Stardust Racers Accident

[LPCaptainDeath]

Thanks. I was just wondering if anyone else had sort of figured that out. Hadn't even caught the 'thrown forward' statement, so I'd have the same question about that. I want to be clear I'm not claiming that the intent is malicious or to mislead the public, just that as someone who has ridden this a significant amount of times, the ways he described the experience seemed to range from unlikely to impossible. I wonder if the logic used is that the restraint style being at the waist leads riders to be more likely to get thrown forward and then rubber band backwards, smacking their head on the headrest?

There are bars on the front of each car (highlighted green). I think it is either misquoted//misspoken about positioning on the train itself, but not on the positioning in the car as being "the front."

There are explanations out there. Check the video mentioned previously in this thread by FireMedic Adventures 17 on youtube.
He was an EMT and explains the logistics of it while still being genuinely sincere about it. It helped me understand it better.

 

[RGMick77]

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There are bars on the front of each car (highlighted green). I think it is either misquoted//misspoken about positioning on the train itself, but not on the positioning in the car as being "the front."

There are explanations out there. Check the video mentioned previously in this thread by FireMedic Adventures 17 on youtube.
He was an EMT and explains the logistics of it while still being genuinely sincere about it. It helped me understand it better.

While being contained within the restraint, those handrails are different to reach. It’s especially difficult if you have a larger torso and the restraint sits up higher on you. At that point, your range of motion is limited.

Could someone really lean all the way over and make contact with the handrail on accident?

If it turns out that the engineer who designed the ride didn’t account for that, I think that would be concerning information. I would really hope it’s not possible, even if something abnormal happened during the ride.

 

[Brian G.]

 

[fryoj]

While being contained within the restraint, those handrails are different to reach. It’s especially difficult if you have a larger torso and the restraint sits up higher on you. At that point, your range of motion is limited.

Could someone really lean all the way over and make contact with the handrail on accident?

If it turns out that the engineer who designed the ride didn’t account for that, I think that would be concerning information. I would really hope it’s not possible, even if something abnormal happened during the ride.

My assumption is he became unconscious first then started flailing about and thats where any hitting of rails, blunt force trauma, and lacerations came from. The "how" he became unconscious is both the most important and most irrelevant part. If he isn't unconscious, he probably is alive now. But, if that's what can happen to a rider after losing consciousness, that's really bad as that can happen to anyone riding.

 

[AustinT]

Could someone really lean all the way over and make contact with the handrail on accident?
I would really hope it’s not possible, even if something abnormal happened during the ride.

if that's what can happen to a rider after losing consciousness, that's really bad as that can happen to anyone riding.

If you give a watch to the paramedic's video the post above references, he gives a pretty plausible and detailed explanation of what he thinks happened which answers those questions. If one's upper legs were broken during the ride and the restraint was already positioned awkwardly on one's body, it makes a bit more sense how the rest of the body could be moved out of the proper place under the restraint with the repeated forward and back motion from all the air time hills. It's probably not the fact that someone passed out that is the issue. That is obviously tested for and should not cause serious injuries. Coasters just like this one with restraints just like this one have welcomed many millions of guests for many years without serious issues. This may be a perfect storm of many unique factors that contributed to this horrible incident.

 

[Mad Dog]

As I've said before, the real physical facts should have been a part of the medical examiners report. Universal and the attorney will have access to that. This comment is pure conjecture, but I can speak from experience on what happens if your femur and hip breaks at the point of connection. I had a
bad fall last October. My femur (which is the longest bone in the body) fractured and broke away from the hip and the hip also fractured. I was home
alone. The pain was so intense that I couldn't stop screaming since those broken bones were flailing against all the nerve endings. I almost passed out
a couple of times. I lost all body control and couldn't even drag my body. Any small movement resulted in excruciating, unbelievable, pain. The phone
was about ten feet away. The best I could do was use my head to rub against my bookcase, and then desk, to move my body. It took about 30 minutes to move that 10 feet to the phone. It took 4 paramedics to move my crumpled up body. Lots of morphine on the way and at the hospital. Almost immediate operation. The paramedic blog that's being referenced suggests that may have happened. Spinal injury from birth and probably atrophied legs that would easily break, and unconsciousness setting in from the extreme pain, and no ability for the body to brace itself. We don't know for sure what happened, but my comment describes how intense the pain can be and that could induce unconsciousness....and the blunt injuries follow a limp body......And your body is certainly limp if both hip and femur fractures.