#thejoker #rollercoaster #sixflags
We are all surrounded by risk and unplanned events. No one knows what will happen next and so no one prays for unpleasant things to happen to them. Unlike most stories about amusement park rides malfunctioning, this one was quite different. Even though there was no malfunction, a severe accident still occurred, costing an already paraplegic man his legs.
It was the start of summer, and family and friends would typically spend this month basking in the sun’s rays while attending outdoor events. The 10th of August 2019 was no exception, as the weather was nice, clear, and bright, and people trooped in and out of Great Adventure Park with their loved ones.
Davis and his four friends were among the many people looking for fun, but they didn’t know that the bright, sunny day was just a cover for the dark, looming event that would haunt them for the rest of their lives and leave one of them with permanent scars.
It was a terrible accident that cost a paraplegic man his legs and the park $75,000 in damages. What happened on that fantastic Saturday afternoon that made the news and caused a commotion in the town? Who would have thought something like this would happen, and what did this event lead to?
This is the tragic story of Lester Davis, a paraplegic who trusted the “joker ride” with his helpless leg.
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Have you ever been on a rollercoaster ride? In specific the Joker ride maybe☝🏼 Let us know below!
But if the manual he got said it wasn’t safe, why did he even go and ask? Surely some of this has to be on him too!
This might be unpopular to say this but something smells sour about this. Why would he get the safety guide to learn which rides were safe to only ask an employee right after. The guide clearly stated that u need 2 functioning legs to ride it. If the employee really was asked then they should have consulted the guide. I however do not believe that he asked them about this particular ride while he was in there and if he did, they probably gave him the logical answer of as long as he meets the criteria in the guidelines then he should be fine. Only he knows about his medical condition and im just about positive that ur not allowed to just ask guests whats medically wrong with them. I would have to see proof to believe he asked them this. I think he misread the guidelines and didn't pick up on the word functioning and after the accident was too embarrassed or smelt dollar signs. They give the guideline book so that U can determine if UR condition meets the guidelines so any employees who let him on should not be liable for anything nor should the person at the info desk.
The only for the employees to know if his legs were functioning or not would be to ask him about his disability and is that not a no no? There is nothing extra they could have done to make it safer as the safety guide say if ur legs r not functioning….don't ride it.
They didn't forget to restrain his legs as there r no such restraints. It is so fishy that he never once consulted that safety manual in his hands that he supposedly made sure to get. It sounds like 6 flags paid his medical bills.
Well, allowing him to ride the Joker contradicted what the rules allegedly are. Was it in fine print or something that nobody knew he shouldn't have gotten on that ride? Another preventable accident. So sad.
Another person, trying to blame everyone else for a decision that HE made.
Must be a democrat….
If the park said ‘no, you cannot ride’, the crazy democrats would throw one of their riots and Six Flags would be ‘the bad guy’ for discrimination.
It seems like common sense that a paraplegic legs would need to be restrained
I know theme park employees can be young. Its amazing how common sense and observation are nonexistent with them in modern times. A simple check of the ride rules and a phone call to higher ups is 10 minutes at least.
He should been smarter not to ride.
And he was both black and white. Park got off cheap.
They should have chopped off his arms too and rolled him into a ball and I wrapped him in a bed sheet.
Your narration makes no sense.
Please nigga…
These rides are not built for disabled people, paraplegics, the morbidly obese, very tall people, or tiny children, yet all of these types of people continue to want to ride, and to think that somehow the ride manufacturers, owners, and operators can make them safe. There should be strict standards for who is allowed on each ride. Life is not fair, and it is simply not reasonable to expect any ride to be "one ride fits all". This is not ableism, or anything negative. It's just safety and plain common sense.
If the leg rule was in print why would the employee say differently? Rules must be uniform across the board to keep everyone safe. So many missteps along the way here.
So if his legs were paralyzed how did he feel pain in them?
I don’t get it if I have no control of my legs and I watch the ride standing in line. I can clearly see that my legs would be freely dangle’ing and spining wildly. How did he at all think that ride was safe? That’s my home park. Rode that ride tons of times. There’s no control; apparently like the side you sit on impacts it a little but I work in the medical field and absolutly insane that he even considered it. (Forget the park; himself if he had any concern for his own well being) where is common sense?
Letts put them on a stand up coaster next
That ride is a nightmare. Never ridden it…don't plan to
Geez even back in the 80's Disneyland had warning signs plastered all over the line area.
how does having functional legs prevent this? if there was enough power to snap a grown mans femer then it was strong enough that any child or weak person would also be effected similarly ? how would his legs even move around enough to get the range of motion to snap? i fear he may have also had bone atrophy and Osteoporosis that gave him unnaturally weak bones before this? because i'm sure many ppl pass out on this ride and they dont have their legs snapped apart …… many questions still
Wasn't the fault if the ride, was the fault of the guy in the wheel chair and the people running the ride, he should never have even tried ti getvon that ride and the operators should have never let him on it,
This is one time I don't blame the workers.
Why go on it when he's compromised to start with
I'm dubious about these large rides at the best of times but I'm sure they aren't good for the people who are paraplegic I wouldn't say this would be safe for them to ride judging on the many people the same as Davis having those same injuries just by riding the Joker ride. Its hard to accept when you cant walk like myself that you cant ride on these rides and I just stay away from them as I know I cant ride them even if I wanted to. I am however, so sorry for the nasty injuries Davis and the others before him, for getting injured on this particular ride.
Idk about this one… his friends could’ve made a LOGIC choice and not put your friend with prosthetic legs on a roller coaster that causes your legs to dangle… that’s common sense… it’s a unfortunate situation all around tho and i hope he’s doing way better in his life today but his friends should definitely feel like genius’s ( sarcasm)
For Pete's sake, I have no idea what the procedures and protocols for any ride are, but anyone with common sense can put 2 and 2 together. Legs will flail around if you can't control them, so they'll break. DUH, 6 flag idiots!!!
Besides the guy who actually got hurt. I feel so bad for that ride operator, he probably lives with a horrible sense of guilt.
Shout out to the first day employee who was the only person even remotely trying to do their job
Why is a paraplegic riding a roller coaster?
please do the Caleb schwab accident on the kansas slide, for your next video
there is no way to restrain the legs on an S&S Free Spin ride. paraplegics should probably stay away from B&M Wing Coasters as well
shit, he had feeling in his legs? Usually feeling in the lower extremities when you're a paraplegic is very helpful (I work in healthcare, and when you can't feel that your skin is breaking down, skin maintenance becomes a hard job…it's why people born without any perception of pain die super young…no pain doesn't mean no tissue trauma, no infection, no sepsis…it just means you don't feel it happening so you don't move or alert someone to move you…) but in this case where he cant do anything about it that's torture to be able to feel it and not move…although I do have to appreciate whatever healthcare worker/lawyer came up with "he had a decline in his ability to earn due to his inability to earn"…
Sorry but the rules of the ride were clear. Its awful what happened but personal responsibility really. He asked somebody even after seeing the sign .
Isn't there only 3 left due to Six Flags of New Orleans shutting down due to hurricane Katrina
I don’t get how he would’ve been in horrible pain, already being a paraplegic. Being a paraplegic, wouldn’t that mean he was unable to feel anything happening to his legs?
listen first off i would not be getting on a ride like this if i’m already paraplegic, second why would the employee even allow him to ride a ride like this 🤦🏽♀️
There is no way, without training, that the ride attendant would have any idea that this man’s legs would flail about while on the ride. Without being specifically told that, he could not have known, especially if the attendant was younger. If you aren’t familiar with paraplegia, you would not know that the man doesn’t have control of his legs. He was probably thinking that Lester just couldn’t stand or walk. This is the fault of the company. I feel like Lester should have been aware of the risks, however it’s surely not his fault. I don’t think I would have sued though, because the paraplegic should be aware of their limitations and the fact that there’s a possibility that his legs wouldn’t be secure. I mean, how could he not realize that? Unless he has never been on the ride before.
Oh my, that poor attendant. He even attempted to find out if it was safe for Lester. At that point he should have had Lester wait and called his supervisor. One extra step could have possible prevented this. If Lester was feeling unsure, he shouldn’t have gone on the ride. I feel equally bad for both of them. What a damn shame.
Love that coaster!
If you don’t understand what dead legs do when suspended then you get what you deserve!
It’s his fault I’m sure he’s not an idiot anymore
Yup. Life is scary for sure. 😨😨😨
Howcome he was in any pain ? 🤷♀️ He is paralyzed
Yeah, as a former ride op, that guy wasn't trained right. To operate a ride in any capacity (many large coasters have 3 or 4 ride ops) you have to take a test on the manual. Part of that test involves knowing what reasons someone may not be allowed to ride. In general a ride manual will list how many limbs you need to have, if they can be prosthetic, and if they have to be functioning. I worked on numerous children's rides and restrictions even apply to these.
75k????? The attorney was no good
ion get it how his legs got broke from danglin free just like everybody else legs,second he in a wheelchair he cant feel shit from the neck down,so how he feel the pain from his legs snapping? third he got on knowing it was a risk for him.even after the person said they was new and dont know how it works for people in wheelchairs.fourth i hope he lose his lawsuit against sixflags he the one who risk his legs,nobody forced him when in reality he shouldnt never got on,im sick of mf always risking theylives for fun,then wanna sue when they get hurt…ion feel sorry for him
My friend and I both rode this ride and we told the operators after that we did not feel safe both felt like we were going to fall out and were loose in are restraints will never ride the joker again
ok, firstly im sorry this happen, but first rule of thumb is that.. he see the ride flips riders to a degree his legs will be exposed,,and if im a person with a leg disability last thing i want is something to throw my legs around to cause further pain or damage i understand he asked the park staff before hand but he saw for himself that the ride consist of various flipping and if that didnt raise a flag surely it should have once the new ride operator didnt have any clue how to secure him properly, yet he choose to ignore his own gut and all the other warning flags ahead of the ride ,,and having second thoughts while the ride is in motion is well beyond the operator control in many cases on rollercoasters they only have a few areas on the ride to really bring it to a halt .but story like this can discourage future riders of the same impairment to be more vigilant when it comes to their overall safety and enjoyment visiting theme parks
I feel bad for Lester but common sense and his part and the part of great adventure. My brother was handy-cap and when we went on rides we evaluated if he should go in certain ones because of his health. Even if great adventures said it was fine. Sometimes you have to think for yourself and if you have any feeling you should not be or insure of yourself don’t ride it. I would not go on some rides myself because of how high they are or how I feel after I get off of one. Please be safe when riding the rides. We are only human and no one can protect you but yourself.