American reacts to the worst Amusement Park Disaster in Australian history

Thanks for watching me, a humble American, react to The Dreamworld River Rapids Disaster
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[@stubertg5241]

I'm a paramedic in Australia. At the time one of my colleagues spoke to the media a couple of hours after the tragedy. On describing what happened to the media he said "they were assessed by paramedics and unfortunately they sustained injuries incompatible with living." He was subsequently roasted on social media and by the public for apparently appearing cold and uncaring with that statement. Despite being visibly shaken during the press statement. "Injuries incompatible with life" is a standard medical phrase used in healthcare to describe such things in a way to convey the gravity without conveying the trauma. What was he supposed to say? They got dismembered and crushed in machinery? We all felt that. We knew what it meant. We dared not imagine what our colleagues were faced with upon arriving there. And we felt deeply for the loved ones of those lost in that tragedy.

[@sallymay24]

I’d never heard that phrase before incompatible with life it actually made me ill and little scared …that’s stuck with me ever since I alway think about it now just makes me smh thinking about that family and the people who saw it happen

[@HappyCheeryChap]

It does sound a bit like a phrase someone would come up with to be a bit zany. Sucks he got attacked for it.

[@stubertg5241]

@@sallymay24 even the sanitised phrase was enough for you.

[@stubertg5241]

@@HappyCheeryChapit's a standard phrase. And unfortunately something most of us have come across in our duties. It's one thing saying it to a live tv audience. It's another saying something similar to the loved ones of someone you've tried desperately to save.

[@BowieZ]

Sorry this happened to your colleague. But social media, in general, is rubbish, where people say things without thinking, with little research or respect, and the most hurtful and controversial remarks tend to be amplified by algorithms. We need to always remember that. Please pass on our best wishes.

[@cookieo-fin]

You should look up the 1979 Luna Park (Sydney) Ghost Train Disaster. IMO it is THE worst Amusement Park disaster in Australian history.

[@doubledee9675]

There were 7 or 8 people killed in that fire, so if you're using the number of dead to do your ranking, it would come ahed of this. What makes the Luna Park disaster truly horrible is that it was a deliberate act by some people in the course of gang warfare.

[@jenniferharrison8915]

Sorry, a really tragic fire in a really small space is not entertaining to me! It's a nightmare, and can't be unseen! 😵

[@MaryRaine929]

There‘s a video about the Luna Park incident on Fascinating Horror, too.

[@turtle-frogs]

Who started the fire and why.? When there is blood on the streets. 🤫

[@louiseclifford5184]

Absolutely, I was going to suggest that one as well but you beat me to it. That was horrific as well. Unfortunately profit is regarded as more important than people’s lives in these instances. Disgusting.

[@alphgeek]

Something not mentioned in the video is that the ride was being operated by a teenage kid who hadn't had adequate training. Completely unreasonable to saddle a teenager with that level at responsibility. The kid wasn't equipped with the skills and training to manage the failure of the ride.

[@chelsiewaite1606]

And now that poor kid has to live with this every day. The training given to operate these rides hasn't changed since this either that I'm aware of.

[@lesflynn4455]

No surprises there unfortunately.

[@ryanreaction]

that's an interesting point. I worked at an amusement park and most of the rides were operated by 15 year olds which even at the time I felt was odd. The problem is it's a relatively easy job until it's not.

[@Sara-bv3nc]

I remember going on this ride even a couple of years prior to this accident, something was off about it especially how much we were getting thrashed around unnecessarily, I don't believe its just the operator but mechanically the ride had some issues and obviously no one bats an eye lid until the inevitable happens.

[@aussiedanjones]

​@ryanreaction please review Strange Scared Little Guys song Welcome to Australia

[@hayleyschmaal4232]

What horrifies me the most about this whole horrific event is the idea of those 2 poor kids clinging to the raft for their lives. Watching helplessly as their mothers (and in one case uncle and aunt as well) were crushed, drowned and dismembered in front of them. I can't imagine how one would ever stop seeing that. I can only imagine they have many years of PTSD and councelling ahead of them. It's so graphic and upsetting. 😢

[@kevo6190]

I don't know where the 1979 Lunar Park, Ghost Train Fire would sit in this list but that was shocking too.

[@Dr_KAP]

Seven people sadly passed in that disaster.

[@AndrewBellsWorld]

Although this one was quite terrible I would think Luna Park fire in Sydney would be considered the worst.

[@jodiecostello6356]

Was found to be deliberately lit.

[@toddavis8151]

@@jodiecostello6356isn’t it still only rumours?

[@SecretAgentPaul]

​@@toddavis8151watch the Exposed documentary. You'll see exactly why the police declared it an accident.

[@suemontague3151]

Your reaction Ryan was so genuine, you seemed as devastated as the rest of us Australian's 🇦🇺 who remember it

[@nosblump7734]

A couple things that were wrong or left out of the video. The ride did not have a rotating station platform. The rafts were stopped in two spots, one for loading and one for unloading, the latter was situated right in front of the conveyor belt. The video doesn't mention that the staff member who was operating the ride at the time was a 17 year old girl that had received less than an hour's training on what was considered the most complex ride to operate in the park. The control panel was pretty much the same as it was since it was made in 1986, and underneath was a birds nest of wires with some buttons not even connected at all. Over the years, many modifications were made to the ride, mostly to serve as cost cutting measures. You'll notice that there are massive gaps between the wooden slats on the conveyor belt, this wasn't always the case. Some of the slats were removed to save on maintenance, if the slats had remained in place, the victims would not have been able to fall through the conveyor belt and be crushed. There was an incident that occurred 15 years prior to the accident that caused an empty raft to flip in the same way, so they knew this was possible. The 2000s and 2010s was a dark time for Dreamworld, the park saw a degradation of presentation & quality as well as a string of very poor additions to the park including several IP tie ins as a quick cash grab, not to mention countless poor management decisions. Thankfully, all those individuals have left and a brand new team is running the park which has seen a massive resurgence in investment and attendance as a result. The commemorative garden for the victims of the accident is in the park but is not on the same site as where the Rapids ride was located. Instead it is located towards the wildlife section where it is much quieter and respectful. The land that the Rapids occupied was replaced with Steel Taipan, a multi launch roller coaster which opened in 2021. The video you watched though was definitely one of the better videos I've seen covering the accident, a lot of them are very sensationalised and disrespectful to the victims. With this all being said, don't let this put you off riding other Rapids rides or any other rides for that matter. What happened with TRR was a very particular set of circumstances that should never have happened, and parks with any semblance of decent management put safety first above everything else. After the accident, major reforms to amusement ride safety were made in Queensland to the point where it's one of the strictest regulations in the world. It's just a shame that it had to take four people losing their lives for it to happen, though.

[@Mrflossington]

While I agree with a lot of what you say, I can assure you the platform was rotating

[@nosblump7734]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y37TimuFZpalmLssi=3pzhZOyRQZyAmkSE if you watch this video, which was allegedly filmed two weeks before the accident, you can see that the boarding platform was a solid concrete platform that didn't move. It is possible that when the ride originally opened in 1986 it did have a rotating platform and was later removed, but I cannot confirm that. The earliest memory that I have of going on the ride was some time around 1993 or 1994 and it definitely didn't have a rotating platform then.

[@judithstrachan9399]

I think you’re right, I went there quite a bit early on, but had a very long gap until after the accident, & I remember it rotating slowly.

[@smalltime0]

@@nosblump7734 Yeah I went there in '06 or so and it was definitely a fixed platform.

[@jeremygoodchild1978]

Thanks for covering this Ryan. It was a tragic avoidable accident. Long time subscriber. It was my brother and sister that were killed that day.

[@Joanne-t6j]

I can’t imagine how I would feel if I sat down to watch something and it turned out to be about a tragedy that happened in my own family. That must have been hard. I hope the respectful presentation of the incident in the video and Ryan’s thoughtful reaction made it easier to watch. I’m sure that as many Australians watch and remember the disaster, and recall those who were lost and what their families, you, had to go through, it will make us all more appreciative of our own situations and sensitive to the circumstances others find themselves in. I hope that you and your family’s future is all positive.

[@c8Lorraine1]

I too can’t imagine how you and the rest of your family and friends would feel after such a horrible loss. I hope the two children who survived got plenty of blessings and the appropriate counseling

[@judithstrachan9399]

I’m so sorry for you, Jeremy. As Ryan said, if Dreamworld were fined so much,where did it go if not to the survivors & their families?

[@donnapalaussie19]

My sincere condolences Jeremy 😔🙏

[@Shells1968]

I remember this. It was horrifying. I’m so very sorry. Massive hugs. Xx

[@AussieCreeker]

My mate had to investigate this as a workplace safety official and said it was horrific.

[@SecretAgentPaul]

That conveyor belt originally didn't have those "gaps in the belt" he mentioned. At some point in the the late 90s or 2000s, two out of every three of the wooden beams were removed to make the whole "belt" lighter. It was the gaps between that grabbed the boat after it got tilted by colliding with the one in front.

[@mikeparkes7922]

How horrific! Those poor people...crushed and dismembered whilst drowning. My absolute sincere condolences to any and all family members and friends of all the victims.

[@janedoe4471]

If memory served two were decapitated. Spare a thought for the two young children who were forced to witness their parent have a horrific grizzly death.

[@xymonau2468]

They wouldn't have had time to drown. They were destroyed by the machinery. It is genuinely horrific to imagine their last moments.

[@mehere8038]

@@janedoe4471 yeh, that's what really gets to me, thinking about those poor kids so close, strapped in, watching that happening & even after it, still stuck there, with that horror right in front of them, nothing to do but look straight at it! Horrendous!

[@julesfromsydney]

As a kid, we travelled from Sydney to Queensland on holidays and we went to Dream World every year during Christmas holidays with my parents and siblings and went on that ride several times every time. Have not been back to the park since the tragedy just can't bring myself to go there now. That accident was just so shocking and tragic.

[@MaryRaine929]

🙏Thank you for reacting to a Fascinating Horror video! It‘s one of my favorite channels. I like how the narrator talks, too and his videos are always respectful, never showing the victims or bloody accident sites. This incident is indeed one of the most gruesome and horrifying on the channel. It really shocked me, too.🥺

[@mandysmenagerie4466]

It was horrible seeing this on the news when it happened, especially seeing the first responders stating that the victims sustained injuries "incompatiable with life". And knowing those poor kids saw their parents die like that.

[@popeye807]

At least they didn't try and weasel out of responsibility like a lot of other operators would.

[@ChildofVitalani]

Ryan! You need to remember that the fine mentioned was in AUD too, so AU$3.6m is probably closer to US$2.4m. Just under two and a half million dollars for 4 lives. Fucking bullshit. Side note: the fine is paid to a safety commission or similar governing body, and it's separate from any compensation payments made to victims or their families unless specifically stated otherwise. Fascinating Horror is one of my favourite disaster documentary channels! Their research is incredibly thorough and every single video is narrated in the same respectful tone, they don't bother with any clickbait-y fanfare or sensationalist buzzwords to get your attention. They tell the story with simple facts and figures, with some explanation for more complicated details, so that you can appreciate what happened without it turning into a circus. Thank you so much for your reaction.

[@alysefan2264]

I was so shocked when I heard about this since I had been on this ride exactly one week before this tragedy.

[@jordan7106]

same I was on the ride in.may that year.

[@shanegates678]

Yeah, this was horrific... knowing what happened to those poor people. It was traumatising for the nation, unfathomably for those involved.

[@sharanfloss5136]

Jeremygoodchild.....I am so so sorry for your loss. What an absolutely horrific loss to you and your family. Sending prayers to you all. 😪

[@Matt_Warner230]

The ride was staffed by two operators, 38-year-old Peter Nemeth, an experienced ride operator who had worked at Dreamworld for four years. The second operator was 21-year-old Courtney Williams, who had only received training for the ride that morning she had 105 minutes worth of training.

[@cassandralovely6182]

That ride was actually my families favourite for 20 years...

[@jenniferharrison8915]

I've been to Dreamworld, but never heard of these details before, horrible! I prefer the Old Sydney Town closure video, at least it has historical significance and some fun! 😥

[@turtle-frogs]

I feel so sorry for the family who have to live on.😢

[@rachelstevens7625]

I lived 5 minutes from Dreamworld and the sound of all the emergency services was deafening It wasn't even the first fault of the day and it was the ride operators first day with basically no training. The way the community went after the paramedics for how they were trained to communicate with the media/public, was horrible. Personally I believe they all did the best they could. The company should have paid much more.

[@chookinathunderstorm3446]

I remember the news report saying that the ride operators were all in their teens and mentioning, I think, that they were in the younger teen range.

[@rachelstevens7625]

@@chookinathunderstorm3446 the youngest was 21 and she'd only had about an hour of training before being left with one other ride operator who told her not to worry about one of the emergency stop buttons

[@Matt_Warner230]

@@chookinathunderstorm3446 The ride was staffed by two operators, 38-year-old Peter Nemeth, an experienced ride operator who had worked at Dreamworld for four years. The second operator was 21-year-old Courtney Williams, who had only received training for the ride that morning no teens

[@avanap8096]

Had season passes for the family for a few years before this. Havnt been back since (and won't) The whole thing was a disgrace, goverment should be checking compliance on everything that has rules.

[@bent444]

That ride at Dreamworld was one of my favourites as a child, Went on it so many times.

[@cassandralovely6182]

Same

[@judithstrachan9399]

Me, too, I loved that ride.

[@misskarinaleigh]

Same

[@philpaton3812]

Ryan, as stated below, look at the Luna Park Sydney fire on the Ghost Train. There was a lot of claims about political corruption and underworld warfare.

[@shanebarker3131]

No matter how bad you think it was - it's worse, apparently

[@rhiannecameron428]

I work for Queensland Ambulance and some of my colleagues went to this event. It is definitely a job they will never forget, absolutely horrific. Still so sad for the families and all emergency services that were on scene that day. Absolutely horrific for the 2 poor children that survived and had to witness such a horrific incident😢 Rest in peace

[@SheriePodszun-Elvin]

Hello Ryan; my name is Sherie and I lived on Queensland’s Gold Coast for a few years over 20 years ago so our family of two adults and two children had a yearly pass to Dreamworld. I was nearly severely injured or killed when I was about 13 years old at the German Oktoberfest in Fairfield NSW Australia (a ride like a Ferris wheel that had spinning cages called the zipper where my friend and I finished the ride and then the cage door was opened to let us out but I presume that the operator was under the influence and next thing we knew was that we were looking down at bars from a great height with no safety bar- as it was attached to the door and it made us swing facing down) so to cut a long story short I went on that ride-‘rapid river’ about 4 times thinking that I was safe! I feel deeply sad about the loved people that shouldn’t lost their lives 💜

[@SheriePodszun-Elvin]

Additional-the recent helicopter sightseeing crash on the Gold Coast Spit is another horrific incident that could have been avoided.

[@alphgeek]

Engineers could and should have foreseen this failure mode. They use processes like HAZOP to assess and mitigate all possible failure modes. It's not a perfect process but if done properly greatly helps mitigate risk. The specific risks of this ride, including water pumps required to maintain a specific water level and a powerful mechanical conveyor, would be obvious primary risks to any competent engineer.

[@donnapalaussie19]

I remember the absolute disbelief and horror watching the breaking news bulletin. May those poor lost souls Rest in Peace. My sincere condolences to family, friends and responders. 🙏

[@lesflynn4455]

I recall this horrifying incident well. All of people who perished in it were from my hometown. It was a shocker.

[@jeremygoodchild1978]

The accident actually took another life too. A couple of years later my sister's partner (who wasn't on the ride) took his own life leaving two children without any parent's.

[@kazz3956]

😢 so sorry to hear. You and your family have been through so much. Thinking of you.

[@karenmccarren4604]

that is so sad to hear. The grief was obviously too unbearable for him. I hope their kids are doing okay now. What a horrible thing for your family to go through....twice. Sending lots of love & hugs to you all xx

[@sallymay24]

The words incompatible with life was said by the paramedics …at the time I’d never heard those words before and I kinda never wanna hear them again …I feel for the family’s and people who saw it happen

[@dandiestcandy9464]

The saddest thing is they did make the memorial garden but not replacing the location of the ride. Its tiny with 4 park chairs with the victims names. They've since built an entirely new ride on top of where the thunder river rapids ride was :/

[@gregoryparnell2775]

Most horrific accidents are the result of a simple human error such as lack of maintenance or in-attention by someone.

[@mehere8038]

A combination of those actually, never a single error, always a series of them, with multiple chances to stop it that were all missed

[@chookinathunderstorm3446]

I remember the news report saying that the hired ride operators were in their teens and maybe even, I think, in the younger range of teens.

[@Matt_Warner230]

The ride was staffed by two operators, 38-year-old Peter Nemeth, an experienced ride operator who had worked at Dreamworld for four years. The second operator was 21-year-old Courtney Williams, who had only received training for the ride that morning

[@HenriHattar]

On May 11, 1984, a fire at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, killed eight teenagers.

[@wryalways985]

FH covered this one too. The dude's covered most of the world.

[@ThePaintPartySociety]

We were on this ride a couple of months before the accident. The ride had not been well maintained. While we were riding the straps were held together with velcro which was so old it wasn't staying together anymore. We rode it once with my nieces and didn't go on again because the straps came apart. I never imagined that this ride could kill someone though, I'd always thought this was the least dangerous ride.

[@CeciliaCameron-df9he]

The Gold Coast tragedy a bother, sister and 2 friends all passed and watched by witnesses.

[@Sarah.Jade.]

I was on this ride a mere 2 weeks before it happened. it was the best ride there (imo, plus i was a kid) and it was horrifying to hear what has happened. RIP to all involved.

[@Markstubation01]

DreamWorld was previously more known for being the filming location of Australia’s former biggest television program called ‘Big Brother’

[@hannahh__]

what’s scary is i had gone on this ride not long before the accident, and when it came on the news it was so shocking like we had just been on that exact ride

[@overlordnews4075]

This was my favourite ride as a kid, 100s of times. So scary.

[@katsukirenka1629]

This was awful. I grew up going to Dreamworld and Thunder River Rapids was my favourite ride. I loved it and when I heard about the accident, I could hardly believe it. I can't count the amount of times I've been on it throughout my life. I've purposefully stayed away from reading or watching anything about the specifics because it hits so close to home. I actually ended up working at Dreamworld the next summer and most of my supervisors had been first responders and were still suffering from the toll it had taken on them. Dreamworld was already very safe (in my opinion), but it got a lot stricter afterwards. We were told that safety is a priority and, as a last resort, to use the accident if we had to get the point across to people being unsafe. It was shocking how many people still wouldn't listen to safety briefs and act up on rides. It was almost always the adults too, especially parents. This obviously wasn’t the case for the accident, the victims did nothing wrong, but it was unbelievable that people would do stupid things on rides after the accident happened, let alone so soon after.

[@troycunningham8645]

I remember going on that in the 80s. My favourite at the time was the Model T Fords that kids could drive because they were on a rail like a slot car. There was also a waterside that went through a "volcano" and had fish tanks you slid through. The volcano being the access to the top so people heading up looked through the fish tanks at riders on the slide 🛝

[@nicolecrichton9654]

My parents were in QLD at the time and were planning on going to Dreamworld that day. I heard the news and immediately rang my mum. They had changed plans. That was my dad’s favourite ride btw! It freaked me out!

[@rameka78]

This was so horrible, and you’re right the machinery should have definitely stopped

[@HappyAtheist4ever]

As a Queenslander I have been to Dreamworld many times over my life and have ridden that ride with my children. It was so horrible and tragic. The one thing most people forget is just how many people have died over the years because they got into a car accident on the way to or back from a theme park. Overall they are still much safer than driving on the roads!! It still should never have happened though:(

[@gregoryparnell2775]

Our whole lives we are a fraction of a second or a Fraction of an inch away from death.

[@crazyham]

Nornally I smile & laugh each time I watch one of your vids... Now I just have a heavy heart & tears in my eyes... Bless You Ryan 🙏💜🙏

[@hammer8809]

I got extremely sad all over again watching this especially due to the fact of negligence. That event has convinced me to never again go to a amusement park, why temp fate. My heart goes out to the victims and their family and friends.

[@RebeccaLee_81]

I remember going on that ride so many times. The area where they get on is right next to the area that they disembark... all those people lined up to board would have seen absolutely everything.

[@AprilShowers560]

I used to live on the Gold Coast and had season passes to Dreamworld. I used to take my 6 year old son and baby daughter for a couple of hours multiple times a week and this ride was considered one of the safer ones. I used to let my son ride on it without me while I waited with my baby on the platform. I think one particularly quiet day at the park, he rode it nonstop 16 times in a row. As you said - what’s going to go wrong? This horrific accident frightened the absolute crap out of me. Worth noting too that the ride opposite this one had been closed down permanently without notice shortly beforehand because someone was seriously injured on it. It was some kind of rocky railroad/mine cart type of thing from memory. Dreamworld had been getting more and more run down as time passed. I don’t think I’ll ever go again, I just don’t trust them anymore.

[@nosblump7734]

The Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was a wild mouse style coaster that closed down 10 years prior to the accident, but it was not due to anyone being injured. It was again a victim of the park management at the time refusing to invest in the upkeep of the attraction and so they left it standing but not operating until around 2015 when they started sending test dummies around it in the hopes of reopening the ride. With that being said, it had Buckley's chance of reopening due to most likely not abiding by modern safety standards, which had gotten stricter over the years. With that all being said, while I understand that you distrust the park after what happened, the management teams that were running the park at the time are long gone and for the past 5 years has been a new management that has been responsible for all the brilliant investment the park has seen recently. The only thing that's really the same is the name of the park and the logo (which they're slowly phasing out in favour of the much better classic logo of the 80s and 90s). If you're ever on the Gold Coast again, I really implore you to consider going back as it is a much different and better park now.

[@Chocmilk1]

This man will react to anything Australian

[@RosesTeaAndASD]

I saw this ride at 7 years old. I was well into my 30s when the tragedy happened. I never rode it. It just looked so old compared to the rest of the park.

[@laserspewpew_7175]

Very sad, of all the rides there you would think this is one of the safest ones just a simple water float ride. Having been there and been on this ride, terribly sad.

[@ElixirEcho]

Like 7 years ago? now I feel old. thanks

[@laurawallis7093]

Its very sad that this happened. I havent been to Dreamworld since before this happened but the water rapids was always the best ride there, along with the log ride.

[@davidgrose6321]

I have a connection to this event. I was working in Canberra. My work mate told me his wife who worked for the federal government had 2 work mates who were a couple left for the gold coast for a holiday. She wished them well. They were 2 of the dead. Apparently their work mate who were many, were deeply effected by this. My work mate told me his wife was visibly effected for a long time after.

[@BelindaRutherford-qd4cs]

At Luna Park in Melbourne in September 2022 a girl dropped her phone from a ride, went onto the rollercoaster tracks to get her phone back and got hit by the rollercoaster.

[@unoriginalsyn]

I'll never forget the day this happened! We knew there had been a bad accident ( live not too far from here) but when we found out which ride it was such a shock 😮 that's the one most families would start the day with, it was relatively gentle and was one of the few the whole family could do together 😢 Dreamworld has never really recovered, went past the other day and the carpark was pretty empty

[@A.Starwberry.OnYt.Heyy-]

The dreamworld rapids is an event that actually scared me. When I was younger I went to dreamworld every week, and on the day the accident happen was the usually day me and my family go and we go on the rapids lots. But that day we were sick. Also that day my mum's boss even asked if we were ok BC he knew we would go there on that ride that day.

[@sadcat12]

What also sucks about this is that are the theme parks on the Gold Coast removespd there rides made by them

[@grahamsurtees668]

Hey, not sure what's with the happy arvo? It's usually used like " hey do you want to go for a run this arvo? Want to catch up this arvo. Good job with the Vegemite, tip for saying arnotts, the biscuits would be like saying "corvette" "arnettes biscuits" 😊

[@56music64]

We went on that same ride back in the late '80's as thousands of people also have since but for the grace of God go I. To be honest I noticed the images of the ride around the time of the tragedy and noticed the timber on the ride where the rafts travelled over appeared to be much more spread out than photos showing the same ride back in the '80's, I wondered if this helped make the ride unsafe? That ride was dismantled and a memorial bench and small garden has been put in it's place. The park has struggled to recover since, due to the bad publicity

[@MichelleS-Gamer]

I’ve been on that ride many times. It’s so scary to know how unsafe it was. Such a horrible end for those people 😢

[@misskarinaleigh]

I’m from the Gold Coast and grew up going to Dreamworld! Cannot believe this was 7 years ago, I remember hearing about it like it was yesterday. Not sure how DW is still open after this to be honest. It happened due to their safety negligence. So horrible and not a ride you would expect to kill 4 people.

[@tanianorth5089]

This was one of my favourite rides, but I always hated going up that conveyor belt. The ride had been closed earlier in the day for testing. That fact that the media went after the teenager saying that they were responsible was so wrong. That now adult and everyone in the line waiting to go on the ride, those watching from the bridge and those on the rafts below would probably still be in therapy. 😢

[@neuralwarp]

When I was a kid, staircases used to freak me out. So fragile.

[@acd6835]

I remember riding this ride quite a number of times a few years before this disaster happened, this event shocked me given I know exactly what that ride was like and what that conveyor belt was like up close.

[@BCclips1]

The scary thing is I went on this ride about a month before this disaster happened.

[@Stalaxian]

I had gone to dreamworld 2 months before this accident and dreamworld told me the Rivers Rapids Ride was the safest ride

[@bradleyholdom9677]

I used to love this ride each time me and my family went on holiday to Surfers Paradise and visited all theme parks. It's such a depressing thought knowing that those 4 people woke up that day, not knowing it would be their last.

[@arjovenzia]

For a positive, I think dreamworld is the best gold Coast theme park. The day we had planned to go it was pissing with rain, so some of the rides were closed. But the ones that were open had zero queue so we spent all our time on rides, not waiting. To top it off, as we were leaving, soaked but happy, they gave us a free pass! So we changed our plans and went back on a day that was torrential. Yay!

[@johnmckechnie3294]

Refused to go to park after the incident. Drove past on the way to movie world, and it was virtually empty,.

[@andyossie]

Our family friends were there when the incident occurred and they were meant to be on that raft but realised that the time was getting away and left the queue at the ride to go over to White Water World before it was too late. I was actually driving right past there after it happened and I had a missed call on my phone so I called back and she said "we're all ok, we weren't in the accident " and I was like "what??" She explained what happened and how they were going on the ride and were about to get back into the queue but didn't. I was like whoa!😮

[@SuperPhoenix1971]

I've been on this ride with my son a few years before. It still makes me feel totally sick. Horrific, unnecessary suffering in death. I haven't been on a ride since. 😢

[@nicktrengove45]

i was their the day before and told my wife that is scared of rides to go on this with my kids because it was the safest ride.

[@xymonau2468]

I had visited Dreamworld a number of times and that was my favourite ride. I couldn't believe it when I heard the news. It was such a simple ride that it was inconceivable to me how that could happen. I personally would never return to Dreamworld if you paid me.

[@johnnym8177]

Yes Luna Park 1979 was the most shocking incident and horrifying deaths of people at an amusement park.

[@lillibitjohnson7293]

I remember them reporting that one woman’s child and husband had to watch this happen in front of them…

[@misskarinaleigh]

The girl who was operating the ride was very young and it was her first day 💔

[@mizpahshearer1659]

There's a show called Under Investigation here in Australia that does a deep dive into the Luna Park Ghost Train fire. Gobsmackingly shocking who and what was behind it.

[@misskarinaleigh]

I saw that! I was so shocked and disgusted!

[@antheabrouwer3258]

So sad. Those poor children having to watch what happening while clinging to life themselves. I suggest listening to the Luna Park fire. Equally as sad.

[@OutAndAboutwithDi]

I am researching the last amusement park disaster we had, The Ghost Train Fire back in the 1970's for my channel. These are just horrible when they happen in a place that should be just fun. xxx

[@frankkolmann4801]

Luna Park is the absolute Primest of Prime land on Sydney harbour.Developers and Criminals have been trying to get their hands on it for decades. Still are trying.

[@bellexxoo]

This was my favourite ride as a child, i went on it constantly, more so than any other ride.

[@rotisseriepancake]

This was my favourite cruisy ride since the very first time i went to Dream World Edit: Thinking about it, I remember multiple times that the waters were visibly quite low; compared to usual 😳

[@zombiemukbang7555]

I can't even count how many times I went on that ride.. and with my kids

[@JayJayGamerOfficial]

I remember this like it was tomorrow, it happened a week after my trip to the gold coast where me and my family ended up riding this ride. I still remember getting home to sydney and hearing about it. All we can hope for is that another incident like this dorsnt happen again.

[@crazyham]

You are such a Nice Guy 🙏🤗🙏 You Have a big heart 💜 I was unaware of this occurance & have tears in my eyes 😢

[@Danielle-up4yw]

I live about an hour away from Dreamworld. I haven't been there since this occured.

[@gamingtonight1526]

Done on the cheap to increase profits... So many disasters are because of this sort of thing. For example, if they needed to pumps for it to work, there needed to be three. One backup.

[@nosblump7734]

Funny you should say that. When the ride was originally built, it was intended for just one of the pumps to be running at 100% while the second pump was there as a backup. At some point, the way the ride was operated was changed so instead they used both pumps running at 50% to decrease wear and tear. Just another cost cutting measure that was done which inevitably lead to those people dying.

[@painta76]

The ride operater was young and inexperienced and was told not to push the emergency stop button for every small incident as I think they would have been docked pay for down time of the ride, which is why they hesitated in stopping the mechanism. I worried this might happen right from installation as my mind goes to what could go wrong when I get on any ride, the mechanism used was innovative and not used anywhere else in the world.

[@LouieLouie917]

I think the park took a hit for about a year with low attendance, whenever I drove past there the carpark was very empty

[@karenlittle8041]

While this was terrible and the loss of life tragic in my opinion the Luna Park fire and the cover up that followed was worse.

[@Swxetdxath]

I remember going on this exact ride when I was way younger with my family, crazy, when I first heard this a few years ago I just couldn’t believe it. Still love going to dreamworld though mainly because there’s more well trained people there now. R.I.P the people

[@jessicawatson79]

Could be wrong but the reason why survivors are disappointed/angered about the result for the planning as you mentioned for the area and the money. Unknown where money went to but I think towards the people who had died and not survived. You have the 2 kids and also the people who were in that other raft who survived that ideal and they are still waiting on compensation from the incident.