Action Park was a legendary water and amusement park, prone to injuries and even deaths. Also, people who couldn't swim would frequently make the jump, not necessarily realizing how deep the grotto was, and need lifeguards to save them. The ride closed immediately after this incident. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. The cart would then land into a pool of water that was very shallow, with the intent purpose of skipping along the water like stones thrown in a pond. Save. [40][4] In the 2020 documentary Class Action Park, Larsson's mother and brother said that was incorrect, accusing park management of using the story of Larsson being an employee previously to get out of having to report the death. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Kentucky offers endless opportunities for outdoor fun, but this ride in the mountains may be one of the best. Alpine Slide. GoPro HD footage of the alpine slide at Kentucky Action Park. 3057 Mammoth Cave Rd, Cave City, KY 42127-9207. Action Park's first attraction, the Alpine Slide, was made of fiberglass, asbestos, and concrete. Ride designers may have had insufficient training in physics or engineering. The Alpine Slide, a 2,700-foot-long track made of concrete, fiberglass, and asbestos, saw riders sit on small sleds that had a brake/accelerator stick and descend the slope. The chutes were torn out afterward, but the route can still be seen from the gondola that replaced the chairlift. [2] A reporter for Vernon's local weekly said in Class Action Park that, as Sussex County's largest employer,[10]:1:15:10 Action Park received special treatment from the township government. Gene's dream had only just begun to be realized. Those who made it to the bottom found their progress arrested by waterwhich made a large splashand then a small pool. It revamped the Waterworld section of Action Park, and reopened it for the 1998 season as Mountain Creek Waterpark, while the Motorworld and Alpine Center sections were demolished. Action Park's Motorworld section consisted of rides based around powered vehicles and boats on the west side of Route 94, opposite the main part of the park. By then, the park was responsible for six fatalities, including three drownings in the Tidal Wave Pool and the death of a 27-year-old man who was. Tickets will be sold in one-hour blocks. [44], The Transmobile was a monorail that took riders from the Alpine Center across Route 94 to the Cobblestone Village shopping complex and the park's Motorworld section. Glacier's camping season varies by location, but is generally in full swing between mid-May and mid-September. [citation needed] Height- and weight-based restrictions were often ignored. Class Action Park, a new documentary on HBO Max, looks back at the park's existence and it's founder, a man named Gene Mulvihill who was essentially banned from Wall Street for unfair practices, and how the whole operation managed to not only last but thrive. If you choose to make Kentucky your home, then you will find more charm and beauty hiding in our lovely landscape. Only one of these slides remains today, and the track was replaced with one that was not as steep. One extreme example was the parks Alpine Slide, which has been described by an old Action Park regular as, essentially a giant track to rip peoples skin off that was disguised as a kids ride. The slide featured a long, cement-and-fiberglass-filled track that visitors rode down in a wheeled device. A popular list of "You Know You're from New Jersey When " that circulates in email begins with, "You've been seriously injured at Action Park."[75]. This area closed with Action Park in 1996 and never reopened; it has since been replaced with a condominium development, a restaurant, and additional parking for the Mountain Creek ski resort. The water on the ride and in that swimming area was 5060F (1016C), while other water areas were in the 7080F (2127C) range, more typical of swimming pools. But for a generation of kids from the Tri-State area, nothing will replace the dangerous thrills of a hot summer day at Action Park. . [30] The opening date was pushed back two weeks,[31] and then into mid-July. When a malefaction caused the sled to not turn correctly,. Riders would also get hurt, as the documentary interviewees said, when they would get into a fight with fellow aggressive, often-drunk guests in the pool at the end of the ride. There are many other hidden gems in Kentucky, including architectural gems like Conrad Caldwell House and natural wonders like the eighteenth century Osage Orange Tree in Harrodsburg. "It was more like a ride you ride to survive than to have fun. Little effort was made by state regulators to address those issues, despite the park's history of repeat violations. In Class Action Park, one former employee recalls that sessions practicing the rescue of drowning victims were often pretexts for hazing. Newsweek says between 1984 and 1985 there were 26 head injuries and 14 broken bones just on the slide, but the most common injuries involved having skin torn from your body. "[42], A rider also reportedly got stuck at the top of the loop due to insufficient water pressure, and a hatch had to be installed at the bottom of the slope to allow for future extractions. Kentucky Action Park - CLOSED. [21][22] However, they ultimately purchased liability insurance from Evanston Insurance Company in May of that year to cover Action Park and the skiing facilities. Perhaps more than any other ride at Action Park, the Alpine Slide is one that a person with common sense simply would look at, think for a split second, and say (to no one in particular), "Absolutely fucking not. Action Park was an amusement and water park located in Vernon Township, New Jersey, United States, on the grounds of the Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski resort. Action Park, as the documentary makes clear early on, was divided into three distinct sections: Alpine Center, Waterworld, and Motorworld. It was arguably Americas most dangerous water park. They also say that these boats were riddled with snakes. Perhaps more than any other theme park in existence, Action Park, located in Vernon New Jersey from 1978-1996, did just that. You can treat yourself to a getaway at a campground right on the water at places like Dog Creek, but there's more to do in the area than just camping. The area around Roaring Rapids was (and still is) laid out like a kind of. Not only was the park home to poorly-designed rides, rowdy clientele, and a whole lot of booze, but it was just objectively unsafeand that led to numerous injuries and even deaths to patrons who dared to ride the rides. In 1982, two guests died at the park within a week of each other, leading to the permanent closure of one ride. In some cases, they were aware that the person had already had to be rescued from deep water once. August 1, 1982: Jeffrey Nathan, a 27-year-old man from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, got out of his tipped kayak on the Kayak Experience, to right it. [53][54][55], The Aerodium is a skydiving simulator wind tunnel invented in Germany in 1984. Gene Mulvihill offered his employees $100 to test out new rides, including the Cannonball Loop, and despite employees winding up with bloody noses and bruises, he opened the ride. It featured two waterslides and a go-kart track along with the Alpine slide. There's delicious dining opportunities, parks and hiking, unique places of business, and so much more. One started with riders going almost vertically downwards and was covered with screening for the first several feet. [10]:1:03:50 Accidents were usually deemed by park employees to be the fault of the riders. Action Park's first tragedy occurred on July 8, 1980, when 19-year-old George Larsson Jr. died after being thrown from the Alpine Slide. [8] Action Park was formally opened on July 4 of that year, with two opening-day promotions: a Dolly Parton look-alike contest and a tobacco juice-spitting contest. Get more stories delivered right to your email. In 1987, Action Park built and opened its own Aerodium in the Waterworld section of the park, becoming the first American amusement park to open one. General news/sports, police, criminal and civil court reporter/on air journalist/newsreader. One person even remembers hearing that a patron got stuck at the top of the loop, causing the park to build a hatch to aid in future rescues. The collisions between rafts on the Colorado River ride sometimes resulted in fights, and a large-scale brawl that broke out at the Gladiator Challenge after a patron believed one of the gladiators had been overly rough with him required police intervention. Bumper Boats was a supposedly safer ride than the Super Speedboats, but the engines often leaked gasoline, at least once requiring medical attention for one rider who got too much of it on his skin. The Alpine Slide was considered the most dangerous ride at Action Park. Eventually, the ground of this swimming area was painted white so lifeguards could spot bodies below the surface. The final stretch of the river consisted of a large downhill portion complete with bumps, and a 1-foot-high (30cm) jump where the rafts would momentarily catch air and then slam back onto the surface. These standard go karts were supposed to be tapped at 20 miles per hour, but employees (again, mostly teens) figured out a workaround that allowed them to run up to 50 miles per hour, and sometimes would do this for guests. 1984 (Date Unknown): A fatal heart attack suffered by one visitor was unofficially believed to have been triggered by the shock of the cold water in the pool beneath the Tarzan Swing. New Jersey State Commission of Investigation, date not given, Proposed Preliminary and Final Site Plan for BLACK CREEK SANCTUARY at MOUNTAIN CREEK - Drawing 4, "Demolition Plan." [7] For the summer of 1978, Mulvihill added two water slides and a go-kart track, and named the collection of rides the "Vernon Valley Summer Park". Cardiovascular science started with clinical observations and anatomical dissections emerging in the early 20th century. The Alpine Slide at Kentucky Action Park is an exhilarating way to spend the day in Kentucky's playground. In the park's last year, it kept part of the ski area open despite being unable to obtain liability insurance. The wave pool had a capacity to hold between 500-1,000 people, many of whom acted recklessly in that they didn't even realize that they didn't know how to swim until the water was way over their heads. A 19-year-old park employee named George Larsson Jr., unable to control his speed, went down Alpine Slide far too quickly and consequently flew off the track and fatally hit his head. Former bodybuilders Michael and Vince Mancuso designed the attraction, and the employees against whom guests would compete in the jousting matches were found by scouting local gyms. Under state regulations at the time, that meant that the company merely had to keep the water clean and make sure that certified lifeguards were on duty.[2]. For more information, please call the Park at Water's Edge at 231-378-2238 . Others had the brakes locked on, causing the rider to crawl down the slide, inevitably being hit in the back by another, speedier, rider. [32] On June 25, GAR announced the cessation of all its operations, including Action Park. He started by installing a 2,700-foot alpine slide. The park consisted primarily of water-based attractions and originally opened to the public in 1978, under the ownership of Great American Recreation (GAR). Because after the first person dies in a wavepool, close the fucking wave pool!". It was also unique in that department in that all other amusement parks were fined for first offensesexcept Action Park. [2] The chutes in which the sleds traveled were made of concrete, fiberglass, and asbestos, which led to serious abrasions on riders who took even mild falls. [40][41] Had state inspectors looked at the site, employees said years later, they would have seen that rocks there, which they had told the park to remove on an earlier visit, remained. [citation needed], Since it was closer and slightly cheaper than Six Flags Great Adventure, Action Park attracted many visitors from urban enclaves of the New York metropolitan area. [33], Following the demise of GAR, Praedium Recovery Fund purchased the Vernon Valley/Great Gorge resort, including Action Park, for $10 million. [2] According to state records, in 1984 and 1985, the alpine slide produced 14 fractures and 26 head injuries.[2]. Former park employee Tom Fergus was quoted in the magazine Weird NJ as saying that the "skate park was responsible for so many injuries we covered it up with dirt and pretended it never existed". Action Park was finally closed in 1996. The sand was used to raise the ground for the construction of the surrounding neighborhoods. - Accessed 2020-06-29 through the Sussex County Digital Records Website, Gethard, Chris; October 2005, "Brothers in Wounded Arms (And Legs) Serving Together at Action Park,", Fergus, Tom; May 2006; "Another Action Park Employee Spills His Guts", in, "Action Park's Winning Approach to Excitement is Off the Beaten Path", Courier-Post, 07 Aug 1983, "SITE PLAN FOR VERNON VALLEY RECREATION ASSOCIATION" April 1978. Eugene Mulvihill owned the Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski area, and when the snow melted, so did his profits. He wanted to change that. [10]:1:16:00, Some of the state's regulations failed to adequately address the situation. . Over the course of a day, three shows were put on, and the guests who ran the fastest obstacle course times in the earlier shows were brought back to compete against each other later in the day. Action Park's popularity went hand-in-hand with a reputation for poorly designed rides, undertrained and underaged staff,[2] intoxicated guests and staff, and a consequently poor safety record. Larsson's family also says in the movie that Mulvihill lied, claiming that Larsson was a park employee riding for free when that was, in fact, not the case. Action Park was officially opened on July 4, 1978. It evolved into a major destination with 75 rides (35 motorized, self-controlled rides and 40 water slides). ", "Action Park movie will star Johnny Knoxville: report", "Johnny Knoxville runs a stunt-filled amusement park in Action Point trailer", "The Most Dangerous Theme Park In America", "HBO Max sets 'Class Action Park' documentary release date, time, trailer. Waterworld was the home of the majority of the park's attractions, and was the waterpark section of Action Park. In 2010, Mulvihill led a committee to buy the park back. Lifeguards would supposedly make as many as 30 rescues during any given busy weekend, a stark contrast to the 1-2 that are typically found in a typical entire pool or lake season. Action Park is now a much smaller attraction and has a much harder time competing with other parks while it used to have a monopoly. I suspect that many of us may have come closest to death on some of those rides up in Vernon Valley. Visitors would ride the ski lifts up the mountain and slide down 2,700 feet in a joystick controlled cart. Riders sat on small sleds that had only a brake/accelerator control stick and rode down the slide in long chutes built into the slope. DeSaye faults management's decision to broaden the customer base by advertising in Spanish-language media as contributing to the accident rate, since few employees spoke Spanish and no written information was made available in that language. [38] By 1995, the attraction was removed and replaced with a beach volleyball court. [11] Many took pretrial intervention to avoid prosecution; Gene pleaded guilty that November to five insurance fraud-related charges. This was a standard whitewater rafting ride, and one that the park (when legally forced to) reported a number of injuries. Did you know that we have our own Stonehenge, and a house made of coal? Soak Up The Sun A Bit More At A Natural Oasis In Kentucky, Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park, Stroll Under Vibrant Fall Colors Along The Paths Of Bernheim Arboretum In Kentucky, Bernheim Arboretum And Research Forest Is A Fascinating Spot in Kentucky Thats Straight Out Of A Fairy Tale, Everyone In Kentucky Should Take This Underappreciated Scenic Drive, The Sunflower Festival At Kalons Korner In Kentucky Is The Bright Spot Your Summer Needs, Spend The Day Splashing In Middle Creek At Its Scenic Park In Kentucky, A Stone Gazebo Welcomes You To This Scenic Mountain Park In Kentucky, Grab The Freshest Seafood Takeout In Kentucky At The Seafood Lady Then Have A Picnic At A Nearby Park, Facebook/Kentucky Action Park and Jesse James Riding Stable. A skatepark briefly existed near the ski area's ski-school building, but closed after one season due to poor design. That made for a bad combination with alcohol and general guest aggression. This was an obstacle course attraction, inspired by the hit TV show American Gladiators; winners from throughout the day were brought back for shows throughout the day to continue competing. Since then she has written for a number of print and online publications, as well as published a children's book. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. It was dismantled shortly after the park closed. In 2000, Matthew Callan recalled Action Park thusly: Action Park made adults of a generation of Tri-State area kids who strolled through its blood-stained gates, by teaching us the truth about life: It is not safe, you will get hurt a lot, and you'll ride all the way home burnt beyond belief.[67]. [79], Action Park is the subject of Mashable's documentary video, The Most Dangerous Theme Park in America (September 24, 2019). Some caused injuries, some caused fatalities, and some are still open today. Versions of this slide, and the same splash pool at the bottom, still exist at Mountain Creek today. Sling Shot was a bungee cord ride that was open from 1993-1995 at Action Park. On April 14, 1980, Pocono Action Park Inc. was formed by GAR, which later opened Pocono Action Park and Motorworld. Get the lowdown on the rise and fall of this Jersey legend. The path underneath the chairlift resulted in verbal harassment and spitting from passengers going up for their turn. Across the other side of Route 94 was Motorworld, where vehicle-based rides (of the water, land, and air variety) were housed. In 1998, resort developer Intrawest announced the purchase of the majority of the Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski area, including Action Park and other developable real estate lands that GAR owned. There's so much to love about The Bluegrass State In addition to stunning landscapes and incredible people, Kentucky is home to all sorts of incredible things to do. The Vernon police had to be called in to restore order.[4]. [68], The staff's indifference to many of the park's own rules led to a similarly lawless culture among visitors, who generally liked the high level of control they had over their experience; as an interviewee in Class Action Park put it, "In a world filled with no, Action Park became the land of yes. [2] Park officials said this made the injury and death rate statistically insignificant. Action Park opened its gates in 1978 with a single ride. Action Park was reportedly one of America's deadliest amusement parks. . It was blue and featured several drops and rises. Riders wearing a special skydiving suit, helmet, and earplugs would join the bodyflight instructor one-by-one on a trampoline-like netting directly over the fan. It consisted of a large foam sphere in which a rider could be secured, and then rolled downward. On the Aqua Skoot, invented by Ken Bailey in the early 1980s. [10]:12:50, A story widely rumored and reported in Weird NJ was that some of the test dummies sent down before it opened had been dismembered and decapitated. And thats exactly what he created at Action Park. [2], "Gene didn't want to do the same old shit, where you just get strapped into something or it twirls around," Andy Mulvihill, later the park's head lifeguard, recalls of his father's philosophy in creating Action Park. Rides were only one-way (no round trips) and one park employee wrote that it was where the very lazy and very drunk guests often spent time (and frequently would cause trouble and not play by the rules). [2], Since many rides routed their lines so that those waiting could see every previous rider, many played to the audience with risque and bawdy behavior when it did finally come to be their turn. At Action Park, this ride was only $5 extra, and employees believed it to be responsible for cases of Whiplash. There's inherent risk in that, but that's what makes it fun. While doing so, he stepped on a grate that was either in contact with, or came too close to a section of live wiring for the underwater fans that somehow became exposed, and he suffered a severe electric shock, which sent him into. August 27, 1984: Donald DePass, a 20-year-old from Brooklyn, drowned in the Tidal Wave Pool. Action Park was real. In 1982, 1984, and 1987, people died in the wave pool, drowning; the attraction was nicknamed "The Grave Pool" because the teenage lifeguards (12 of whom were standing patrol at all times) were constantly saving countless others from the same fate. For the current park operating on the site, see, Group of friends, Action Park, August 3, 1994, Factors contributing to the park's safety record. [80], Action Park is the subject of the 2020 HBO documentary Class Action Park. The interviewees in Class Action Park describe The Tarzan Swing as one of the most popular rides in the park. In fact, doctors who treated the many injuries incurred at the park noted most people were intoxicated, regardless of their age. Larsson was in a coma briefly before succumbing to his injuries and dying at age 19. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Unofficially known as Class Action Park, Traction Park and Accident Park, it was Lord of the Flies with a Jersey twist and a higher death . According to New Jerseys records, there were at least 26 other serious head injuries and 14 fractures attributed to the Alpine Slide. Chris Gethard, a writer for Weird NJ and the associated book series, concurs: Action Park was a true rite of passage for any New Jerseyan of my generation. Below, an outline of all the major rides that were located in Action Park. By 1980, Motorworld had been carved out of swamplands the ski area owned across State Route 94. In 2014, video footage that appeared to show riders going down the Cannonball Loop was unearthed and published online. Water-based attractions made up half of the park's rides and accounted for the greatest share of its casualty count. Action Park, the most dangerous amusement park of all time, is the subject of a new documentary. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Founder and CEO Gene Mulvihills philosophy was that amusement park visitors should be in control of their experience, envisioning a park where patrons managed the ridesincluding how fast and how high they went. Read all 368 reviews. Barriers between lanes were minimal, and people frequently collided with each other on the way down, or at the end. Love Kentucky? The host, Riki Rachtman, interviewed and went on the rides with the band Alice in Chains. However, soon after the park's opening, it became . [a] A state investigation of misconduct in the leasing of state land to Action Park led to a 110-count grand jury indictment against the nine related companies that ran the park and their executives for operating an unauthorized insurance company. In 1982, another man suffered an electric shock while on the Kayak Experience that led to a fatal cardiac arrest, the first of two fatal heart attacks caused by Action Park rides. [36] The Motorworld section of the park remained in place, undisturbed, until at least mid-2000, when work began on Mountain Creek's Black Creek Sanctuary. [2] Those who rode the Cannonball Loop have said that more safety measures were taken than was otherwise common at the park. It was also the parks anything goes, choose-your-own-adventure mentality. Park guests' flights were limited to a maximum of 6 or 7 feet (1.8 or 2.1m) above the ground, about 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60cm) over the instructor's head. One of the parks most notable attractions was the Tidal Wave Pool, one of the first to open in the United States, which quickly became one of the most dangerous rides at the park. [88] By 1986, Stony Point Recreation had accumulated $398,697 in back taxes owed to the town of Pine Hill, and in an effort to relieve the debt, sold off the park.
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