Draft:List of Ferris Wheel Incidents

This is a summary of notable incidents that have occurred on Ferris wheels at various amusement parks, water parks, or theme parks. This list is not a comprehensive list of every event, rather those that have had an impact on park operations or were otherwise newsworthy.

The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, deaths and significant crimes. While these incidents are required to be reported to regulatory authorities for investigation, attraction-related incidents usually fall into one of the following categories:

• Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance.
• Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be a 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.
• Act of God or a generic accident (e.g. slipping and falling) that is not a direct result of an action on anyone's part.

Disneyland California Adventure

At Disneyland Resort on October 2, 2014, 45 riders became stuck on Mickey's Fun Wheel (now Pixar Pal-A-Round) for 90 minutes before being rescued. No injuries were reported.

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom

On July 11, 1940, a 9-year-old boy riding on the Ferris wheel fractured his skull after sticking his head out of an 8-inch opening at the top of the door. The child brought his head into contact with the framework of the wheel which then caused him to severely injure himself when his head became stuck after coming too close. He was declared dead after being taken to Allentown Hospital.

Morey’s Piers

On June 3, 2011, an 11-year-old girl, Abiah Jones fell about 150 feet from the Giant Wheel at Morey’s Piers in Wildwood. Both Morey's and the police stated that the problem did not appear to be mechanical. Represented by Jeffrey Reiff of Reiff Law Firm, the parents, Twanda and Byron Jones, filed a wrongful death lawsuit. As a result of the incident, Morey's adjusted their height requirements for the Giant Wheel from 4 feet 6 inches to 5 feet.

Gulliver's World

On July 13, 2002, a 15-year-old girl with Down's syndrome fell 30 ft (9m) from a Ferris wheel at Gulliver's World, after her mother was not allowed to ride with her. The teenager was taken to hospital, but later died from head injuries. The park was fined £80,000 for failing to ensure proper safety, and not carrying out risk assessments.

Myrtle Beach Pavilion

On July 20, 1991, after rocking in one of the carriages on Myrtle Beach Pavilion's Ferris wheel, it tipped over, plummeting the riders almost 40 feet to the ground. Along with two other injured people, a 17-year-old boy from Wilmington, North Carolina, died of head injuries after being taken to Grand Strand General Hospital.

Rainbow's End

A 21-year-old man died while performing maintenance work on New Zealand's Rainbow's End Ferris wheel on February 2, 2008. He became trapped in between one of the carriages and the frame of the ride. He was freed by firefighters, but was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Star City

On July 10, 2018, a man died after falling from the top of the Giant Star Wheel Ride in Star City in Pasay. Officials suspected the incident was a suicide.

York Fair

On September 13, 2019, Scott Speicher, of Reading, and Colleen Steffan, of Fleetwood, were ejected from the York Fair's Ferris wheel causing Speicher to fall about 25 feet to the ground and left Steffan dangling from the carriage. Speicher suffered multiple fractures to his head, ribs, and hand while Steffan suffered back injuries. Both underwent surgeries for their injuries. According to an investigation by the Department of Agriculture, the accident was due to a pin breaking free from a tie rod. Both Speicher and Steffan filed a lawsuit seeking $75,000 in damages. According to their attorney, Kenneth Millman of Fanelli, Evans & Patel, the pair reached an undisclosed settlement.