Knott’s to Test Four-Point Restraint

Knott’s Berry Farm is refining a four-point restraint system--the same harness used by fighter pilots--to help meet state safety requirements after a fatal accident on the Perilous Plunge water ride.

The new restraint system is still being developed, but park General Manager Jack Falfas said the design will include a seat belt and over-the-shoulder harness. The T-shaped lap bar will remain. The design change was prompted by a fatal accident Sept. 21, when Lori Mason-Larez, 40, of Duarte was ejected from the ride as it plunged down a 115-foot, 75-degree drop at speeds up to 50 mph.

After a six-month investigation, officials from the Department of Occupational Safety and Health blamed the water ride’s safety restraints--a lap bar and seat belt--and ordered the park to change the restraints or restrict the types of people who can ride. Mason-Larez weighed 292 pounds, which may have contributed to the accident.

“I’m going to meet everybody’s criteria,” Falfas said. “I’m going to have something that goes above and beyond so that we can sleep at night knowing we did the right thing.”

The prototype has been installed in one of Perilous Plunge’s 24-passenger cars and will be tested with dummies. It must be inspected and approved by the state before the ride can reopen.

The design--including color and buckle styles--is still being determined. The prototype for one restraint system cost $400, and does not include the cost of the consultants and engineers Falfas gathered to develop the restraint.

One of those consultants, Carley Ward of Biodynamics Engineering Inc., said, “No matter what ride or what car it is, the more belts you put on a person, the safer they’re going to be. It’s just what people will tolerate or find convenient to use.”

Engineer Richard Brown said the group quickly agreed to the design.

“Looking at the dynamics of the ride and the fact that you go a little less than weightless going over the top, it was the consensus of everybody involved that this would be the most secure system,” Brown said.

Sandor Kernacs, president of Intamin Ltd., the company that designed the ride, could not be reached for comment. He has maintained that the restraints were adequate and that Mason-Larez would not have fallen out had she held on to the ride’s grab bar. The family has filed suit against Intamin and Knott’s.

Under the state law regulating amusement parks, public officials have authority over parks but cannot order the manufacturer to make changes.