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Credit: Busch Gardens Tampa BayA high-speed roller coaster was nearly the scene of a terrible accident, as a young child almost flew out of the thrill ride despite fulfilling all the safety measures set by the theme park.
Experiencing a roller coaster for the first time is probably one of the most thrilling and exciting experiences a Guest could have when visiting a theme park. And while seeing themselves involved in an accident may be the last thing on their minds, there is always a possibility that something unexpected could happen, especially when riding a high-speed roller coaster or thrill ride.
Related: Guest Suffers Disgusting Accident at High-Speed Roller Coaster
Unfortunately, what was one little girl’s dream quickly turned into a nightmare when she nearly flew out of a roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
TikTok user Kali Eden (@kalieden86) posted the video of her and her daughter riding Scorpion, her first “big kid” roller coaster, at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, adding that the family had finally found a roller coaster their daughter was tall enough to ride. At the beginning of the video, the young girl keeps smiling and happily nods when asked, “are you excited?” while the car climbs up the coater’s hill. But right at the first drop, the ride took an unexpected turn as the girl slid down the safety restraint, leaving her unprotected for the rest of the ride. The mother ended the video almost immediately as she rushed to hold her daughter, trying to keep her safe. You can see the video below:
Rollercoaster ride from he11 #rollercoaster #whoops #ohno
@kalieden86 Rollercoaster ride from he11 #rollercoaster #whoops #ohno
While the experience surely left an awful aftertaste in the Guests’ mouths, user @kalieden86 posted a follow-up video explaining that her daughter was ok and safe after the incident, “if she weren’t, I would not even be on my phone right now. I would be dealing with other things, um, and wouldn’t have been posting that.” The mother added that she did not expect the attention the video received, with over 41.3M views and 6.5M likes since it was posted, and explained that she posted the original video “more as like a ‘holy crap’” experience.
Kali continued to explain that her daughter, who is almost six years old, has two older siblings and that “she’s in kind of that age where she wants to be with the big kids, she wants to ride big kid rides.” She added that she and her husband researched to find a roller coaster that their daughter would be tall enough to ride and found Scorpion at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, with a minimum height requirement of 48”, which she fulfilled. “And we’ve done Disney, and we’ve done like Slinky and all those other rides, and she likes them. So, it wasn’t like this, you know, was her very first roller coaster ride,” added the mother.
“Looking back, this is definitely a learning experience,” said Kali as she explained that the Scorpion roller coaster has just a lap bar as a safety restraint and that she and her daughter made sure the bar was as secure as it could be before the ride started, adding, “I just assume, I’m at this Park and that everything’s gonna be safe and she’s gonna be fine.” Kali continued to explain that her daughter lost consciousness, and while she came to right away, she slipped down the lap bar and bumped her nose on the safety restraint, adding that she immediately grabbed her daughter with her arm and her leg because the roller coaster has loops and goes upside down, “and I was terrified in that moment that if I wasn’t holding on to her, she was gonna fall out and die.” You can see that video below:
Replying to @jessaker
@kalieden86 Replying to @jessaker
Fortunately, thanks to the mother’s swift reaction, Kali and her daughter were safe after the ride. Kali later commented that the Vice-president of operations for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay reached out to her almost immediately after her video gained traction and informed her that Scorpion had been shut down for an investigation to ensure the safety of all Guests. “They are taking it very seriously,” said the mother, adding, “hopefully when they reopen it, you know, it will have like a seatbelt, 5-point harness, something that, if they’re gonna allow that, um, that height limit on, that it’ll be safer.”
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay describes Scorpion, its high-speed roller coaster, as follows:
Twist and turn in Pantopia® on This Steel Coaster
Related: Iconic Theme Park Attraction Closing Permanently In 2023
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay recently opened its latest attraction, Serengeti Flyer, a world-record-breaking thrill ride that will surely have parkgoers excited for their next visit to the Florida amusement park.
Have you ridden Scorpion at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay? What was your experience like? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!