NEWS: Pndol (Pèndol) Tibidabo collapses - 1 Girl Dead

[cirilioxI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

First of all, it's the first time I write here, and sadly is for bad news. My english is not 'native', but I'll try to explain what happened today in Tibidabo (Barcelona).

I know that TPR came to Barcelona a few months ago, so I thought that this new could be interesting.

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Accidente mortal en el Tibidabo
Fallece una joven y tres resultan heridos en el parque de atracciones de Barcelona
ARIADNA TRILLAS - Barcelona - 18/07/2010

(i'll try to translate it well, I promise)

Mortal accident in Tibidabo

One dead pearson and three injuried in Tibidabo park, in Barcelona.

One girl dead and three people injuried is the result of the accident happened today in Tibidabo, occured at 19.15 PM (central Europe time).Pndol's arm collapsed with 4 people riding it, falling into a water ride called "Mina d'or" (Gold mine). The ride was constructed 4 years ago. A 15 years old girl died and the other three riders are injuried. One of them is in critical condition, with several injuries in her lower limbs.

Pndol is a ride with an articulated arm that rises the passengers up to 38 meters. They fall (100 km/h in 2,8 seconds) and the gondola describes a movement of about 50 meters long. That's the reason why it crushed Mina d'Or.

The ride were built by Fabbri (Italy) in 2006 and passed an inspection one month ago.

So sad.

Another news article:

Tibidabo visitors have warned that Pendulum "moved more than necessary" and had "strange noises"

Technicians Tibidabo Park on Saturday would have received at least two notices to attract Pendulum "moved more than necessary." According to the Catalan News Agency, an employee of the company explained that at least two people warned that something was wrong. It also ensures that such warnings are not unusual in the park and that in many cases are resolved while the attraction is still in operation. Moreover, according to some witnesses, before the accident and had felt "strange noises."

A few hours after the tragedy of Tibidabo on Saturday, where a 15 year old girl has died and three others injured, an amusement park worker told explained Catalan News Agency that the technicians were at least Two notices to warn that the Pendulum "was moving account." The employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said that such warnings are quite common and often the technicians solved without stopping the attraction, and added that although the pole that holds the appeal is made to is flexible and vibrates to withstand the pressure of the basket, this Saturday was moving too much. Some of the witnesses also have said that before the accident and was Pendulum "strange noises" from "screws that squeaked."

In an interview on Catalunya Radio, another witness, Antoni Vallespí, has confirmed that "every time he made a movement felt a bit strange noise." Furthermore, he assured that "the tower that holds the pendulum was moving more and more, until it has reached a time that should have broken support cables to the counterweight, and ended up falling all."

On the other hand, some witnesses have criticized the park after the incident has not closed the door immediately. Meanwhile, the direction of Tibidabo has ordered its workers not to make statements and so far only explained that the attraction has passed all the reviews, the last one on June 9 and complied with safety regulations.

To find out what caused the accident has opened a judicial investigation in parallel with the Tibidabo amusement park will also make an internal investigation.

Video of the ride in action:

YouTube Videolink

[cirilioxI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

BTW, I talked to a Tibidabo worker, and he told me that not only the arm collapsed... the full ride did it, including the base tower.

[Airtime&GravityI prefer to mate with donkeys over humans!]

Una adolescente de 15 años falleció ayer por la tarde y otros tres menores de edad, resultaron heridos de diversa consideración en el accidente que se produjo en la atracción 'El péndulo' del parque de atracciones del Tibidabo, al partirse uno de sus brazos articulados y caer sobre otra atracción.
La fallecida es una joven de 15 años que vivía en Barcelona. Además hay otras dos chicas de la misma edad en estado grave y crítico. La joven en estado crítico fue trasladada al hospital de la Vall d'Hebron por los politraumatismos que sufrió.
Fuentes del ayuntamiento de Barcelona informaron de que la joven fue trasladada al citado centro hospitalario mientras otra de las menores, que también se encontraba en el interior de 'El péndulo' en el momento del accidente, ya había sido evacuada con anterioridad al Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu de Esplugues (Barcelona).
Un tercer herido en este suceso fue trasladado por sus familiares al Hospital General de Cataluña, según fuentes del Servicio de Emergencias Médicas.
Las citadas fuentes han añadido que tras el suceso, que se produjo sobre las 19.00 horas, se desalojó de visitantes las atracciones siniestradas, mientras el resto del parque ha continuado en funcionamiento.
Las víctimas fueron atendidas por unidades del SEM, que envió a cinco ambulancias, un helicóptero y un coche de intervención rápida, en cuanto recibieron el aviso que alertaba del fatal accidente.
Unas 4.000 personas se encontraban en el parque del Tibidabo en el momento de producirse el suceso en 'El péndulo', una atracción inaugurada el año 2006 que consta de un brazo articulado, el que se originó el accidente, que pesa 25 toneladas y eleva a los viajeros 38 metros de altura, desde donde les deja caer en caída libre a una velocidad de 100 kilómetros por hora en 2,8 segundos.
El montaje de la atracción 'El Péndulo' llevó tres días de trabajo y fue llevado a cabo por cinco técnicos italianos y un ingeniero. La instalación llegó de Italia en el 2006 y entró en funcionamiento en agosto de ese año. Una vez finalizado el montaje se hicieron pruebas de regulación, carga y sistemas de emergencias, según informó el parque.
Al menos doce personas han fallecido en accidentes ocurridos en parques de atracciones y ferias en España desde 2000, ocho de ellas menores, incluyendo a la adolescente de 15 años muerta ayer.
En casi cuarenta accidentes ocurridos desde entonces, en cuatro ocasiones en municipios de la provincia de Barcelona, un centenar de personas resultaron heridas, en su mayoría adultos.

A 15 year old boy died Thursday afternoon and three minors, were injured in varying degrees in the accident that occurred in attracting 'the pendulum' del Tibidabo amusement park, to break one of its articulated arms and fall on another attraction.
The deceased is a 15 year old girl living in Barcelona. There are also two other girls the same age in serious and critical. The girl in critical condition was taken to hospital in the Vall d'Hebron by multiple injuries he suffered.
Barcelona City Hall sources reported that the girl was taken to hospital while another said the children, who was also inside 'The Pendulum' at the time of the accident, had been evacuated prior to the Hospital de Sant Joan de Deu de Esplugues (Barcelona).
A third wounded in this incident was taken by relatives to the General Hospital of Catalonia, according to Emergency Medical Service.
Those sources added that after the incident, which occurred about 19:00 pm and visitor attractions evicted affected, while the rest of the park has continued to function.
The victims were treated by EMS units, which sent five ambulances, a helicopter and a rapid response car, as they received the notice alerting the fatal accident.
About 4,000 persons were in the park of Tibidabo at the time of the incident in 'The Pendulum', an attraction opened in 2006 which consists of an articulated arm, which caused the accident, which weighs 25 tons and lifts passengers 38 meters high, where they dropped in free fall at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour in 2.8 seconds.
The assembly of Attraction 'Pendulum' work took three days and was carried out by five Italian technicians and an engineer. The facility came from Italy in 2006 and became operational in August of that year. Once the tests were mounting regulatory burden and emergency systems, according to the park.
At least twelve people have died in accidents at amusement parks and fairs in Spain since 2000, including eight children, including the 15 year old boy died yesterday.
In nearly four accidents since then, four times in municipalities in the province of Barcelona, a hundred people were injured, mostly adults.

Link

Very sad accident, and hopefully those injured make full recoveries.

[cirilioxI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

Thank you for the translation, Airtime&Gravity. I hope they recover too, but sadly one of the girls lost her legs. It's worrying that things like that happens only one month after a security review. So sick.

[SharkTumsSite Admin]

This is a horrifying accident.

I remember watching people ride this and not wanting to go near it!!!

I look forward to learning more about what actually happened.

[mightbeawannabeIndiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Donkey.]

This cannot be good for Tibidabo. This accident is just terrible.

I wonder what caused the ride to come crashing down.

[HydraglowI Love Donkeys!]

Hmm, this seems to be the second fatal accident from a Fabbri ride in the past couple years. The other one being Booster's car disengagement.

That frightens me... that really frightens me. I couldn't even imagine being in the park when this accident happened, yet alone being on the ride.

[Pingu1651Proud to be SMALLER than Joey]

^^ Based on how the ride looks, either wind speed or extreme stress. It also looks like it needs a counterweight.

[Dailey EnterprizesJason X versus the Robot Space Donkey!]

Yeah, this story makes my stomach creep up into my throat. I hope the other riders were okay at least.

[sfot11girlI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

God this is horrible. I pray for the families of these people. Like everyone else, I wonder what went wrong. Just wondering, are the standards the same in other countries as in America, in terms of ride maintenance and safety?