Thrill-Ride Study Finds Brain Injury Risk Remote

The risk of brain injury from riding a roller coaster is so remote that it may not merit further research, the authors of the latest study investigating the controversial issue said Tuesday.

The report by the Brain Injury Assn. of America, as well as a Six Flags-commissioned study released last month, says some riders may be at greater risk of suffering serious medical problems on turbulent thrill rides. Both studies suggest that more data are needed to develop a profile of at-risk riders.

Despite that suggestion, members of the Brain Injury Assn. panel said the risk of injury is so slight that it might not be worth the expense, and industry officials argued that it’s time to put the controversy to rest.

“The number of people we’re talking about is actually a very small number,” said Gregory O’Shanick, national medical director for the nonprofit education, research and advocacy group.

“Not that their personal tragedies aren’t compelling, but in the broad scheme of things, I think we need to be responsible about where we put resources. This is not as high on the ladder as other more pressing issues such as bicycle helmets, seat belts and airbags.”

Six Flags President Gary Story agreed: “There’s been a lot of political rhetoric. Now there’s been enough scientific data brought into it that it should close this issue.”

Though the number of injuries may be small, the incidents -- including a handful of deaths -- have called into question whether the competition to build bigger and more thrilling roller coasters was leading to increased danger.

In 2001, a 28-year-old woman died after suffering a brain aneurysm while on the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia. And a 20-year-old woman died under similar circumstances at Knott’s Berry Farm after riding the Montezooma’s Revenge roller coaster.

In recent years, there has been an effort to enact federal legislation to give the Consumer Products Safety Commission authority to investigate accidents, order rides to be fixed and share information about rides from state to state.

Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has spearheaded the effort and, with other congressional leaders, asked the Brain Injury Assn. to study the issue. On Tuesday, he released a statement thanking the group for undertaking the task but criticized the apparent lack of analysis. Panel members, for example, reviewed more than 50 reports of alleged brain injuries but did not give any detail in the report or determine whether they were valid cases.

Beverly Hills attorney Barry Novack, who has sued theme parks on behalf of several victims, said the finding that roller coasters pose a health risk to “some of the people some of the time” supports his contention that thrill rides can be a hazard but fails to help consumers understand whether they should be riding certain attractions.