I heard something. "But we have to look at all the parameters and explore all the avenues -- maintenance records and employee experience. He said it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the lap bar and seat belt to work on someone of her size. Joshua Smurphat fell from the Drop Zone ride at Paramount's Great America Theme Park in Santa Clara, Calif., at 3:20 p.m. Sunday, park spokesman Timothy Chanaud said. Born in 26 Jul 1987 and died in 22 Aug 1999 Santa Clara, California Joshua Lee Smurphat 2000-02-10 04:00:00 PDT SOUTH BAY -- The mother of Joshua Smurphat, the 12-year-old Sunnyvale boy who fell to his death last summer at Paramount's Great America, has filed a lawsuit accusing the Santa Clara theme park of negligence. Can't use the emergency stop button if the whole machine is already fucked. On July 20, 2012 a woman returned from the Dominator roller coaster at Kings Dominion unconscious. Santa Clara, CA-- The Santa Clara County District Attorney's office today announced that they found no grounds for charges to be brought against Paramount's Great America.This determination was based on a review by the Santa Clara Police Department of the August 22 Drop Zone Stunt Tower accident at the park in which guest, Joshua Smurphat died . Unfortunately,. Let's look at his life from a biblical perspective. This led to one train slowing down and being struck by the train behind that was traveling approximately 50mph. How do we create a person's profile? On March 29, 1980 two trains collided on the ride Willard's Whizzer at California's Great America in Santa Clara (now Six Flags). Following the incident park officials closed off a section of the park including several other major attractions. According to witnesses, Smurphat's restraint popped open mid-ride, sending him plunging to his death. Witnesses reported seeing Esparza moving around in her seat and appeared not to be securely strapped into the ride. She was taken to Memorial Regional Medical Center where she died later that day. However, some workers and customers at Great America said yesterday that the sadness of Joshua's death seemed to cast a pall over the normally fun thrill park, which flew its flags at half-staff in Joshua's memory. Edit Search New Search Filters (1) To get better results, add more information such as First Name, Birth Info, Death Info and Locationeven a guess will help. Smurphat was born in the year '87. The familys attorneys also said ride operators were not vigilant in securing Mason-Larezs seat belt and lap bar. "I was standing five feet from where he fell when he did die," said Joshua's mother, Tami Smurphat. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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