King's Island - Black Sunday

The darkest day in the history of King’s Island came on Sunday June 9, 1991.  It was on that day when three park guests died from incidents inside of the park. 

The Oktoberfest Pond Tragedy:

At approximately 8:30 in the evening, Timothy Benning (22)entered the park's pond located next to the Octoberfest Beir Garden to, apparently, retrieve a lost item. Upon entering the restricted area he was shocked due to an electrical current (later determined to be coming from a defective water circulation pump.) When he screamed and fell unconscious in the shallow water, his friend William Haithcoat (20) jumped in to pull him out. Immediately Haithcoat was shocked. Upon hearing the screams a park security officer, Darrel Robertson (20) jumped in attempting to help and was also shocked. Ironically the rescuers... Haithcoat and Robertson died, but Benning survived. The Octoberfest area of the park was emptied immediately, and closed off. Helicopters landed in the park to life-flight the victims to the hospital. They were undergoing CPR when they left.

Timothy Binning (22)took his buddy William Haithcoat (21)to Kings Island as his guest at the Ameritrust employee picnic.  It is not completely clear what happened, except that at around 8:30pm, for reasons which are unknown, Binning entered the water of the pond surrounding the Bier Garten. (it is believed that he entered to retrieve a dropped souvenir, but this cannot be confirmed.  He felt an electrical shock, which apparently knocked him face-down in the pond and left him unable to get back up.

Noticing that his friend was in trouble, Haithcoat jumped in to try and rescue Binning from the shallow water.  He too received an electrical shock. 

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Kings Island security guard Darrell Robertson was walking down the boardwalk and noticed trouble.  He jumped into the shallow pond in an effort to save both men, but also received an electrical shock.  Apparently, a child was screaming by now about someone drowning in the pond, which prompted Howard Heath, 31, and two others to the site of the incident.  Heath touched the water, but by now the circuit breaker had apparently tripped, because he felt no electric current.  Heath and one of the other two men pulled Robertson and Haithcoat from the water.  Heath's girlfriend, Paula Earls, a 27-year-old nurse from Indianapolis, administered CPR on the victims as they were pulled from the pond. 

Binning was face-down and submerged at this point, so Heath and the other rescuer held the ankles of a third man, who pulled Binning out of the pond.  Each of the victims began to breathe again before being taken away by emergency personnel.  Binning was taken to Bethesda hospital, where he recovered and was released in a couple of days.  Robertson and Haithcoat were taken to the University of Cincinnati medical center, where they were both pronounced dead at about 10:00pm.  The official cause of death was electrochoution.  The resulting investigation identified a defective submerged aerator pump, used to circulate the pond water and inhibit algae growth, as the cause of the electrical shocks.  OSHA also fined Kings Island $23,500 for various violations relating to the accident including bad electrical grounds, improper circuit breakers, and improper railings around the pond.


The Flight Commander Incident:

One hour and fifteen minutes after the incident at the Oktoberfest Pond, tragedy again struck.  Candy Taylor, a 5-foot-5-inch tall 32-year-old mother of two was visiting Kings Island with two friends, Gary Oakley and Doreen Rassmussen, from a truck-driving school, where Taylor was a student.  They had been at the park all day, "sipping beers" and riding almost every ride in the park.  Oakley and Rassmussen rode the Flight Commander while Taylor finished her beer.  When Oakley and Rassmussen's ride was finished, Taylor boarded the Flight Commander, an Intamin "Flight Trainer" ride.  Witnesses indicated she showed no outward signs of intoxication, though her autopsy would show a blood alcohol content of 0.30, which is three times the limit allowed for motor vehicle operators in Ohio.

Taylor entered the #4 tub on the ride, and closed the shoulder harness and lap bar.  Ride attendants checked both bars to insure that they were properly locked, and the ride began its cycle.  Witnesses claim that the ride made four full rotations and Taylor's tub made no maneuvers.  Then, it performed a slow roll to the left, rolling through two rotations.  On the second rotation, Taylor fell from the capsule, striking the ground head first.  She was rushed to Miami Valley Hospital, where she was pronounced dead of multiple body trauma at 10:34 pm.

According to the Department of Agriculture investigators, Taylor was probably unconscious, probably with a leg against the joystick in the middle of the seat causing the capsule to roll.  State investigators believe that during the roll, Taylor slipped from her seat, over the divider, and into the vacant seat, out from under the restraints.  Representatives of Intamin claimed that was impossible, but ride inspectors were able to demonstrate how it could happen if a solo rider were riding in a capsule with the restraints open on the vacant seat.  Careful examination of the ride ruled out any mechanical failure; the State of Ohio ruled that the ride suffered from a design flaw, and noted that improvements would be required before the ride could operate again.  The state did not specify what changes had to be made, but did suggest either a higher seat divider or a seat belt.

At one point, attorneys for Taylor's estate wondered if an optional clear plastic cover over the capsule would have prevented her from falling from the ride, but park officials noted that the covers...which Kings Island did not install...were designed to restrain falling objects (keys, cameras, wallets, etc) and would not be able to stop a falling body.  

The ride was closed for the remainder of 1991, and re-opened in 1992.  The aftermath was to install a higher seat divider in the tub, and to put a guard around the joystick so you had to operate it with your hands, it could no longer be bumped by legs. By then though the ride already had a stigma, and after several years of catering to very small ridership, was removed after a few years. A Eurobungy sits on its site.

Kings Island History - The King Cobra

I was bored at work the other day and started looking up roller coasters on various websites…mostly I checked out King’s Island, and the Disney parks. But I found out some pretty interesting stuff.

I love King's Island, and have been there more times than I can count.  I don’t remember the first time I went to King’s Island, but do know that I was very young. The park today doesn’t resemble much at all what I saw as a child.  Other than the tower, fountains, and the shops, and a handful of rides, the park looks much different today. 

There was episode of the Brady Bunch several years back that was filmed at King’s Island. Though the episode was filmed years before I ever went there, their footage looks more like the park I remember visiting at an early age.

Anyhow, on several websites I saw photos and sections on specific rides, many that are no longer at the park. (I remember a Smurf’s themed ride, but could only find a little information on it).   I became somewhat obsessed with uncovering any information I could on these rides that gave me so many memories as a child. 

One of the most intriguing to me was the King Cobra; as it was a coaster I was always too scared to ride as a kid.  I remember just looking at the coaster in awe, hoping one day I would find the courage to take a ride.  From a kid's P-O-V, the King Cobra was kind of stunning.  It was fast, it was green, it went upside down, and the riders were standing!   Sadly, the coaster was gone before I found my love for coasters.  Shame.

The King Cobra opened in 1984 (and was originally located where Delirium is today), and was America's first true stand-up coaster. The Cobra lasted about 2 minutes, and reached a top speed of 50mph.   Even as rides around it were removed and others built, Cobra held its place for many years, until problems began. King Cobra would operate successfully for 17 years.

In 2001, King Cobra's manufacturer closed their US offices. This posed a problem for Kings Island officials, as getting replacement parts for the ride's systems immediately became difficult.  Faced with mounting bills for parts, and the fact that King Cobra's popularity had greatly dropped over the last couple years, the park made the decision to remove the coaster.

In April of 2002, at about the same time Kings Island opened for the season, crews arrived and began to dismantle the ride. The last known status of the King Cobra is that it was up for sale, but has never sold. 

So what happened to the King? What happened to this impressive green structure named after one of the deadliest snakes known to man? What happened to this Sadly, The King Cobra was taken down in 2002 to make space for Delirium. I remember going back after a couple of summers and was shocked to see The Cobra missing.

 

Today, remnants of this once massive stand-up thrill ride, that provided thousands if not millions of people a good time, are stored throughout the park.  The trains are located inside Flight of Fear's main ride building, and a lot of the track and supports are stored back behind Racer and Flight of Fear, next to the fireworks launching strip. Additional track and supports are stored in the prairie land behind Son of Beast, which once housed animals for Lion Country Safari.

Kings Island - The Antique Cars

 Growing up, I spent a lot of time in Cincinnati. One of my older sisters was diagnoses with Lupus when she was in the 6th grade. So I guess I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade at the time. Our family took countless trips to a hospital in Cincinnati, every year. I didn’t go on every trip, but went on more than I care to count.

On MOST trips, my mom and dad would try to bring some sort of happiness and laughter out of a sad, depressing, and difficult hospital visit. Whether it be a Red’s game, a trip to the zoo, or a common trip to King’s Island, my mom and dad did their best. It’s strange, because the older I get, the more I realize just how difficult of a time that had to have been for my folks…having a child that is ill and there is nothing in their control they can do about it….I can’t imagine.

So I was a King’s Island regular. And while I loved going to the park, I never rode anything exciting. I was scared of heights and was absolutely terrified of riding roller coasters. Both of my sisters and my dad loved them, so that left me and my mom spending much of the day together.

I remember my oldest sister would try to get me to ride something, anything, and I would always chose not to. I recall I never asked or hinted that I would ride something anyway, so I know I wasn’t seeking attention. I wasn’t hoping they would keep asking me to ride it. I wouldn’t dare…because my sister would go off on how much of a “chicken” I was. I suppose she was right, but comeon. I didn’t want to ride them, and I never understood why she cared that I didn’t.

After being somewhat bombarded because I didn’t want to ride The Beast or something else, my mom would always help pick my spirits up. My mom and I didn’t do a whole lot together growing up, but King’s Island has always been one of the few great memories I have with my mom.

We started by usually getting some sort of souvenir, and she’d usually get me some overpriced juice drink in a cheap Scooby Doo bottle. It was our “secret” that she bought it for me, and we wouldn’t tell my dad. Now, my dad always knew, I’m sure…I didn’t just find a plastic Scooby Doo head, and my dad wouldn’t have cared anyway, but it was always fun to try to keep it from him.

My mom and I would go to a lot of the shows, ride the train, shop in the stores, ride a few rides, and it was often the same things every year. But one ride that REALLY stands out were the Antique Cars. My mom and I would ride those several times in one visit to King’s Island. I’d sit in the front and she’d ride in the back and I would drive her along the set path. Looking back it, I really admire her. She didn’t like rides either, so it was obvious we’d be together, but she was always so kind. The day before she’d be in a hospital listening to my sister cry while they put huge needles in her back. But then and there she was with me, with her family, and she did the best she could to make us smile. It’s just amazing to me.

I remember the cars so vividly, and I honestly felt a little sadness when I discovered that they were removed from the park.

Anyhow, The Antique Cars had one of the longest stays at King’s Island, as it operated from 1972 to 2004. All the ride consisted of was an old antique car (imagine that) on a guided track that allowed you to drive over bridges and around trees. Up to four people can fit in a car, one driver and three passengers. The cars went about 5mph, so the ride seemed to last awhile.

It was two tracks, one with a station in Rivertown, and the other in Coney Mall. The Rivertown track stopped operation around 1997.

The space given to the Antique Cars was actually quite large considering how boring the ride itself was. As a child I really enjoyed it, because I was able to drive a car on what looked closed enough to an actually road…it even had street signs!

Sadly, the cars and tracks were removed in August of 2004, and a new Italian Job Stunt Track coaster was added to the park.   It was rumored that the cars were too old and were falling apart. It is also said that the cars are fine, and there is talk of putting the Antique Cars back in at King’s Island, just at a different location in the park.

And it’s also been said that the cars (or at least some of them) were sent to the World of Fun theme park, where they are used on an attraction much like they were at King’s Island (called the Le Taxi Tour at WOF).