The Cannonball Loop – Action Park
I’ll start by pointing out that Action Park no longer exists and was shut down over 15 years ago because its rides were wildly unsafe. But in a weird way, that sorta just makes it seem more fun.
Action Park existed from 1978 to 1996 in Vernon Township, New Jersey. It’s best known for its poorly designed, unsafe rides manned by a staff that was underpaid, under-trained and often under age. This lethal combination earned it nicknames like “Traction Park” and “Class Action Park”.
Being one of the first water parks to open in North America, a lot of the things they tried to do with their rides could be classified as “experimental” – which leads us to…The Loooping Waterslide.
One look at this thing and one immediately realizes the potential for disaster. You could not ride with jewelry on or you would get hurt. You had to meet the ride’s weight requirements or you would get hurt. You had to keep your body in a very specific position or you would get hurt.
The slide was open for 1 month in 1985 before the massive amount of injuries sustained by the general public caused it to be shut down by the Advisory Board for Carnival Amusement Park Safety.
They tried to reopen it two more times afterwards, but the amount of injuries in those single days caused it to be shut down again immediately.
The Insano – Fortaleza, Brazil
Plummet waterslides are designed to be as steep and as high as possible so that you’ll be guaranteed to go down them as fast as possible. The higher the slide, the faster you go, and the highest slide in the world is the Insano, found in Brazil.
Considered the most extreme waterslide on the planet, the Insano measures in at 135 feet high and is the equivalent of a 14-story building. It only takes a maximum of 5 seconds to travel all 135 feet of the ride, and the average speed while going down is about 105km/h or 65mph.
During a descent, riders are instructed to lie flat on their backs, arms crossed over their chests and feet crossed over each other. Any other position has the possibility of creating too much wind resistance which can ultimately fling you off the ride. Sounds safe.
The Human Catapult – Middlemoor Waterpark, UK
When you look at this thing for the first time, it’s kind of hard to imagine that it actually took several years before someone died on it.
This catapult is the exact same thing that medieval soldiers would use to launch rocks at a castle during sieges, except now instead of rocks, they thought it would be fun to put people in it instead.
Sure there’s a net to land into – but that net’s positioned very far away and you have to trust the catapult will shoot you safely into it. If it doesn’t, you’re pretty much a goner. And sometimes, shown in the video, even if you do hit the net, you can bounce right out anyways. I’ll just ride the bumper cars thank you very much.
Can you remember the craziest ride you've ever been on?
- By Justin Fragapane