Area Orleans Place Opening date 1976 Opened 1976 Vehicles 1 | Status Closed Closing date 2000 Closed 2000 | |
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Replaced by Jester's Wild Ride, The Joker Similar Space Shuttle America, Gulf Coaster, Spacely's Sprocket Rockets, Ragin' Cajun, Shockwave | ||
The Cajun Cliffhanger was a rotor-type amusement ride at Six Flags Great America. It began as "The Rotor" at Chicago's famous Riverview Park and was one of the earliest Chance Industries Rotors produced. Following Riverview's sudden closure, the ride was purchased by Six Flags, but mysteriously ended up at Marriott's Great America in 1976 as Cajun Cliffhanger. Only the ride itself made it to Great America; the building that housed it was demolished at Riverview.
The ride was a large circular room with felt lined walls which passengers entered through a door and took a position freely standing against the wall. The door would be closed and the room would begin to rotate. When the rate of rotation was sufficient, the floor would drop a few feet, leaving the riders pinned to the wall by centripetal force.
On July 19, 2000, two girls, aged 11 and 13, were injured on the ride. Both girls sustained injuries to their feet; at least one had broken bones. The girls' feet were caught between the moving floor and the wall. Witnesses reported the floor was raised at the wrong time. After inquiries found the operators negligent, they were fined $1,000. The ride remained closed until it was demolished and scrapped during the 2001 off-season. Today, a "S&S Worldwide 4D Free Spin" coaster named "The Joker" operates in the spot of the old Cajun Cliffhanger.
