Hawk grounded

Amusement ride
dismantled after
fatal accident

The Hawk, an amusement ride at Rockin’ Raceway on the Parkway, has been dismantled some two weeks after a Nashville woman fell to her death while riding on the attraction.
June Carol Alexander, 51, of Nashville, was killed on March 14 while on the ride with members of her vacationing family.
While representatives from Zamperla Rides, of Parsippany, NJ, continue their investigation into the cause of the accident, no formal legal action has been taken by Alexander’s family. However, the family attorney has stated that a civil suit against any responsible party that may be discovered through the course of their own investigation of the incident has not been ruled out.
Workers were on site at the Parkway attraction last Thursday, April 1, to dismantle the high-flying, gondola-type ride. Unconfirmed reports have stated that the ride was possibly transported to storage, awaiting a possible sale.
Prior to the accident, The Hawk was listed for sale on the website of Ital International (www.italintl.com) for $315,000, reduced 30 percent from the original selling price of $450,000. An Ital representative, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Herald Newspapers that inquiries about the ride “haven’t been any more or any less” since the accident, excluding those from the media.
“We probably should be taking it off the site,” he said, “but we haven’t been told [by the owners] to do that yet.”
Although not fatal, another amusement ride accident in Miami, FL, last weekend injured seven people, including a teenage girl who was hospitalized in critical condition.
Several passengers were ejected from “The Gravitron” on Friday when a piece of paneling came off the ride while it was in motion at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition. The ride spins at a high rate of speed, generating centrifugal force that pins seated passengers against its interior wall.
According to Associated Press reports, a bolt that held the panel in place sheared. About 40 to 50 people were on the ride when the accident happened. Three of the riders were hurled out through the opening left by the panel, although it was not immediately known how far the three were thrown.
The 16-year-old girl suffered head and upper body injuries and was listed in critical condition at a local hospital. The six other injuries were reportedly non-life threatening.
According to officials, the ride had passed inspection before the fair opened on March 18.