Parks should urge people with high blood pressure to avoid these rides, as they already warn or ban people with heart, neck or back problems, as well as pregnant women. Yes, theme parks could do more to warn their visitors of the danger of high G attractions. On Mission: Space, the peak G force is much lower than on Rock n' Roller Coaster, but it is sustained for a much longer period of time. Such preexisting medical conditions led to the death of two riders in the past year on Disney World's Mission: Space, another high G force ride. Put someone with a congenital defect, or even a bad case of high blood pressure, on a high G force ride and aneurysms and stroke can result. High G forces and circulatory problems provide a potentially fatal mix. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of death, but in 2000 the ride was the scene of a non-fatal incident where a rider suffered bleeding in the brain. Witness Rock n' Roller Coaster at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park in Walt Disney World, where yesterday a 12-year-old boy died. With twists, turns and sharp acceleration, even a relatively low speed ride can exert force on the body three, four and even five times the force of gravity. Not height, not speed, not length, but the pressure exerted on one's body. But over the past decade, theme park thrills have added a fourth dimension. Traditionally, thrill ride fans measured the intensity of their favorite rides three ways: tallest, fastest, longest. Robert Niles The end of the high G force thrill ride? June 30, 2006, 9:52 AM
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