The Mind Scrambler ride at Playland Park, where a 7-year-old girl was killed last month, will have seat belts, more lighting, and a second attendant when it reopens on Friday, Westchester County officials announced. In addition, a specialist in amusement ride safety will be hired to review all the rides at the 76-year-old national historic landmark, County Executive Andrew Spano said at a news conference Thursday. As he spoke on the park's boardwalk on the shore of Long Island Sound, children could be heard screaming excitedly on the rides in the distance. Mr Spano said the county, which owns the amusement park, was making the changes although it was "not cited for any violation or required to make any improvements to the ride." He released two reports, one by county police and one by a state Labor Department, that found no mechanical flaws in the ride or violations in its operation. Permits were up to date. "Having said that, this is a tragedy," Mr Spano said. "We do not want it to happen again." He said many park workers had been affected emotionally "because of what they saw and what they've been through." The 20-year-old ride operator who was on duty for the fatal ride "will be back with us" but not on the Mind Scrambler, Mr Montalto said.
Based on witness accounts, investigators have concluded that Stephanie Dieudonne of New Rochelle died May 22 when she apparently wriggled free of the restraining bar on one of the Mind Scrambler's cars, knelt on the seat and fell soon after the ride started up. Stephanie was well over the required 48 inches of height, said Playland Director Joseph Montalto. The Mind Scrambler spins riders around in a darkened tent to flashing lights and loud music. The girl had been on the ride several times earlier during her outing to Playland with family friends, investigators said. Two boys on the bumper cars near the fenced-off Mind Scrambler on Thursday differed on whether they'd be willing to ride it. Eddie Collins, 11, who was on an outing with altar boys and girls from St. Ignatius Church in Long Beach, said, "I'd go on, if it had seat belts and a bar. I wouldn't try to stand up or anything." Part of the attraction, he said, was that the girl's death "makes it seem scarier." But his friend Pat McCormick, 12, said he'd stay away "because someone died there. It's not a nice idea." Kathy Duffy of Long Beach, a chaperone with the group, said she probably would have let the kids ride the Mind Scrambler if it had been open Thursday. "Would I be concerned? Yes," she said. "Would I let them? Yes."
Mr Montalto said the ride would reopen Friday "as soon as the Labor Department permit gets here." The existing permit had been automatically suspended during the investigation. Mr Spano said changes on the Mind Scrambler ride would include the addition of seat belts to each car to supplement the restraining bar, the placement of an additional employee, with an emergency stop button, in a newly constructed station within the ride and bigger windows at the original station, the addition of glow-in-the-dark pigment to the safety instructions stenciled onto each of the cars so they will be visible even when the lights are off and the marking of the entrance and exits more clearly with bright yellow paint. Mr Montalto said the county is developing a safety guide that will be handed out to all Playland customers, with "guidelines for monitoring children at amusement parks." Stephanie's funeral, which was delayed so her mother could get permission to leave Haiti, is scheduled for Saturday. Except for the Mind Scrambler ride, the park has been open as usual since the death with no apparent dip in attendance.
SOURCE: Associated Press.
