Credit: Jawa Timur Park GroupA 13-year-old was left with multiple injuries after an incident at a theme park earlier this month.
Theme parks are, for the most part, extremely safe. However, accidents can – and do – happen from time to time, whether that’s due to faults with the attraction itself, human error, or the behavior of riders themselves.
For example, in 2022, Orlando’s Icon Park was the scene of a tragedy when 14-year-old Tyre Sampson suffered a fatal fall from the Orlando Free Fall ride. Investigations later revealed that seat restraint sensors on the attraction—then the tallest free-standing drop tower in the world—were manually adjusted to accommodate larger riders, allowing restraints to open nearly twice the normal distance without triggering a shutdown.
This wider gap enabled Sampson to slip out of his seat.
Earlier this month, another incident occurred at a separate park when a seat belt malfunctioned, leaving one young teenager with several injuries.
Seat Belt Malfunction Leaves Teenager Injured at Theme Park
As per the Daily Mail, the teen was riding an attraction known as Pendulum 360 at Jatim Park when he started to slip from his seat. The attraction – which, as the name suggests, completes 360 turns – had just finished a full loop and left riders fully suspended when it started its descent and the passenger slipped, dangling on to a bar to stop himself plummeting to the ground.
Seorang Pelajar 13Th terluka parah setelah terlempar dari wahana Pendulum 360⁰, diduga karena sabuk pengaman tidak berfungsi dengan baik, korban mengalami patah tulang dan dilarikan ke RS (16/4/2025)
📍Jatim Park I, Batu pic.twitter.com/QHf2F925ug— Miss Tweet | (@Heraloebss) April 17, 2025
The boy in question then fell from a height between 1.5 and 2 meters. After being rushed to the hospital, it was found that he’d suffered two fractures in his right hand and one in his right leg. Police subsequently ordered the park – which is located in Batu, Indonesia – to pause operations of the ride.
AKP Rudi Kuswoyo, head of the Batu Police Criminal Investigation Unit, said that Jatim Park staff ran the standard security checks before operating the ride for the day. This included assessing the condition of its seat belts, which worked correctly. The rider’s seat belt had also been checked before it malfunctioned.
The investigation into the incident is still ongoing as of April 18, with the teenager fortunately in the process of recovering from his injuries.
Other Theme Park Incidents in 2025
This isn’t the only incident to happen at a theme park so far this year.
Last week, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services released its quarterly theme park injury report, in which it detailed incidents at the likes of Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Orlando.
Three riders were hospitalized after incidents on the Harry Potter-themed coaster, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, at Universal Islands of Adventure between January and March 2025.
The cases included a 33-year-old man who had a seizure on February 3, and two men, ages 53 and 26, who experienced chest pains in March. Both men with chest pains had unspecified pre-existing conditions.
A 49-year-old woman fainted on March 28 after riding SeaWorld Orlando’s Manta coaster, known for positioning riders face-down during parts of the ride.
At Walt Disney World, an 82-year-old woman fell exiting Epcot’s Frozen Ever After attraction, while a 68-year-old woman fell getting off Magic Kingdom’s Alice in Wonderland-themed Mad Tea Party spinning ride.
In Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a 25-year-old woman experienced seizure-like symptoms after riding Alien Swirling Saucers, and a 14-year-old girl had abdominal pain following Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. A 51-year-old man with an unspecified preexisting condition reported shortness of breath after riding Magic Kingdom’s Peter Pan’s Flight.
Further afield, a worker was killed at the Japanese theme park Fuji-Q Highland in February when a roller coaster accidentally rolled over his abdomen during maintenance.
Have you ever witnessed an incident at a theme park?