Then riders emerged with lacerations. Five years later, a man named Gregory Grandchamps drowned. “I almost got killed on the Alpine Slide,” people say, looking back fondly on their wild memories of Action Park. His brother can’t. Brian Larsson watches the comments roll in on Facebook. Traction Park. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. But Gene Mulvihill’s favorite ride designers also included himself. “I really liked it because you could do what you want to do.”. Why, she asks, were more people allowed to die at the park after her son lost his life? Five years later, a man named Gregory Grandchamps drowned. Nobody was there to say ‘No.’” Life in 2020 can seem like the “land of ‘No,’“ he says. While Waterworld was one of the first-ever modern American water parks, all three of those lands are best known for the injuries and even deaths of visitors and staff that occurred there. The Alpine Slide, a 2,700-foot-long track made of concrete, fiberglass, and asbestos, saw riders sit on small sleds that had a brake/accelerator stick and descend the slope. If you lived in North Jersey in the 1980s, you probably have an Action Park story. “We tell the full picture,” says Porges, who also appears in the film as an expert voice. Employees were offered $100 to test the waterslide. Kelly-Mooney Photography/Corbis. Kentucky Action Park. Report: "Scared" rider caused 3rd alpine slide accident in 1 month. According to employees, guests who lingered in the water too long would often get stung. Nathan reportedly flipped out of the kayak – a common occurrence for riders of this attraction – and while he was in the water trying to get back onto his kayak, one of these underwater fans short-circuited, electrocuting him. Case in point: When I was about 10 years old, I fell off the Alpine Slide at Action Park (for the unfamiliar, an Alpine Slide is a concrete track you go down riding a plastic sled with very slick wheels and a completely ineffective brake). Another attraction in the Water World part of Action Park, Cannonball Falls ended with riders enduring a 10-foot drop before they hit the water as they were shot out of the slide. But a lot of people, like Brent, a 45-year-old who also relocated to California as an adult, thinks the pain was worth it. United States ; ... We were looking for fun things to do while on a family vacation and found this place quite by accident. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). ”This is a place that people got hurt or were killed at. 271, This story has been shared 245 times. The NFL' Online, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Fake Famous' On HBO, Where Journalist Nick Bilton Tries To Buy And Fake Instagram Fame For 3 Twentysomethings, Who Is the Queen of Versailles on 'Below Deck'? “They should’ve had helmets. “It was a rock 25 feet away that hurt him.”. Was the Movie 'Let Him Go' Really Filmed in Gladstone, North Dakota? So does the notion of hazing being a routine practice and staff watching as people raced cars in the park’s Motor World “after a few beers.”. Action Park's first death came on the Alpine Slide in 1980, when an employee's cart jumped the track. Seth Porges | HBO Max. Visitors slide down water slides into pools at the Action Park in Vernon Valley, New Jersey in 1996. For others, an ‘80s and ‘90s curiosity that seems too outrageous to be true. Twelve lifeguards were on duty at all times. follow our new instagram for up to date info. He was fined and received a suspended sentence. The ride’s punishing track was made from asbestos, fiberglass and concrete. Stream It Or Skip It: '12 Hour Shift' on Hulu, A Dark Comedy Of Errors And Organ Thievery, Stream It Or Skip It: 'All My Friends Are Dead' on Netflix, a Violent Horror-Comedy That's Like 'American Pie' Gone Homicidal, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready Season 2' On Netflix, Which Shines A Light On Seasoned Comedians, What Time Will 'Malcolm & Marie' Be on Netflix? Apparently it was a spinoff of Action Park, same company [Great American Recreation]…and from what little information I could find it offered a scaled down Waterworld, Motorworld w/ slides, bumper boats, an alpine slide, batting cages, LOLA car and go-kart racing, and even an alpine slide… but I have little to no specifics. That George was supposed to be the best man at his wedding days after he died. Fun times! Tragically, one park employee died when the sled jumped the track. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Not a great system. By 1987, five people had died as a result of incidents at the park, two — 15-year-old George Lopez and 18-year-old Gregory Grandchamps — in the Wave Pool. Action Park On July 8, 1980, a ... 1980, a 19-year-old was riding the Alpine Slide when his car jumped the track and his head struck a rock, killing him. On July 8, 1980, a 19-year-old park employee named George Larsson Jr. was taking an after-hours ride on the Alpine Slide when he was … Mr. Brennan had “a chunk of skin taken out of my hip” on the 2,700-foot-long Alpine Slide. By far, the most dangerous one — by sheer volume of injuries — was not a waterslide at all, but the Alpine Slide. In 1984 filing to the state of New Jersey, the park noted a slew of guest dramas; fractured femurs, collar bones, and noses, as well as broken elbows, and dislocated shoulders and knees. And recently underwent ankle replacement surgery say they had trouble checking for submerged bodies in the,. Be an inside look at these employees looking back fondly on their wild memories of Action Park occurred the... S more dangerous rides at Action Park, which evidently caused his sled was broken, evidently. Us ' Tonight “ that sort of changed our whole life, ” says,... 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