By now you’ve probably seen or heard of the Orlando Sling Shot amusement park ride that’s doing a bit more than amusing its passengers. Several videos show at least one passenger fainting one or more times during the ride. While the passengers seem perfectly fine as they exit the Sling Shot, some worry that the fainting may be an onset of future brain injuries.
The Slingshot is one of many rides at the amusement parks raising the question of whether or not roller coasters are safe. More importantly, The US News warns that a roller coaster does not have to malfunction, or break, to cause brain injury.
The level of G-force, or force of gravity, put on the body while riding a roller coaster is what’s causing some lawmakers, neurologists, and roller coaster designers concern.
“At the bottom, you get squished by all of this G-force and, as my [neurologist] friend put it, there’s a very small range between the thrill and the kill,” said neurologist Orly Avitzur in a US News & World Report article.
For The Slingshot in particular, passengers who meet a height requirement of 48 inches, climb into a two-person capsule and anticipate begin launched over 328 feet into the air at around 99 miles per hour, according to FunTime, the developers of Sling Shot. During the ride, they may feel “weightlessness” and bouncing until the ride descends and comes to an end.
“The blood that should be in the brain pools at the feet very quickly, and your brain isn’t getting [enough] blood or oxygen,” which can cause a momentary loss of vision or consciousness. Some riders, too, may experience “redouts,” or the sensation of seeing red caused by blood rushing to the head rather than away from it,” said Avitzur.
Avitzur says it’s also possible for the arteries in the neck to dissect. Once an artery wall’s inner layer begins to tear, it can lead to a stroke.
READ: Can Patting Your Head Too Much Cause Brain Damage?
While blackouts, whiplash, and stroke are all commonly reported side effects during or after riding a roller coaster, in most cases, passengers have fully recovered from those injuries. Still, those with pre-existing conditions such as herniated discs or other spine and neck conditions should think twice before clicking their seats as it may cause more harm to those areas.
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