Your IP: Four rides including the Superman ride were closed due to the horrific scene in the park. When 10-year-old Caleb Schwab went down the extreme 168ft Verrckt slide (the tallest water slide in the world), he was ejected out of the raft and suffered fatal injuries to his neck. Attorney Ben Crump is trying to get the case expedited in court. The ride reopened on August 1, 2014. Witnesses claimed to see the boy exit the ride, which was done easily since there were no seat-belts or restraining devices at all on the ride. 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 was standing five feet from where he fell when he did die," said Tami Smurphat. However, prior to this accident the ride had no height restrictions and therefore Patrick and his family believed that they would be safe on the ride. However, once Joshua was fastened into the ride, things started to go bad. At approximately 3:20 p.m. Joshua Smurphat, 12, of Sunnyvale, mysteriously fell out of his seat after the four-passenger car began its decent down the 200-foot plus tower. However, Ryan's mother Leah Bergonozi believes to this day that the seat-belt failed on the ride and killed her daughter. 1999812 Joshua Smurphat Drop Zone Stunt Tower 20077124 Carlos Alexnoro FloresGreat Barrier Reef [ ] The friend, Jay Lingenfelter, 35, also said the accident seemed to occur when the ride's magnetic breaking system engaged more than halfway down the tower. Questions remain unanswered surrounding the tragic death of Caleb Schwab and why more safety precautions weren't taken to ensure that something like this did not happen and will not happen again. 12-year-old Joshua Smurphat of Sunnyvale died when he fell off Paramount's Great America Drop Zone Stunt Tower in Santa Clara. 3 Joshua Smurphat, who fatally fell from a ride in 1999, is remembered by his family who are pushing for stricter safety measures after a similar death Credit: Fox35 3 Joshua was on the latest of many trips to the park, said one family friend who came to the park yesterday to drop off flowers. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid She was taken to Miami Valley Hospital with did not survive. The Cedar Points PR Manager Bryan Edwards made a statement that the woman who suffered head injuries was only taken to the hospital "as a precaution" and failed to mention the seriousness of the injury. "I was standing five feet. It sounded like a big kerchunk, like when the harness snaps open or closed when you get on or off the ride," he said. The park was ordered to pay only $70,000 in the civil penalty case. All Family Trees results for smurphat. Yet every season the reports come pouring in of people seriously injured or horrifically killed while enjoying a day at the amusement park. Kernacs said the ride is equipped with a third restraint--a grab bar--and Mason-Larez would have been safe if she had been holding on. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Another report places Foss at the loading area and witnesses claim that he was actually run over by a fast-moving train. A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists. A 15-year-old friend riding with Christopher reported seeing him begin to fall out of the ride even though the seat-belt was still fastened. Report Tami Smurphat with a photo of son Joshua, who died on a free-fall amusement park ride. grandma to 3!!! Jay Lingenfelter, a family friend who was seated next to Joshua, said the safety harness was not checked before the ride began and he heard a sound like when the harness snaps open just before the boy fell. THE DISAPPEARANCE of 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari remains an unsolved mystery 70 days after she vanished from her home in Cornelius, North Carolina. "I saw the bar fly up after the ride started braking to stop," said Garyd Winslow of Ben Lomond, who was waiting in line for the ride when Joshua died. Let's look at his life from a biblical perspective. A disabled 12-year-old boy died after plummeting from an amusement park ride that was about to be shut down for a safety check. Unfortunately, on August 23, 1999, a 12-year-old boy from Sunnyvale, California, named Joshua Smurphat slipped out of the ride's safety harness and fell 207 feet. In July 2001, at Blackpool's Pleasure Beach in Lancashire, England, an 11-year-old boy named Christopher Sharratt was killed after falling out of the "Space Invader" ride. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. "You don't go to an amusement park and leave without your child. After he was launched into the air, Charron's harness disconnected and he fell over 100-feet to the ground below. Park officials disputed witness accounts suggesting that the boy was not properly strapped into his seat. Switch to the dark mode that's kinder on your eyes at night time. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. During a sit-down interview, Sampson told FOX 35 News what he would like to see at the site. "Its business as usual for them. Both of the women died from extensive blunt-trauma injuries. According to the park this is the first serious accident on this attraction, which is one of the most popular rides at the park. A 523 error means that Cloudflare could not reach your host web server. Profit over safety," he said. 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. Additional troubleshooting information here. Unfortunately, her left foot was unable to be saved and was eventually amputated. Our rides are safe when people are responsible and follow the instructions, Intamin President Sandor Kernacs said, adding that millions of people ride his and similar attractions each year without injury. }, First published on August 23, 1999 / 2:55 PM. The ride has since been shut down. Great America park officials near the scene of the accident at Drop Zone where Joshua Smurphat, 12 years old, died while on the ride Sunday. Sure, they throw around statistics claiming that only one in 24 million people are at risk of being injured on a ride, while the odds are a staggering one in 750 million to be killed on a ride. I will never get that sound out of my head August 23, 1999 / 2:55 PM Hackemer lost his legs in an IED attack while deployed in Iraq, and when he sat in the car of the steel roller coaster he was not wearing his prosthetic legs. He says: "it has two independent locking devices, and the shoulder restraints are monitored. The emergency brake also failed. He has ridden with the rails with modern-day hobos, witnessed seven prison executions, written extensively about serial killers including the Unabomber, Doodler and Zodiac, and covered disasters ranging from the Sept. 11 terror attacks at Ground Zero to California's devastating wildfires. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Santa Clara, CA -- A 12-year old boy fell to his death Sunday afternoon while riding the Drop Zone freefall thrill ride at Paramount's Great America. "I personally feel like that is something that every free-fall ride should have. "The associates working at the ride at the time were of legal age to do so," Chanaud said. The accident killed 13-year-old Kyle Foss and left eight other passengers seriously injured. About 1.9 million riders use it every year. "It has a good safety record," according to Chanaud. You associate them intuitively with happy family days, fun, and memories. 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. AP Photo by Paul Sakuma, 'Zero visibility' conditions: All roads to Tahoe are closed, My meal at this landmark SF spot was too expensive to be so bad, One of the largest movie theaters in SF to close permanently, 'Really cool sight': Rare waterspout forms in Northern California, Report: Matthew McConaughey has a massive Salesforce paycheck, Man shot dead near San Francisco Ferry Building, A different horse': Bay Area will likely continue to see rain, 'Life threatening': Tahoe braces for massive blizzard, 'Lady in the fridge' murder victim ID'd as Bay Area mother of 3, Snow shuts down over 70 miles of I-80 in Northern California, Horoscope for Wednesday, 3/01/23 by Christopher Renstrom, These East Bay gems are a haven for music lovers. / CBS. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results Terry Lee Smurphat (1958 - 2013) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. Following the incident park officials closed off a section of the park including several other major attractions. I dont got that, but what I do got, is a heart of a lion. "I cannot comment directly on it," Chanaud said. AP Photo by Paul Sakuma, View of Paramount's Great America Drop Zone Stunt Tower ride in Santa Likewise, the book of Judges also tells the story of Samson. Please enter valid email address to continue. It takes you back to those moments when you find out that your loved one has passed in this way," said the victims sister, Alicia OLeary. He and others said park management told them not to talk to the press. The family says 12-year-old Joshua Smurphat was on a drop ride at a California amusement park when slipped out of his seat and fell to his death. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. "I saw everything," Smurphat said. We miss you, honey.". one in heaven(Joshua) and one on earth(Alicia)!!! Owner double checked all the lifts. Park officials. Joshua's mother, Tami Smurphat, told television station KTVU she was still reeling from the horror of having witnessed her son's death. 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. The Dominator was reopened the following Monday with no plans to have any changes made to the ride. Others said the ride's harness was down and in a locked position, and that Joshua somehow wiggled out of his seat. Whether this means riding the tallest and most intimidating roller coaster, lounging in the water park, or whirling and spinning until you hurl, most amusement parks are packed full of rides for all ages, ready to take you on the ride of your lifetime. 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joshua smurphat