Volume 3, No. 4. February 28, 2003
No-brainer
redux
IAAPA President
J. Clark Robinson called the Six Flags-sponsored brain injury studies “definitive”
when they were released (THE
LOOP, January 24, 2003). That pronouncement was a bit premature because
the results of a study by the Brain Injury Association of America, a study sponsored
by chief-amusement park foe U.S. Representative Ed Markey, had yet to be released.
The results of that study finally aired Tuesday, and this time Robinson is right
when he says the evidence is definitive. After all, the findings counter everything
Markey wanted his hand-picked researchers to determine. The BIAA declared roller
coasters and amusement thrill rides safe. The study's executive summary even
emphatically commended the industry for its safety record. Plus, it went a significant
step further with the following “finding:”
“The amusement park industry is rigorously self-monitored and individual
roller coaster rides are designed with multiple ‘fail-safe’ features
to control risk. Whether their motivations are selfish or responsible, the industries’
commercial health is best served by preventing injury. Whether a federal agency
could match this is unlikely.” That last sentence shoots down Markey’s
whole campaign for federal oversight of the industry.
“I thought that was the most telling comment in the entire executive summary,”
said Robinson, who was surprised by the statement’s inclusion. However,
he said he was not surprised by the study’s findings, though he was relieved,
considering the panel’s formation at Markey’s request. “My feeling
was you’ve got a very distinguished panel of physicians and scientific
people, and you just anticipated the results would be similar to the Pennsylvania
study and the studies done by (the American Association of Neurological Surgeons)
and Exponent (Failure Analysis Associates).” The latter two were sponsored
by Six Flags. The first was research by the University of Pennsylvania published
in an October 2002 Journal of Neurotrauma that used mathematical models to determine
coasters do not produce enough "head rotational acceleration" to cause
either bleeding or swelling of the brain. “Fundamentally, it’s all
consistent across the board with the four studies.”
Nevertheless, Markey is not placated. Before the BIAA’s press conference
Tuesday reporting on the study, Markey released a statement slamming the panel
he asked the association to “convene and oversee.” He also reportedly
intends to introduce again in March his bill setting up the kind of federal
oversight the panel said is needless. In the current Congress, Markey is effectively
tilting at windmills. But, at least Don Quixote didn’t diss his Sancho
Panza.
Markey’s criticism of the panel was that it refused to publish its “work
product.” This criticism no one on the panel understands, said Harold Hudson,
president of AAPRA Associates, LLC, amusement industry consultant and a member
of the panel. The panel’s work was published (you can read the report at
www.biausa.org), and Hudson
and the rest of the researchers, comprising neurologists, a bioengineer, a mechanical
engineer and a trauma epidemiologist, did exactly what they were tasked: to
study Markey’s own compilation of 57 cases of possible brain injuries associated
with amusement rides in the past 38 years. The casual layman could see that
Markey’s trumpeted “57 cases” were mostly spurious, in one case
duplicated, and primarily involved rides other than roller coasters, coasters
no longer in operation, and overseas rides.
“The panel threw up their hands and said, ‘This is a non-issue,’”
Hudson said. Nevertheless, the panelists pressed on by taking the approach that
just one valid case should merit evaluation. They studied the merits of the
reported cases and then 50 years’ worth of research on g force impact on
the brain. As with the three previous studies, the BIAA panel concluded coasters
do not sustain near enough g’s to affect the brain. “It’s amazing
to me the AANS report is very close to this,” Hudson said. “So, when
you look at it you’d think this would be the end, because every study that
came out said about the same thing.”
The suggestion to avoid federal oversight came from one of the neurologists,
Hudson said. “He’s had some experience in hospital regulators, and
being impressed with the safety record of the amusement industry he just made
that statement. There’s no way a federal agency, a bureaucratic division
of government, could have the same compassion and the same interest in safety
as the parks themselves. That was a comment thrown out, and everybody pretty
much endorsed it.”
One other topic the panelists broached was the relative incidents of subdural
hematoma and bleeding aneurysms in the general public on a day-to-day basis
and while riding thrill rides. Accepted medical opinion contends that such medical
incidents occur under any circumstances. In the United States, an average of
25,000 bleeding aneurysms are reported every year. By Hudson’s calculations
comparing that figure with the 320 million annual attendance at amusement parks,
parks should be reporting about 30 bleeding aneurysms each year. “I don’t
think we have 30 a year or we would hear about it,” he said.
“What the world has to remember is that life is not risk free,” he
said. “Things happen to people spontaneously, they happen in everyday life.
Somebody’s lost sight of that. When you ride a roller coaster, it has to
be perfect. Why is that? No other walks of life are perfect.” In fact,
statistically, roller coasters are pretty close to perfect. “Closer than
anybody else,” Hudson said. “Closer than real life.”
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
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