This is a bit gory I know but I just wanted to know if anyone remembers the death of a young lad on the cyclone in the late 70's/early 80s?

I can remember being in the sea bathing lake on that day and hearing the old sirens of police cars and ambulances nearby.

It wasn't until I got home and heard the terrible news.

Apparently the lad stood up on the front of the train/car on the first hill and fell across the tracks.

Has anyone got any more details on this or any other deaths on the cyclone?

I'm pretty sure it happened in the 70s although I don't remember the details.

I remember it....{not a bad 1st post you have made here }

If I remember rightly, it was a scouser who stood up and was caught out by one of the Boards above the track.

There have been a couple of deaths and injuries on the cyclone during the time it was running. The majority of these due mainly to (dare I say it) customer error. The most famous of these among ex-pleasureland staff, at least, being the guy that stood up and was ironically decapitated by the DO NOT STAND UP sign.

[COLOR=DarkRed]There have been a couple of deaths and injuries on the cyclone during the time it was running. The majority of these due mainly to (dare I say it) customer error. The most famous of these among ex-pleasureland staff, at least, being the guy that stood up and was ironically decapitated by the DO NOT STAND UP sign.

Do you know in what year this happend?

I remember being on the bus home and some people who had been on pleasure land talking about it.
A boy was also killed in the ghost train on peter pans

Originally Posted by ZEUS

This is a bit gory I know but I just wanted to know if anyone remembers the death of a young lad on the cyclone in the late 70's/early 80s?

I can remember being in the sea bathing lake on that day and hearing the old sirens of police cars and ambulances nearby.

It wasn't until I got home and heard the terrible news.

Apparently the lad stood up on the front of the train/car on the first hill and fell across the tracks.

Has anyone got any more details on this or any other deaths on the cyclone?

I remember it, I have a feeling my dad was one of the ones who attended the clean up of this person, not a nice thing to have to do. I will ask him about it,

I think the incident happened on August bank holiday 1979. I was working with a guy whose son was in the police and had to attend. He said the victim was in the very front seat and stood up just as the ride was approaching the final two dips. He was thrown in front of the the cart and run over. Apparently his entrails were strewn along the track in full view of everyone. I'm glad I was not there.

It's hard to believe now that there were no seat belts or restraints on roller coasters then. I remember how you had to hang on tightly to a small grab rail in front of you - hence the term "white knuckle ride". I think it was only when looping coasters were brought in that proper restraints were introduced.

I'm pretty sure it happened in 1979 also but not sure about August as I remember discussing it with my classmates the following week so I must have been at school. The story I heard was that he stood up on the top of the first drop to try and touch the sign that said 'do not stand up'. From what I recall he touched the sign and fell forward and the train ran over him. Darwin award candidate if I ever I heard one!

Not the cyclone. But wasnt the most recent death in pleasureland the guy that was repairing the sky ride?

I can't remember if he lost his life or was injured, but from what i remember he got caught in the wire when it was moving.

Different incident I think andy24

I managed to find some time today to look in old Southport Visiter papers. I found the story but because it is fairly recent I won't put names on here. If anyone wants more info then PM me.

It happened on June 10th 1979. The boy who died was 10 and from Everton. His mother had died only weeks before from cancer. What a tragedy to hit the family

He fell from a carriage on the cyclone and was dragged underneath the wheels. Hundreds of day trippers looked on helplessly as the carriage, unable to go any further, rolled back and forth over the boy who was pinned against the safety rails.

The inquest was held in August and a verdict of misadventure was recorded. The person sat behind him on the ride said - "the coaster came to the second of 2 dips and the boy raised his right hand, waved and then appeared to rise out of his seat. The man felt the boy may have been taken by surprise at the steepness of the second dip. He tried to grab the rail with his right hand but he was catapulted over the train in a somersault fashion."

The big dipper manager commented that since the tragedy no child under the age of 14 had been allowed on it except when accompanied by an adult.

What a very sad tale......

I've often thought about this incident, and never remembered the details of the boy. I was 8, my brother was 17 and we were sitting on the back row of the last carriage. We had just paid for the "extra" go around which you could do in those days. The lads had done the same thing, he had been an idiot on the first go around. It all happened very quickly, but it is all still very clear in my mind. We were interviewed by the local press and I had to stand up and tell the school assembly a few days later. At the time it was weird, almost an achievement of seeing something so gruesome, I was 8 after all. It's never put me off the coasters though. But always think of that day whenever I'm on the old wooden ones. RIP.

Originally Posted by pgt

I remember being on the bus home and some people who had been on pleasure land talking about it.
A boy was also killed in the ghost train on peter pans

The peter Pan death could have been a boy called Paul Harvey,
I think it was in about 1964, but I thought he was thrown from the spinning teacup ride?
His father Dickie was the bar steward at the Bath street Con club for many years while his mother worked in what I suppose would now be called customer service at the Ribble Bus Station on lord street.

I was there by the fun house that day, I remember the smell was bad, I was about fourteen and someone told me the bad smell was his insides.