Action Park was a popular amusement park open from 1978 to 1996 in Vernon, New Jersey, on the property of the former Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski area, today Mountain Creek. It featured three separate attraction areas — an alpine slide; Motoworld, where patrons could operate motorized vehicles on land and water and Waterworld, with many water-based attractions such as waterslides. Amusement park is the more generic term for a collection of rides and other entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a fairly large group of people. ... Vernon Township is a township located in Sussex County, New Jersey. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Largest city Trenton Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi  (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... A ski area is a place where one goes to participate in the sports of skiing and snowboarding. ... Mountain Creek is a ski resort located in Vernon, New Jersey. ... An alpine slide is a long chute on the side of a hill, usually built by ski resorts to supplement summer income. ... A water slide is a slide with water flowing down it. ...

Its popularity, however, went hand in hand with a reputation for poorly-designed, unsafe rides; inattentive, underage, underpaid and sometimes under-the-influence employees; equally intoxicated and underprepared visitors — and the poor safety record that followed from this perfect storm of circumstances. At least five people are known to have died as a result of mishaps on rides at the park, and it was nicknamed "Traction Park" and "Accident Park" by doctors at nearby hospitals due to the many severely injured parkgoers they treated. While little action was taken by state regulators despite a history of repeat violations, in its later years personal-injury lawsuits forced the closure of more and more rides and finally the park itself. The new owner of the ski area has reopened the water attractions as Mountain Creek Water Park, with a vastly increased emphasis on ride safety. A perfect storm is any only-remotely-possible disastrous confluence of singly innocuous events. ... In orthopaedic medicine, Traction refers to the set of mechanisms for straightening broken bones or relieving pressure on the skeletal system. ... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... In the common law, a tort is a civil wrong, other than a breach of contract, for which the law provides a remedy. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

History

Action Park was born in the mid-1970s when Great American Recreation (GAR), new owners of the recently combined Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski area, wanted to do something with the ski area's off season. They followed the trend of many other ski areas at the time and in 1977 began offering an alpine slide down the very steep ski trails, then gradually put together Waterworld, one of North America's earliest water parks, at the base of the slopes. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

They started out with two speed waterslides in the summer of 1978, and then more waterslides and a small deep-water swimming pool the next year. The early 1980s saw more slides along with a huge wavepool. Finally, Motoworld was carved out of the swampy areas the ski area owned across Route 94. Ultimately, the small park consisting of Alpine Slide and 2 speed slides evolved to a major destination with 75 rides, including 35 motorized self-controlled rides and 40 waterslides. New Jersey State Highway 94 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. ...

GAR promoted its new attraction with television commercials in the Greater New York area, using the memorable jingle "The action never stops ... at Action Park!" (later, "There's nothing in the world like Action Park!" in several-part harmony) and it soon become a popular summertime weekend destination in and of itself, due to the level of control it offered visitors over their experience compared most other amusement parks. Some visitors were not even aware that it was part of a ski area. A television commercial (often called an advert in the United Kingdom) is a form of advertising in which goods, services, organizations, ideas, etc. ... The metropolitan area of New York City, also called Greater New York or Greater New York City encompasses the New York--Northern New Jersey--Long Island, NY--NJ--CT--PA Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA). ... A jingle is a memorable slogan, set to an engaging melody, mainly broadcast on radio and sometimes on television commercials. ... Harmony is the use and study of pitch simultaneity and chords, actual or implied, in music. ...

Action Park was probably at its peak in the late 1980s/very early 1990's. Most rides were still open, and the park's later reputation for danger and carnage had not yet developed. In 1982, the deaths of two visitors within a week of each other and ensuing permanent closure of one ride took place, but that hardly dampened the flow of crowds.

Things did start darkening, however, with two deaths in summer 1984 and the legal and financial problems that stemmed from the lawsuits and the Securities and Exchange Commission's investigations of GAR's shady dealings (the company pled guilty to five fraud-related charges that year after it was found to have been running an unauthorized insurance company). Still, attendance remained high and the park remained profitable at least on paper. In fact, for some visitors, the park's reputation merely added to the thrill. The park entertained over a million visitors a year, with as many as 12,000 coming on some of the busiest weekends. The Securities and Exchange Commission, commonly referred to as the SEC, is the United States governing body which has primary responsibility for overseeing the regulation of the securities industry. ... Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of potential financial loss. ...

Park officials said this made the injury and death rate statistically insignificant. Nevertheless, the director of the emergency room at a nearby hospital said they treated from five to ten victims of park accidents on some of the busiest days, and the park eventually bought the township of Vernon extra ambulances to keep up with the volume. The emergency room is the American English term for a room, or group of rooms, within a hospital that is designed for the treatment of urgent and medical emergencies. ... The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. ... An ambulance is a vehicle designated for the transport of sick or injured people. ...

In 1992 five people died in a bus accident on the way there. While for once the park and its rides were not responsible for deaths associated with it, this began to taint it. TheBus, established by Mayor Frank Fasi, is Honolulus only public transit system. ...

A few rides were closed and dismantled due to costly settlements and rising insurance premiums in the 1990s, and at last the park's attendance begun to suffer as the recession early in that decade helped force it into a downward spiral similar to that once offered on some of its own rides. GAR was finally forced into bankruptcy in 1995, and Action Park closed for good on September 2, 1996. A recession is usually defined in macroeconomics as a fall of a countrys real Gross Domestic Product in two or more successive quarters of a year. ... Bankruptcy in the United States is a matter placed under Federal jurisdiction by the United States Constitution (in Article 1, Section 8), which allows Congress to enact uniform laws on the subject of Bankruptcy throughout the United States. ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (246th in leap years). ...

Rides

While many of Action's Park's attractions were unique, they often had corresponding features that made them considerably riskier than most other amusement park's rides to begin with.

Alpine slide

Action Park's alpine slide descended the mountain roughly below the ski area's gondola, resulting in much verbal harassment and sometimes spitting from passengers going up for their turn, who would often be entertained by the accidents they witnessed while at the same time hoping to avoid similar fates. Gondola lift Stowe, Vermont A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, often called a cable car, which consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. ... Spitting is the act of forcibly ejecting saliva or other substances from the mouth. ...

The tracks themselves were made of fiberglass, which led to numerous serious abrasions on riders who took even mild spills. But the real safety problem was the sleds themselves. A stick that was supposed to control speed led, in practice, to just two options on the infrequently maintained vehicles: extremely slow, and a speed described by one former employee as "death awaits." Abrasion on the palm of a right hand, shortly after falling Abrasions on elbow and lower arm, still healing. ... A sled, sledge or sleigh is a vehicle with runners for sliding instead of wheels for rolling. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

This was a very dark joke, as the slide led to the first fatality at the park, a head injury suffered by an employee (and later the slide would be referred to as the "Death Express"). Hay bales at the curves were meant to cushion the impact of those whose sleds jumped the track (a frequent occurrence), but did not always do so effectively. According to state records, in the years 1984 and 1985 the alpine slide produced 14 fractures and 26 head injuries. While park officials regularly asserted its safety, saying that 90-year-old grandmothers could and did ride it, in the early years of the park it was responsible for the bulk of the accidents, injuries, lawsuits and state citations for safety violations. Black comedy, also known as black humor, is a subgenre of comedy and satire that deals with serious subjects Рdeath, divorce, drug abuse, et cetera in a humorous manner. ... Head injury is a trauma to the head, that may or may not include injury to the brain (see also brain injury). ... Hay is dried grass (and pasture flowers) cut and used for animal feed. ... Bale can refer to any of the following: Places B̢le, the French name for the city of Basel The town Bale in Croatia the Bale Province, Burkina Faso in Burkina Faso the former Bale Province, Ethiopia in Ethiopia People Christian Bale, an actor Dr. Edward Turner Bale This is... A bone fracture is a medical condition in which a bone becomes cracked, splintered, or bisected as a result of physical trauma. ...

When Intrawest took over the park and renamed it Mountain Creek at the beginning of the 1998 season, they announced the slide would remain open for one final season. Riders were required to wear helmets and kneepads on the slide. The last day of the slide's operation was September 6 of that year, the day before the park closed for the season, as that year's Labor Day was rainy and the slide had to be closed. Pickelhaube of a Swedish Royal Guard soldier For the band, see Helmet A helmet (a 15th century loan from Middle French, a diminutive of Frankish helm, from Proto-Germanic *khelmaz, PIE *kelmo- a cover) is a form of protective clothing worn on the head and usually made of metal or... Fox McCloud wearing knee pads Kneepads or knee pads are protective gear worn on knees to protect them agains injury during, e. ... This article is about the day of the year. ... Labour Day (or Labor Day) is an annual holiday that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. ...

The tracks were torn out afterwards, but the route can still be seen from the gondola.

Motoworld

These were the powerered vehicles and boats on the west side of Route 94. They no longer exist, and have been replaced with more parking and a small shopping village. These closed with Action Park in 1996.

Super Go Karts

In practice, these were meant to be driven around a small loop track at a fun, yet safe speed of about 20 mph (32 km/h) set by the governors on them. But park employees knew how to circumvent the governors by wedging tennis balls into them, and often did so for parkgoers. As a result, an otherwise standard small-engine car ride became a chance to play bumper cars at 50 mph (90 km/h), and many injuries resulted from head-on collisions. A kart racer takes a turn on an indoor track Kart racing (as the word is so spelled by enthusiasts) or karting is a variant of open-wheeler motor sport with simple, small four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. ... A race track (or racetrack), is a purpose-built facility for the conducting of races. ... A governor is a device used to measure and regulate the speed of a machine, such as an engine. ... A Wilson tennis ball. ... Bumper car at a small town fair Bumper car is the generic name for a type of flat ride consisting of several small electric cars that draw their power from an overhead grid, which is turned off by the operator at the end of a session. ... Standard wrong-way sign package used on all freeway off-ramps in California (and since copied by Georgia and Virginia). ...

The engines were not well-maintained, and some riders were overcome by gas fumes as they drove. Gasoline (or petrol) is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ...

LOLA cars

These were miniature open-cockpit race cars on a longer track. Extra money was charged to drive them, and they, too, could be adjusted for speed by knowledgable park employees, with similarly harmful consequences to riders. Modern Formula One Renault 1993 Indy Car Open wheel car is a term for cars, usually purpose built racecars, with the wheels located outside the cars main body, as distinct from cars which have their wheels below the body or fenders, in the manner of most street cars, stock...

Bumper boats

This ride was reserved for toddlers, supposedly making it safer, but the engines of these often leaked gas, at least once requiring medical attention for one rider when too much got on his skin. A male toddler A female toddler A toddler is a child between the ages of one and three years old, although some may consider a toddler to be between two and five. ...

Super Speedboats

These were set up in a small pond, known by staff to be heavily infested with snakes. They were supposed to be driven around a small island in the middle at 35-40 mph (51-59 km/h). While, unlike the land vehicles, there was no way to tamper with them and increase their speed, many riders nonetheless used them to play bumper boat, and one seriously inebriated rider had to be rescued by the attendant lifeguard after his boat capsized following a collision. Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae Snakes (from Old English snaca, and ultimately from PIE base *snag- or *sneg-, to crawl), also known as ophidians, are cold blooded legless reptiles closely... For the British Army regiment see the Life Guards. ... Capsizing refers to when a boat is inverted such that the bottom of the boat is on top. ...

Tank Ride

This was one of the most popular rides at Motoworld (it featured prominently in the television ads), and one of the few at the park more dangerous for employees than patrons.

In a chainlink fence-enclosed area, small tanks could be driven around for the proper fee for five minutes at a time, with tennis ball cannons that enabled riders to shoot at a sensor prominently mounted on each tank. If hit, the tank stopped operating for 15 seconds, while other tankers often took advantage of the delay to pepper the stricken vehicle with more fire. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Visitors on the outside could also join in the fun through less costly cannons mounted on the inside of the fence. When workers had to enter the cage to attend to a stuck or crashed tank, which usually happened several times a day, they were often pelted with tennis balls from every direction despite prohibitions against such behavior that could result in expulsion from the park. It is not known if this resulted in any serious injuries, but it made the tank ride the least popular place to work in the park.

Sling Shot

A bungee cord ride in which 2 riders sit in a seat and are strapped in while the ride is shot up in the air and supported by a bungee cord. Riders loop upside down. There are a few similar rides still standing in a handful of major pay one price amusement parks but they are upcharge attractions (an additional charge to admission) due to insurance issues. This particular ride was open in 1993 and 1994.

Space Shot

This was a very safe ride actually. It was A tower drop up and down ride that is in fact very common in most amusement parks today. The nearest one is in Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This attraction was open in 1996 and again in 1998 (under Mountain Creek management). The ride was sold at the end of the 1998 season. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom logo Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, located in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, just outside of Allentown, is one of the most recognizable and popular amusement parks in the United States. ... Allentown is the name of some places in the United States of America: Allentown, Georgia, a town in Bleckley County Allentown, New Jersey, a borough in Monmouth County Allentown, Pennsylvania, a city in Lehigh County Allentown, Washington, a neighborhood in Tukwila Allentown, New York, the name of more than one... Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Harrisburg Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi  (119,283 km²)  - Width 160 miles (255 km)  - Length 280 miles (455 km)  - % water 2. ...

Bungee Jumping Tower

Merely a tower where guests would bungee jump as they were strapped to a cord and released to a soft huge blow up mat at the end of their ride. This was open from the late 1980's until 1996.

Waterworld

Water-based attractions made up half of the park's rides and accounted for the greatest share of its casualty count. Many are still in existence today, with much greater attention to safety, as Mountain Creek Water Park. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

The Kayak Experience

After accounting for the first visitor death in the park's history in 1982, this ride was closed permanently. It was an imitation whitewater course that used submerged electric fans to agigate the water above. Frequently the kayaks got stuck or tipped over, and people had to get out of them. Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a rivers gradient drops enough to form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white. ... Non-electric fan Household Electric Fan A fan has two purposes – to move air for creature comfort or for ventilation and to move air or gas from one location to another for industrial purposes. ... Two whitewater kayakers running the Numbers section of the Arkansas River. ...

The Tidal Wave Pool

Two young men drowned in this common water-park attraction. It was, however, the amount of people the lifeguards saved from a similar fate that made this the only Waterworld attraction to gain its own grisly nickname, "The Grave Pool." It was 100 feet wide by 250 feet long (30.5 by 76 m) and could hold 500 to 1,000 people. Waves were generated for 20 minutes at a time with 10-minute intervals between them, and could reach as much as 40 inches (102 cm) in height. A wave pool is a type of swimming pool in which reasonably large waves are artificially generated. ... For the British Army regiment see the Life Guards. ...

Many visitors weren't aware that the pool depth increased as one got closer to the far end, and only remembered or realized that they couldn't swim when they in over their heads and the waves were going full blast. Even those who could swim well didn't realize that the waves, as fresh water, were not as buoyant as their ocean counterparts and sometimes exhausted themselves doing more swimming than they were ready for. Mad scrambles of these people would develop to the ladders at the sides as the waves began, leading to many accidents. A breaststroke swimmer Swimming is a technique to move unaided through water. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... In physics, buoyancy is an upward force on an object immersed in a fluid (i. ... [[Image:http://www. ...

Twelve lifeguards were on duty at all times, and on high-traffic weekends they were known to rescue as many as 30 people, compared to one or two the average lifeguard might make in a typical season at a pool or lake. 50 meter indoor swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, or wading pool is an artificially enclosed body of water intended for recreational or competitive swimming, diving, or for other bathing activities that do not involve swimming, e. ... A lake is a body of water surrounded by land. ...

The Tarzan Swing

This was a wooden beam hanging from a 20-foot-long (6 m) cable over a pool of stagnant water. Patrons waited in long lines for the chance to hang from it, swing out over the water, then jump off as the beam reached its height. A cable is two or more wires or optical fibers bound together, typically in a common protective jacket or sheath. ...

Some patrons hung on too long and scraped their toes on the concrete at the far side. Others used the ride properly, but then were surprised to find out the water underneath was very cold. It was cold enough, in fact, that the lifeguards had to rescue people on some occasions who went into shock from the sudden chill and couldn't swim out. In 1984, one man's experience led to his death from a heart attack. This ride however is still open today. In medicine, shock (hypoperfusion) is a life-threatening medical emergency characterized by inability of the circulatory system to supply enough oxygen to meet tissue requirements. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ...

Roaring Rapids

This was a standard raft-based whitewater ride; nevertheless, due to its poor design, it managed to produce its own share of injuries. Reports the park filed with the state in 1984 noted fractured femurs, collar bones, noses and dislocated knees and shoulders. This attraction is still opened. The left side is known as The Gauley and riders use a single tube. The right side is known as Thunder Run and is a double tube rafting ride If you were looking for an organization, see FEMA. The femur or thigh bone is the longest, most voluminous and strongest bone of the human body. ... In anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a bone that makes up part of the shoulder girdle. ... Dislocation (joint dislocation) occurs when bones at a joint move from their normal position. ... An x-ray of a human knee In human anatomy, the knee is the leg joint connecting the femur and the tibia. ... The human upper arm Grays Fig. ...

Surf Hill

This ride, another one common to other water parks at the time, allowed patrons to slide down a water-slick sloped surface on mats into small puddles, until they reached a foam barrier after an upslope at the end. Barriers between lanes were minimal, and people frequently collided with each other on the way down, or at the end. The seventh lane was known as the "back breaker," due to its special kicker two-thirds of the way down intended to allow jumps and splashdowns into a larger puddle.

Employees at the park used to like eating at a nearby snack bar with a good view of the attraction, since it was almost guaranteed that they could see some serious injuries, lost bikini tops, or both. This attraction is also still opened today. A snack food is seen in Western culture as a type of food not meant to be eaten as a main meal of the day (breakfast, lunch, supper). ... A woman wearing a bikini. ...

Super Speed Water Slides

These were two water slides, set slightly apart from the rest of the park, that took advantage of incredibly steep slopes to allow riders to attain higher speeds than usually possible. One started with riders going almost vertically downwards and was covered with screening for the first several feet.

As barriers on the side of the slides were very low, lifeguards reminded every user to remain flat on their back with their arms at the side as they descended since there was no way to ride it otherwise and stay on. The fall from both slides had the potential for very serious injury.

Those who made it to the bottom found their progress arrested by water, guaranteed to cause a spectacular splashdown, and then a small pool. The speed at which riders met the end resulted in many getting wedgies and near-enemas from the experience. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This 2qt (about 2 liters) enema bag, or fountain syringe, equipped with a rectal nozzle, is to be filled with water or a solution, then suspended near the patient using the hook. ...

Diving cliffs

The area around Roaring Rapids was (and still is) laid out like a kind of grotto, with many lower-intensity attractions. One was cliff perches 30-50 feet (10-15 m) above a pool 16 ft (5 m) deep, where divers could jump. A Grotto (Italian grotta), when it is not an artificial garden feature, is a cave, small or quite large, usually near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide. ...

However, the pool below was not blocked off from those who might be swimming in or away from from other attractions, and nothing at water level gave any indication to swimmers that they could expect people to dive in right next to them. Or right on top of them, and the sole lifeguard on duty often had his or her hands full dealing with the results of those collisions.

Another common problem was that nonswimmers would jump off the cliffs, not fully appreciating how deep the water below was, and have to be rescued.

Colorado River Ride

The Colorado River Ride, which still exists, winds its way down a heavily wooded area on the side of the park. It used to feature large, unwieldy circular rafts that people had to carry from the splash pool all the way to the start. The "river" is actually a large trough made to look like a natural river bed. Children successfully test their raft, in Brixham harbour, south Devon, England. ...

The ride started out as a nice jaunt around a couple of turns, but then become far more challenging. Since the river is on a steady pitch down the hill, the rafts gained speed very quickly. Sudden turns would send the rafts careening up the walls. Riders not holding on would sometimes fall out onto the surrounding terrain.

At one point the rafts would come to a fork where they could either head into a tunnel, or (less frequently) around a corner into an unknown section of river. The tunnel had many turns and was dark. At the exit rafts commonly slammed into a curved wall. The raft then floated into a small rock pool and stayed there until it found its way out. The final stretch of the river consisted of a large downhill portion complete with bumps, and a foot-high (30 cm) jump where the rafts would momentarily catch air and then slam back onto the surface.

Other attractions

Waterworld also boasted standard pools and rides for children that were sometimes smaller versions of the main attractions at the park.

The looping water slide

The one ride that has come to symbolize Action Park and its extreme thrill-seeking was, paradoxically, almost never used.

In the mid-1980s GAR built an enclosed water slide, not unusual for that time, and indeed the park already had several. But for this one they decided to build, at the end, a complete vertical loop of the kind more commonly associated with roller coasters (See picture on this discussion thread). Vertical loop on the Shockwave coaster at Six Flags over Texas The generic roller coaster vertical loop is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. ... A typical roller coaster The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. ...

It was opened for one month in summer 1985 before it was closed at the order of the state's Advisory Board on Carnival Amusement Ride Safety, a highly unusual move at the time. One worker told a local newspaper that "there were too many bloody noses and back injuries" from riders, and it was widely rumored that some of the test dummies sent down before it was opened had been dismembered. A rider also reportedly got stuck at the top of the loop due to insufficient water pressure, and a hatch had to be built there to allow for future extrications. For the band, see Crash Test Dummies. ... Dismemberment is the act of cutting, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise removing, the limbs of the condemned, causing prolonged, painful death. ... Hatch may refer to: Common nickname for gentlemen named Prachet Hatch, Utah Hatch, New Mexico Orrin Hatch Richard Hatch A hatch (door) is a door in a floor or ceiling. ...

It supposedly reopened a few more times over the years. In summer 1995 it opened for several days before a few more injuries forced another shutdown.

For the remainder of the park's existence, it remained visible near the entrance of Waterworld, tempting visitors with the possibility of the thrilling ride it might have offered yet tempering it with the high potential for injury that was just as obvious from looking at it.

It was dismantled shortly after Action Park closed and has never been rebuilt.

Factors contributing to the park's safety record

Just about everything that could lead to accidents at Action Park did, from the design and construction of the rides themselves to the makeup of both visitors and staff, and infamously lax government oversight.

Ride design

Action Park and its defenders often pointed out that it was one of the first water parks in the nation and thus pioneered ideas that were later widely copied. This, however, meant that visitors were effectively guinea pigs for the ideas of designers who often had little, if any, training in physics or engineering. "They seemed to build rides," one attendee recalls, "not knowing how they would work, and (then let) people on them." Species Cavia porcellus Cavia aperea Cavia tschudii Cavia guianae Cavia anolaimae Cavia nana Cavia fulgida Cavia magna Cavia intermedia Guinea pigs (also called cavies) are rodents belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. ... Physics is the science of Nature. ... Engineering is the application of scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. ...

GAR, as its later legal troubles would suggest, was not a company unfamiliar with cutting corners to maximize its profits, and that included every aspect of its operations, including customer safety (in its last year it even kept part of the ski area open despite being unable to obtain liability insurance). Many rides were, as the descriptions above suggest, built cheaply and maintained only sporadically.

The park could have renovated and improved its rides to take advantage of later, safer improvements to its ideas made by imitators, but never did.

Employees

The vast majority of workers at Action Park, at least the ones regularly seen by visitors, were teenagers. Most were area residents making minimum wage(ranging from 2.65 an hour in 1978 to 5.05 an hour by 1995) or just barely above that, given little training (other than lifeguards) for their jobs, and who consequently often cared little for enforcing park rules and safety requirements, except for when it gave them the chance to contemptuously rip off a visitor's wristband in plain sight of others. Height- and weight-based restrictions were often ignored. Some deserted their assigned posts to drink or smoke marijuana with coworkers for a while, then returned to work under the influence of those substances. A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ... The minimum wage is the minimum rate a worker can legally be paid (usually per hour) as opposed to wages that are determined by the forces of supply and demand in a free market. ... It has been suggested that Masturband be merged into this article or section. ... Height is a measurement of the distance from the bottom to the top of something which is upright. ... In the physical sciences, weight by Definition VIII, per Newtons Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy or Principia, is an upward force exerted on matter to deny the body from entering freefall as a result of gravity, a centripetal accleration field. ... Species Cannabis indica Cannabis ruderalis Cannabis sativa Cannabis is a genus of flowering plant that includes one or more species. ...

Visitors

Since it was closer and slightly cheaper than Six Flags Great Adventure, Action Park attracted many visitors from the urban areas of the New York metropolitan area, particularly northeastern New Jersey. Many of them were often from lower-income neighborhoods where they had few, if any, opportunities to swim, much less learn how. At the park they greatly overestimated these abilities, and this was a factor in many accidents as well as the drownings, according to park officials. The entrance plaza at Six Flags Great Adventure. ... An urban area is a term used to define an area where there is an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ...

The staff's indifference to many of the park's own rules led to a similarly lawless culture among riders, who generally liked the high level of control they had over their experience and felt that any accidents were the fault of the victims. A state official lamented that many waterslide accidents were caused by the victims themselves, who would often, in blatant violation of an explicitly posted rule, would disregard their mats midway down the slide and wait at a turn for their friends so they could go down together.

Since many rides routed their lines so that those waiting could see every previous rider, many played to the audience with risky and bawdy behavior when it did finally come to be their turn. The Tarzan Swing in particular was known for outbursts of foul language (not always planned) and exhibitionism as people jumped off the swing in full view of the whole line behind them. Look up Profanity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Exhibitionism is the psychological need of a human being to exhibit naked parts of the body to other people — that is, parts of the body that would otherwise be covered by clothes according to the standards of the individuals cultural surroundings. ...

Availability of alcohol on grounds

The park also sold beer in many kiosks on the grounds, with similarly lax enforcement of the drinking age as with other restrictions in the park. Doctors treating the injured often reported that many of them had alcohol on their breath. A selection of bottled beers A selection of cask beers Beer is the worlds oldest and most popular alcoholic beverage. ... a pagoda-like kiosk in Lausanne. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Lax regulatory climate

Despite many citations for safety violations between 1979 and 1986, including allowing minors to operate some rides and failing to report accidents, which was unique among New Jersey's amusement parks, an investigation by the New Jersey Herald, Sussex County's main daily newspaper, later found that the park was fined only once. It was also unique in that department in that all the other amusement parks were fined for first offenses — except Action Park. It asked if there was some sort of special relationship between GAR and the state. A fine is money paid as a financial punishment for the commission of minor crimes or as the settlement of a claim. ...

It was not an unreasonable question. In addition to its earlier shenanigans with the SEC, the company was headed by well-connected local developer Eugene Mulvihill, and was a major employer in a rural and remote region of the state. A real estate developer (American English) or property developer (British English) makes improvements of some kind to real property, thereby increasing its value. ...

Some of the state's regulations failed to adequately address the situation, too. After the 1987 drowning, it was reported that the Tidal Wave Pool was considered a pool by the state, not a ride. Under state regulations at the time, that meant that all the company had to do was keep the water clean and make sure that certified lifeguards were on duty, and nothing else.

Fatalities

Five people are known to have died directly or indirectly from rides at Action Park:

• On July 8, 1980, a 19-year-old park employee was riding the alpine slide when his car jumped the track and his head struck a rock, killing him.

• On July 24 1982, a 15-year-old boy drowned in the Tidal Wave Pool.

• A week later, on August 1, a 27-year-old man from Long Island got out of his kayak on the Kayak Experience to right it. He was electrocuted when he either stepped on a grate that was in contact with, or came too close to, a section of wiring for the underwater fans that was exposed. Several other members of his family nearby were also injured. He was taken to a nearby hospital in nearby Warwick, New York where he died later of heart failure from the electric shock.

The park at first disputed that the electric current caused his death, saying there were no burns on his body, but the coroner responded that burns generally do not occur in a water-based electrocution. July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... Mercator projection of Long Island Long Island is an island in New York, at 1,377 square miles (3567 km²) the largest island in the continental United States, and with 7. ... Two whitewater kayakers running the Numbers section of the Arkansas River. ... The term electrocution can mean either: death by electric shock, usually by accident or deliberate execution by electric shock, in an electric chair See also: Capital punishment (death penalty) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, elongated strand of drawn metal. ... Warwick is a village located in Orange County, New York. ... In medicine, a burn is a type of injury to the skin caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, or radiation (an example of the latter is sunburn). ... A coroner is either the presiding officer of a special court, a medical officer or an officer of law responsible for investigating deaths, particularly those happening under unusual circumstances. ...

The ride was drained and closed for the investigation. Accounts differed as to the extent of the exposed wiring: the park said it was "just a nick," while others said it was more like 8 inches (20 cm). The state's Labor Department found that the fan was properly maintained and installed and cleared the park of wrongdoing; however it also said the current had the possibility to cause bodily harm under certain circumstances. While the park said it was vindicated, it never reopened the ride, saying people would be afraid to go on it afterwards.

• In 1984, a fatal heart attack suffered by one visitor was unofficially believed to have been triggered by the shock of the cold water in the pool beneath the Tarzan Swing. The water on the Tarzan Swing and in that swimming area averages about 50 to 65 degrees while other water areas average 70 to 80 degrees.

• On July 19, 1987, an 18-year-old drowned in the Tidal Wave Pool.

July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ...

Legacy

While many of the water rides still exist, extensively renovated by Intrawest, which bought the ski area in 1998 and decided the next year to reopen them as Mountain Creek Water Park, it is no longer the state's largest water park nor quite the draw it once was. Part of this reason is because many other waterparks in the metro area have been built including Camelbeach (Tannersville, Pennsylvania), Wild Water Kingdom (part of Dorney Park admission in Allentown, Pennsylvania), Hurricane Harbor (adjacent to 6 Flags Great Adventure, Splish Splash (Long Island, New York)and numerous waterparks along the Jersey shore. Intrawest TSX: ITW NYSE: IDR is a world leader in destinations resorts and luxury adventure travel. ...

New Jersey toughened its amusement regulations as a result of the Action Park experience. Rides at Mountain Creek, many of them built in Action Park's heyday, now boast large bilingual signs advising patrons of just what the ride entails, how deep the water is in metric and English units and what age it is most appropriate for, as well as their state regulatory ID numbers. Safety rules are strictly enforced at the new park, and alcohol sales have been curtailed on the grounds. Today Mountain Creek is managed by Odgen Amusements which owns or manages over 25 waterparks nationwide. The International System of Units (symbol: SI) (for the French phrase Syst me International dUnit s) is the most widely used system of units. ...

Action Park as it was is now a fond memory, a cultural touchstone for most Generation Xers who grew up in North and Central Jersey. A popular list of "You Know You're from New Jersey When ..." that circulates in email begins with, "You've been seriously injured at Action Park." Generation X is a term for the generation of people born in the Western world (especially people born in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom) following the post-World War II baby boom generation. ... North Jersey includes the New Jersey portion of the Hudson Valley in the United States. ... Jen Lin is completely gay. ... E-mail, or email, is short for electronic mail and is a method of composing, sending, and receiving messages over electronic communication systems. ...

Some even credit the park for making them learn some difficult lessons. In 2000, one, Matthew Callan, recalled Action Park thusly:

Action Park made adults of a generation of Tri-State Area kids who strolled through its blood-stained gates, by teaching us the truth about life: it is not safe, you will get hurt a lot, and you'll ride all the way home burnt beyond belief.

Chris Gethard, a writer for Weird NJ and the associated book series, concurs: Cover of Weird NJ. Weird NJ (WNJ) is a semiannual magazine that chronicles local legends, ghost stories, folklore and anything considered weird in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

Action Park was a true rite of passage for any New Jerseyan of my generation. When I get to talking about it with other Jerseyans, we share stories as if we are veterans who served in combat together. I suspect that many of us may have come closest to death on some of those rides up in Vernon Valley. I consider it a true shame that future generations will never know the terror of proving their grit at New Jersey's most dangerous amusement park. Shan boy undergoing Poy Sang Long initiation A rite of passage is a ritual that marks a change in a persons social or sexual status. ...

References

• Austin, Joanne; October 2005, "Revisiting Traction ... Er, Action, Park," Weird NJ.
• Callan, Matthew; Nov. 22, 2000, In Memoriam: Action Park, Freezerbox.
• Gethard, Chris; October 2005, "Brothers in Wounded Arms (And Legs) Serving Together at Action Park," Weird NJ.
• "You Know You're from New Jersey When ..." at inav.net, retrieved January 10, 2006.
• Water Ride Fatalities at rideaccidents.com, retrieved January 12, 2006.
• Amusement Ride Fatalities at rideaccidents.com, retrieved January 12, 2006.