This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at amusement parks, water parks or other attractions owned and/or operated by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy.
The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, or deaths that occur at a Herschend-owned or -operated facility. While these incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities due to where they occurred, they usually fall into one of the following categories:
Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to break park rules.
The result of a guest's known or unknown health issues.
Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance.
Act of God or a generic accident (e.g. slipping and falling), that is not a direct result of an action on anybody's part.
On December 31, 2014, a Florida woman's brain injury from a headfirst fall from a ride at Dollywood was caused by a mix of sleet and rain that made the ride "dangerously slick" and a lack of adequate safety measures, according to a lawsuit against the Tennessee theme park's operators.
On April 14, 2004, a female passenger fell out of one of the train's carriages while it was in motion. An investigation determined that a drink was spilled on the woman, who then lost her balance and fell out of the train. The attraction was closed after the incident, but was re-opened the next day after it was determined to be operating normally. The passenger was taken to a Knoxville-area hospital and was released a day later.
On June 16, 2007, 38 riders were stuck 65 feet in the air on the park's "Timber Tower" attraction. Apparently the safety system on the ride was activated, stopping the ride at its highest point. Workers at the park tried to get the guests down for about an hour but failed and called firefighters to get the passengers down. The firemen arrived an hour later and by that time, the people had been stuck for two hours. It had been six hours by the time everybody got out. No injuries were sustained.
The duck boats operated by Ride the Ducks have been involved in a number of incidents. In July 2010 one of the amphibious vehicles stalled on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was struck by a barge, sinking the duck boat and killing two of the passengers. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the tugboat operator's inattention to his duties.
On May 8, 2015, a Ride the Ducks boat struck and killed a woman crossing the street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Chinatown section. Witnesses at the scene say that the woman crossed against a red light while viewing content on a tablet and was struck while in the boat's front blind spot. The incident is still being investigated.
In July 2002, a section of the queue line collapsed, injuring 21 people.
On July 9, 1980, a 23-year-old man was killed and a 27-year-old woman was injured while riding Fire in the Hole. A train on the roller coaster was accidentally switched to a maintenance track and storage area, which had low-hanging structures across the track. The male passenger's head struck one of these structures, killing him. The accident was ruled a case of human error, and after an investigation the attraction re-opened two days later. The overhanging structures were later removed from the maintenance area.
