Imagica

Yesterday evening, a familiar ping from my phone suggested that i had got message which i was expecting more from someone at work. The text was accompanied with a picture of a roller coaster which had apparently derailed causing 2 family members to be hurt. I forwarded the  text to my friends at work with whom i had visited the theme park a couple of months back.

Imagica was a delight when we were there. Pretham and I rode over from Pune on our bikes looking for a short bike ride plus the adventure that was supposed to be there – while he rest drove in from mumbai. The fun part of this was I was going to the Theme park with my friends at work. The ride was nice, it gave a lot of time for me to unwind - unclutter my mind. 

Imagica is in the middle of no-where, the approach road was bad for the last 5kms but yes there it was - very visible and its most promising rides standing tall against the backdrop of bare brown hills. The moment we entered - i trust - the little kid within us came out and i guess that’s exactly what happens with everyone who has ever entererd a themepark/joyride/waterpark and at times the neighbourhood park which may just have a see-saw as a ride.

With our maps out, we chalked out the rides that we wanted to hit at first and strategically went through the shows till we hit lunch which was decent and then followed the rides. The crazier one was D2D and the Nitro which I missed as was busy with the water cannon. In short, did we all have fun – yes, did we recommend it yes and lot of people did you after we came back raving  about it.

Yesterday’s incidence does raise concerns over the safety of those who want to enjoy these rides. Honestly, these rides are safe, have undergone a series of daily tests and checks to make sure that accidents don’t happen. Someone who has a big investment does know how to safeguard it and will definitely do everything to protect it. At the same time, i can’t recollect of an incident when such an event happened at any of the other major theme parks. It may have happened and not reported or just that we were never bothered about them. Well its not all that true as i Wikipedia-ed it and this is what popped up.

“This is a list of notable incidents that have taken place at Walt Disney World in Florida. Several people have died or been injured while riding attractions at Walt Disney World theme parks. Since 2001, Disney has been required to report incidents to state authorities. For example, from the first quarter of 2005 to the first quarter of 2006, Disney reported four deaths and nineteen injuries at its Florida parks.

The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, deaths and significant crimes. While these incidents are required to be reported to regulatory authorities for investigation, attraction-related incidents usually fall into one of the following categories:

·         Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance.

·         Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to break park rules.

·         The result of a guest's known or unknown health issues.

·         Act of God or a generic accident (e.g. slipping and falling) that is not a direct result of an action on anyone's part.

According to a 1985 Time magazine article, nearly 100 lawsuits are filed against Disney each year for various incidents

So, this s not an incident free place, accidents do happen , even to the best theme parks however i would still go for the thrill of it and as many say “a Themepark is an escape window to your lost childhood”