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08-17-2011, 11:16 PM
| | |  Wizarding World theme park Dragon Challenge modified to avoid future injuries
After a couple of disastrous accidents on the Dragon Challenge roller coaster ride at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando recently, Universal Orlando announced changes in the way the attraction will operate, in a way that the two roller coasters won't come near each other when they normally would have bypassed one another. More on that here.  The injuries happened on the Dragon Challenge dual roller coaster. In both cases, riders say something struck them on a portion of the ride where the two coaster trains come close together at a high rate of speed.
In the latest incident, 19-year-old Jon Wilson, of Ohio, says something struck him in his foot, arm and face on Thursday.
"My sister was sitting next to me at the time, and when I said I was hit she thought it was a bug or something, but then she looked over and I had blood on my hands, so it was obviously something more," Wilson said.
In a major change for the attraction, the two trains of the dual coaster will now be staggered so they do not pass within feet of one another.
"As we continue to study these incidents, we will operate both coasters as separate experiences without their usual intersect points, Universal Spokesman Tom Schroder said in a written statement.
Thursday's incident came just more than two weeks after another rider said he was injured on the same section of the ride. Carlos Montalvo said something struck him as the coaster he was riding passed the other coaster. Montavlo said the injury blinded his right eye.
Schroder said Universal Orlando officials believe "the ride itself did not play a role in these incidents."
"The safety of our guests is our highest priority and we are taking this very seriously," Schroder said, noting that more than 50 million people have "safely experienced" the Dragon Challenge, formerly called Dueling Dragons, since it opened.
Schroder said the park would not "speculate on what caused these incidents" but would continue its "long-standing policy of advising guests to safely secure personal items before riding."
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08-17-2011, 11:21 PM
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#2 (permalink)
| | Skrewt
Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: New York!
Posts: 1,253
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Annabelle Lecium
Fifth Year
Ministry RPG Name:
Jasmine Lenkim
Environmental Protection |
omg! when i was on the ride i didn't get hit! last year was when the park was first and open for business. i'm suprised i didn't get hurt 0.o. Hopefully Jon is okay!
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08-17-2011, 11:23 PM
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#3 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: USA
Posts: 158
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Alice Mason Littlefield
Fifth Year |
Hmm interesting.. Yeah I was never hit either.
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08-17-2011, 11:27 PM
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#4 (permalink)
| | Hippocampus
Join Date: May 2011 Location: Florida
Posts: 304
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Hm, that's really strange, I hadn't heard about the accidents. I don't remember there being any issues with the ride before the name change. Maybe the coaster is just in need of some small repairs or passengers on the other coaster are throwing things, maybe?
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08-17-2011, 11:28 PM
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#5 (permalink)
| | Bundimun
Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Canada
Posts: 41
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Sari Faith Snape
First Year
Ministry RPG Name:
Lysandre Potter-Snape
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Yeah, I have a strong feeling that the ride itself isn't the problem - because a few incidents out of thousands of runs, is too few to be the ride's fault.
With all the loops, twists and turns at such a high speed, people who bring loose items with them pose a risk to all the other riders, which isn't good. This only goes to show that those rules are made for a reason, not just for your own safety but for the safety of others as well.
I hope they don't permanently stop running the two dragons at the same time - that was my favorite aspect of the ride!
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08-17-2011, 11:29 PM
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#6 (permalink)
| | Flobberworm
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 18
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We were there on the ride about 5 years ago when it was know as Fire and Ice and there were case of people being struck by objects, it appears that some rather stupid people where letting objects loose from their hands as the 2 coasters past each other , coins and other such small bits that at those speeds could cause quite a lot of injury, there where plans years ago to offset the rides slightly so that one left earlier that the other to avoid such things but they never implemented it , so this was bound to happen some time, but they must act on it now , next time could be fatal .
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08-17-2011, 11:39 PM
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#7 (permalink)
| | Jarvey
Join Date: May 2011 Location: Florida
Posts: 146
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Jade Gomez
First Year
Ministry RPG Name:
Nina LaFont
Magical Law Enforcement |
wow ! i have been on that ride before and after the world of harry potter was built and it had the same problems . i think it was the passengers who had a problem and not the ride. both rides takes you on a series of upside down circles so its easy for things to fall out of peoples pockets and fall on others . the blind thing was most likely a healths problem the guy had and the other guys bleeding was maybe a sharp object that feel from someones pocket and hit him at a high speed.. but its seriously is a fun ride so anyone planing to visit the theme park anytime soon and if you want to go on the ride, dont worry about it .. but i suggest you do play close attention to the ride rules and regulations and take out anything from your pockets thats most likely to fall out and hurt some one else ...
Last edited by LittleSlytherin; 08-17-2011 at 11:51 PM.
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08-17-2011, 11:45 PM
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#8 (permalink)
| | Gnome
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 79
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haha if it happens to me I would say that one of the dragons almost had me...
Last edited by nemeshT; 08-18-2011 at 12:16 AM.
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08-17-2011, 11:53 PM
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#9 (permalink)
| | Flobberworm
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LittleSlytherin  wow ! i have been on that ride before and after the world of harry potter was built and it had the same problems . i think it was the passengers who had a problem and not the ride. both rides takes you on a series of upside down circles so its easy for things to fall out of peoples pockets and fall on others . the blind thing was most likely a healths problem the guy had and the other guys bleeding was maybe a sharp object that feel from someones pocket and hit him at a high speed.. but its seriously is a fun ride so anyone planing to visit the theme park anytime soon and if you want to go on the ride, dont worry about it .. but i suggest you do play close attention to the ride rules and regulations and take out anything from your pockets thats most likely to fall out and hurt some one else ...
Your absolutely right , the trouble was they caught some riders that where letting objects and stuff go on purpose, for heck knows what sick reason.
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08-17-2011, 11:55 PM
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#10 (permalink)
| | Ghoul
Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 594
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Elizabeth Plotts
Sixth Year
Ministry RPG Name:
Bailey Radford
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I don't think this has anything to do with the ride itself; I've been on that ride myself at least four times, and I know at least five other people that have gone on it multiple times, and none of us were injured. I think it has to do with what the people on the ride were doing, but it's great of Universal to be modifying the ride so no one else is injured.
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08-18-2011, 12:02 AM
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#11 (permalink)
| | Jarvey
Join Date: May 2011 Location: Florida
Posts: 146
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Jade Gomez
First Year
Ministry RPG Name:
Nina LaFont
Magical Law Enforcement |
wow that's horrible and stupid ! no wounder more people are getting hurt now ..
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08-18-2011, 12:04 AM
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#12 (permalink)
| | Jarvey
Join Date: May 2011 Location: Florida
Posts: 146
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Jade Gomez
First Year
Ministry RPG Name:
Nina LaFont
Magical Law Enforcement |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luap Yelezad Your absolutely right , the trouble was they caught some riders that where letting objects and stuff go on purpose, for heck knows what sick reason. wow that's horrible and stupid ! no wounder more people are getting hurt now ..
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08-18-2011, 12:08 AM
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#13 (permalink)
| | Bundimun
Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Earth
Posts: 37
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Lily Mason
First Year |
Wow, I never even heard about this! But it was probably some rather dumb people that didn't secure their stuff. Because it only happened a few times out of ________ times soooo........
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08-18-2011, 12:10 AM
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#14 (permalink)
| | Flobberworm
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 13
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My guess is that people are tossing things of the one roller coaster and they are hitting people on the other roller coaster. Otherwise it would be happening on every ride people go on and not just twice. Some people can be very stupid or they are just not thinking about what their actions will do to others when they do stupid things like this.
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08-18-2011, 12:18 AM
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#15 (permalink)
| | Bugbear
Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: At the close.
Posts: 12,334
Graduated  x7
Diagon Alley Employee:
Amadeus Alfred Kipling
Owl Post Office Assistant | Lady Lem|DJ Melfoy|Braedeus ♥ Stumble|Bebé Melón|B2|Andee & Melsse|Melephone
That's so incredibly stupid of people to be sadistic like that. I hope Universal manages to fix this issue.
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08-18-2011, 12:19 AM
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#16 (permalink)
| | Gnome
Join Date: May 2011 Location: Texas
Posts: 89
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Since this ride has been operating since 1999 when IOA first opened, it seems odd that these injuries caused by people dropping things are just now getting press attention, but others in this thread have mentioned that it has happened before. It's a great ride and the "dueling" aspect of the two coasters is one of the things that make it so unique, so hopefully this change isn't permanent.
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08-18-2011, 12:33 AM
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#17 (permalink)
| | Faerie
Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Mexico.
Posts: 3,980
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Ginny
First Year |
Very odd! Everything for safety!
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08-18-2011, 12:37 AM
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#18 (permalink)
| | Horklump
Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Columbia SC
Posts: 58
| slow mo camera
they need to put a camera in that area to see what happens and I bet they will see riders could be the cause of it because I've been on rides where I've seen people spit in the air and hit people behind them so its a shame people would do this
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08-18-2011, 12:44 AM
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#19 (permalink)
| | Bicorn
Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: under the sky
Posts: 1,696
Hogwarts RPG Name:
hebe watson grint
First Year
Ministry RPG Name:
angelina watson
Environmental Protection |
OMG I hope all doing well
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If you understand what I Feel
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08-18-2011, 01:07 AM
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#20 (permalink)
| | Abraxan
Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Florida
Posts: 6,291
| My Cherie Amour
i would hate to get smacked in the head with someone's flying camera....! seriously, i have ridden on this ride about 8 times....no problems yet.
__________________ Cherie  | |
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08-18-2011, 01:17 AM
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#21 (permalink)
| | Chizpurfle
Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Oklahoma City
Posts: 686
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Scarlet Olivia Reed
Fourth Year |
I've always questioned the way the ride cuts so close to one another. When my boyfriend and I rode nothing went wrong, It's just surprising something happened. I hope when I visit in November everything will be back to normal.
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08-18-2011, 01:20 AM
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#22 (permalink)
| | Doxy
Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ireland
Posts: 412
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Allison "Ally" Arendell
Fourth Year
Ministry RPG Name:
Aubrey "Abbie" Bailey
Magical Games & Sports |
I've bin to Orlando on holidays a good few times and went on Dueling Dragons (sorry, Dragon Challenge, Dueling Dragons is WAY better) and was never injured and I have been on basically every row and seat! (and both Dragons at that) I think the injuries are due to loose items. Because why would it become such a problem now after many years of it being opened?
__________________ "You come to love not by finding the perfect person,
but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly." ♥ | |
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08-18-2011, 02:02 AM
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#23 (permalink)
| | Bundimun
Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Paris, France
Posts: 31
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Alice Browning
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 I wish I could go there.
Hope everyone is safe :S
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08-18-2011, 02:16 AM
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#24 (permalink)
| | Flobberworm
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 24
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Me too.
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08-18-2011, 02:52 AM
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#25 (permalink)
| | Imp
Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Vacation
Posts: 120
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Chris Westopher
Third Year
Ministry RPG Name:
Joshua Flinn
Magical Law Enforcement |
That is one of my favorite rides at Islands of Adventure! When they get close is the best part! I am sad that they are doing this! As an annual pass owner, I look forward to this ride alot!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | |
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