Man Injured On Harry Potter Roller Coaster

[bobwadd]

Found on "Click Orlando"

Man Injured On Harry Potter Roller Coaster
Man Possibly Blinded While Riding 'Dragon Challenge'

POSTED: Monday, August 1, 2011
UPDATED: 4:57 am EDT August 2, 2011

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Universal theme park in Orlando shut down the "Dragon Challenge" roller coaster on Sunday after a man was injured and possibly blinded.

Carlos Montalvo told Local 6 he and his wife were on vacation from Puerto Rico but said by phone from his hospital bed, "This is not a vacation. This is a nightmare."

Montalvo said they were in the front row of the ride inside the Harry Potter attraction when he says something hit him in his right eye. He still does not know what hit him, but said it happened just as the two coasters veered near each other. He remembers the pain he felt as he rode the rest of the ride screaming and wounded.

Universal reopened "Dragon Challenge" around 1:30 on Monday after determining the ride is safe.

A statement from Universal spokesman Tom Schroder went on to say, "We have also spent the hours since then thoroughly inspecting and re-inspecting the ride, the ride vehicles, the tracks and the area underneath the tracks. We have found absolutely nothing that could have contributed to this incident."

As Montalvo remains in the hospital, his brother told Local 6 he's a nurse back home, already had one bad eye, and whatever hit him may have taken his remaining good eye.

Montalvo said nobody else knew what happened, but his wife sitting next to him was in shock.

Universal said it will do what it can to help this family and said nothing like this has ever happened on this ride since it opened under another name in 1999.


Copyright 2011 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved.

 

[mantaguy]

Just rotten luck. :shrug:

 

[zbob1992]

It could have been a bug or anything.

 

[Jakemeister]

Yea, I agree this could have been anything. The ride is determined as safe, but we all know that there are those risk that are out of the parks hands when riding attractions. I mean Fabio got hit in the face by a duck on Apollo's Chariot and broke his nose...

 

[Octobers Fade]

Hoopefully nobody on the other side threw or dropped anything.
It is a risk anytime you get on a coaster, or any ride for that matter.

 

[jtsalien]

I'm sure it was just a bug or random piece of flying debris. If someone throw something, I'm not sure it would even be able to hit the poor man.

 

[Splatter]

It may have if it was any sort of loose article from the other train flying at its speed with the combined speed of the other train going head on in that part of the ride. That is a combined speed of over 100 mph.

 

[jtsalien]

It may have if it was any sort of loose article from the other train flying at its speed with the combined speed of the other train going head on in that part of the ride. That is a combined speed of over 100 mph.

I am saying if the trains were properly matched, or if his car was in front, it couldn't have come from the other car.

 

[Splatter]

Sure it could have if it was something on someone's personage that was loose in the oncoming vehicle. An object staying in motion concept flinging right to the guy. We probably will never know what happened but something as simple as a toothpick, coin or who knows what somewhere on someone could of flung right to the poor guy's eye.

 

[Vyrus]

Wow poor guy, it was more than likely a bug, have you seen what happens to them on your front windshield of your car driving fast?

 

[zbob1992]

Maybe we can wear Quidditch goggles on the ride now!

 

[AcidPop]

Doubt it could have been a bug. Would a bug cause this type of injury to your eye even at those speeds? I just don't see how... :shrug:

 

[Teebin]

Doubt it could have been a bug. Would a bug cause this type of injury to your eye even at those speeds? I just don't see how... :shrug:

The more common grasshoppers that we have in florida are twice the size of the hoppers up north. And a slightly less common giant grasshopper we have here is hard enough and big enough to break a nose. See below.

They come in at 4-4.5" long.

 

[TSSD]

Poor guy, what a way to wreck a vacation.

Doubt it could have been a bug. Would a bug cause this type of injury to your eye even at those speeds? I just don't see how... :shrug:

It could probably cause some pretty good damage to your eye at those speeds.

The more common grasshoppers that we have in florida are twice the size of the hoppers up north. And a slightly less common giant grasshopper we have here is hard enough and big enough to break a nose. See below.

They come in at 4-4.5" long.

:yikes:

 

[reilysclone]

Ah man, that slightly ups my fear when I'm on roller coaster and see someone in front of me hold their sandals/hat/whatever in their hands. Nothing's ever happened, and I know it's a very small possibility of getting hit, but it's always makes me a little nervous/ticked off.

 

[AcidPop]

HOMG THAT BUG. NIGHTMARES.

And yes, NO ONE should be allowed to hold anything in their hands on a roller coaster.

 

[tiredoldspook]

In order to prevent these kind of things from happening googles will be handed out to all riders on the ride that used to have another name...

 

[Octobers Fade]

Personally, unless at night of course, I always have sun glasses on.

 

[Spideyfreak]

I think Universal should put a giant dome over their parks to keep the bugs out. Disney does this to control the weather at Disneyland.

 

[batsmouth]

Poor guy, I got hit by a hat on splash mountain . Some old guy who was pretty stubbon refused to take his hat off after his wife badgered him about it, I was sat behind and what happened it flew off and hit me bang in the face . And then when the ride stopped he glared at me for what I guess not catching it :bang::bonk: