May 28, 2025 • 34 mins
On June 14, 1986, the world's largest indoor triple-loop roller coaster became a death trap when a critical mechanical failure sent four passengers plummeting to the concrete floor below. Join Alice and Zach as they explore how missing bolts and maintenance oversights at West Edmonton Mall's Mindbender led to disaster, claiming three lives and forever changing amusement ride safety standards.
Sources:
- Wikipedia: Mindbender (Galaxyland)
- Coasterpedia: Mindbender at Galaxyland
- History and Headlines: June 14, 1986: A Mind-bending Disaster
- CBC News: Survivor of 1986 mall coaster crash wants memorial
Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online:
- Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
- Instagram: @FinalBoardingCallPod
- Facebook: Final Boarding Call
Credits:
Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Picture this, the world's largestshopping mall home to the world's
largest indoor amusement park.
Featuring the world's largest indoortriple loop rollercoaster families
line up for the thrill of a lifetimeas they board the mind vendor.
A ride build is one ofthe safest in the world.
(00:24):
But on July 14th, 1986,something goes terribly wrong.
The last car begins to fishtail wildlymetal screeches against metal We are
about to experience what happens whena few missing bolts turn a routine
thrill ride into one of the deadliestrollercoaster accidents in history.
(00:46):
So stow your tray tables, fasten yourseat belts, and lower your lap bar
because this is final boarding call.
Hello and welcome to Final Boarding Call.
I am your disaster obsessed hostAlice, and as always, I'm joined
by her very much homebody husband,very much homebody husband.
(01:11):
Slightly less reluctant.
We're getting there.
We're getting there.
You're warming up to podcast life.
They're growing on me.
I was actually just telling ourtherapist that I feel like the past
few episodes you've like really comeoutta your little podcaster shell.
Nope.
Okay.
And there he goes right back in, folks.
You couldn't see it just turtle fully.
He just fully turtled.
(01:33):
. Before we dive in, Zach, do you wannagive the quick reminder to the listeners,
oh, please rate, review, and subscribewherever you get your podcasts.
Outstanding.
. This episode.
It is a special one because like Imentioned on last week's episode, Zach
and I recently returned from a trip toDisneyland where we went to celebrate our
(01:55):
daughter's third birthday, which is crazy.
And we went with a ratio of sixadults to one child, and I could
not recommend that more for anybodygoing to Disney in the near future.
We had the two of us.
My mom and my amazing stepdad and thenalso my sister and also my cousin Lydia.
(02:18):
So there were six grownups,one almost 3-year-old.
And it was actually really nicebecause I did feel like Zach
and I both had an opportunityto like relax at certain points.
We weren't like fully on allthe time because we had back up.
Zach just made a face andZach's always fully on.
I was fully on, but alsoconsuming some alcohol.
(02:41):
Yeah, we had a wonderfully safeand uneventful Disney trip.
It was.
Beyond my wildest dreams, westarted with a character breakfast.
I cried watching ourdaughter meet Minnie Mouse.
Actually, we should post.
One of those pictures on the Instagrambecause they are so fricking funny.
(03:02):
Her face like broke, at least for mic.
It did.
Oh, it's so funny.
But the moral of the story is that ourDisneyland trip was wonderfully uneventful
in the sense that it was completely safe.
There were no scary moments.
We came, we conquered,Zach rode some rides.
I rode some rides.
I ran a stoplight.
(03:26):
Oh, Zach did run a stoplight.
I guess that was woo, the mostthrilling part of California for me.
Oh my god.
, Here we go.
Let me talk about my sources andthen we'll jump into the story.
\ This one is not going to be a super longone because I tortured Zach last week.
I edited it down a little bit, butwhen we first recorded it, it was
(03:46):
about an hour and 40 minutes long.
And for Zach had to just,I just wanted to go to bed.
He was so tired.
He was so tired.
So this one's gonna be well under an hour.
Let's go sources Wikipedia.
Get the sack edia.net.
Some people take theircoasters real serious.
(04:08):
Oh, I spent about an hour on edia.net
unbelievable history and headlinesand a CBC news article about
the incident and its aftermath.
And that one was interesting becausethey actually interviewed people
that were part of this crash.
, We're going back in time,Zach, to December 20th, 1985.
(04:32):
I love it.
Madonna, so let me tell youabout the West Edmonton Mall.
This is not in the United States, so theMall of America, I don't know when it got
that title, if it still holds it, but atleast when I lived in Minnesota the Mall
of America was the largest mall in theUnited States, but West Edmonton Mall,
(04:55):
which is in Alberta, is the largest mallin the world, or at least it was in 1985.
What do you do with abusiness plan like that?
I'm gonna build the biggest mall, and nowmalls have nobody walking through them.
It's a real fucking, it's a real bummer.
It's a real bummer.
I don't know, convert it toapartments, tear it down.
(05:16):
At that point, it's probably easierto just tear it down and rebuild
something else on the space.
That is my, that's a lot of haul off.
That is my completely.
Unqualified and uneducated opinionon what you do with a gigantic mall.
You know what else you can do with it?
Turn it into a data center.
You know how I know one of the companiesI worked for turned a mall into a
(05:37):
data center backed giant indoor bears?
What?
Okay, you giant indoor go-kart track.
Or that.
. So people Zach and I areclearly full of ideas.
Anybody in the real estate business, youcan just give us a ring and we'll tell
you what to do with all your empty malls.
Okay.
December 20th, 1985, the ribbon is cut onthe mind bender, which is the crown jewel
(06:03):
of Galaxy Land at West Al West EdmontonMall in Alberta, Canada, at a cost of six.
Million dollars in then money.
Which Zach, take a quick guess from mewhat you think that is in today's money?
No, I'm getting tired of youplaying this game 'cause it just
makes me look stupid when I haveno idea what that money equals now.
(06:26):
. $16 million.
Already, yeah.
So it was not just any rollercoaster, it was 145 feet tall.
Which is very tall.
Very tall, and it was the world's largestindoor triple loop roller coaster.
(06:47):
I've only done one tripleloop or coaster in my life.
It was at six flas.
That sounds like somebody that owns likean Audi S four or any other Eurocar.
It's really rare.
It's the only one with this kind ofstitching in this color, with this
color interior and this engine andthese wheels and that brake package.
Okay well, it was the world's largestindoor triple loop rollercoaster, okay?
(07:10):
Mm-hmm.
It held that badge.
Whatever shouldn't be allowedto have 47 subcategories.
Thank you.
Is it the largest roller coaster?
Oh, you should checkout coaster pedia net.
Oh my gosh.
I will never, you can getsome dets on these coasters.
For those that are unfamiliar withWest Edmonton Mall, it was once the
(07:32):
largest shopping center in the world.
It was a sprawling commercialwonderland spanning over 5.3.
Million square feet, 5.3
million within this consumer paradise.
I don't know where I came up with x.
Malls are horrible.
But anyway, I guess it was in 1985 orfour, probably a commercial Paradise
(07:56):
um, was Galaxy Land, then known asFantasy Land, which was the world's
largest indoor amusement park.
And at the heart of this park stood.
The mind Bender designed byGermany's Werner Stengel and
built by Anton Schwartz Cop.
(08:21):
I have to get these right because theseare actually like really important
people in the rollercoaster world.
So Germany's don't shun us.
I know like rollercoaster nerds,they'll want me to get the names right.
So it's Germany's Werner Stengel.
And it was built by Anton Schwartzkoff.
(08:41):
And their two legendsin rollercoaster design.
The ride was a marvel of engineering.
It was inspired by a portable coastercalled the DRE looping that had
traveled the German fun fair circuit,the Mindy Bend, the Mindy Bender.
(09:01):
The Mindy Bendy.
The Mindy Bendy.
The mind was a pseudo mirror image ofthat design, but it was taller and it had
additional at the end, the term helix.
In the roller coaster universe, itrefers to a section of the track
that forms a spiral or a continuouscurve of at least 360 degrees.
(09:26):
So it's when the tracks basicallycreate that Like twisty.
Twisty, yeah.
They just twist.
It's not like a loopyloop, it's just a whoop.
Yeah.
Not a loopy loop, buta twisty toodle, too.
Twisty tole.
Anyway, helixes this one hadadditional helixes helix helixes at
the end, it had additional whoopty.
Whoops.
Okay.
Felix Felicis.
(09:46):
Felix man, these guyswish that they had that.
Okay,, Let me walk youthrough the right experience.
After boarding riders would secure theirlap restraints and their shoulder bars.
Before ascending up acurved lift hill, right?
Standard rollercoaster stuff.
The train would then descend asharp twisting left hand drop
(10:09):
before climbing back up to thefirst of four stacked block brakes.
So I think that means the like.
The chain system becomes that.
I think so.
Then you have a second left hand drop.
Passengers would experience the firsttwo vertical loops in quick succession.
(10:31):
So Loop, loop, the trainwould hit a third block break.
I think that's what those sound,right When you hit like kind
of the break on a tick tick.
. Whatever.
Then it would drop.
And ascend again.
Climb, climb, climb, climb, Climb.
And then it would reach the fourthblock break and then drop to the
(10:53):
left down to the ground level.
So now we're like, that's a big drop.
Whew.
Then we do the third vertical loop.
Then the.
You better stop doing these sound effects.
I want the people to be ableto picture this with me.
(11:13):
Okay.
And then the final was atwo layered upward helix.
So that's where it basicallyflips on itself, right?
So that the tracks createa corkscrew esque effect.
They were inverted.
They were inverted.
Cute name the movie beforehitting the final break, run
(11:34):
and returning to the station.
So there you go.
That's it.
The ride typically lasted around65 to 85 seconds, though times as
short as 59 seconds were possibleif the track was recently waxed.
Oh,
just went skiing.
I'm just saying though this wasn'tpermitted during public rides because
(11:58):
the G-forces were literally toosevere for untrained passengers.
Let's talk about the GS duringtesting of the renovated trains
in 1987, the maximum G-Force ofa normal run was measured at 5.5
Gs in the third loop.
(12:20):
That's many Gs
right?
Yeah.
Onward.
That's a ton of Gs for anormal person to be pulling.
. I don't know.
Let's ask Maverick, let's, 10 Gs wascrazy in Top Gun, so I'm guessing 5.5
(12:41):
is still a lot for, nota fire fighter pilot.
. When it opened, the mind bender was build.
The mind bender was build as not justthe most thrilling indoor coaster in
the world, but also one of the safest.
The ride operated for just afew months without incident.
(13:05):
How did they get that safety placard?
Probably, it definitely wasn'tbecause of days without incident.
Oh, yeah.
It it drew thrill seekersfrom across Canada and beyond.
No one could have predicted that thismarvel of engineering would soon become
the site of one of the worst rollercoasterdisasters in Canadian history.
(13:28):
A June 14th, 1986, a Saturday.
Just another busy weekend at WestEdmonton Mall with families and
teenagers filling Galaxy Land,then still known as Fantasy Land.
The mind Bender had been operating forless than six months, but it already
(13:51):
established itself as the park's premierattraction among the visitors that day.
Were 24-year-old David Sager from Calgary.
And his friend Rod Chaco, who had traveledfrom Fort McMurray for a fun night.
Hey, how Bonnie McMurray.
(14:19):
Oh my God.
Name the show that quote's from, Idon't even know if I know what that is.
Probably not.
You wouldn't watch the show with me.
Oh my gosh.
Why do you do this to me?
Are you looking it up?
No, I'm not actually.
Oh, I'm doing just a little.
, Here we go.
So they're looking for a night of fun.
(14:41):
Rod would later describe his friend asa thrill seeker who enjoyed fast cars
and had just won an amateur strip teasecontest at a bar the night before.
I want his confidence go him.
Honestly.
David sounds so fun.
Like really fun.
Little did they know that their questfor thrill, that their quest for
(15:03):
thrills would end in tragedy this day.
Also at the park that day where Tonyman ro Manak men, Tony Manak also 24.
And his fiance, Cindy Sims, 21, theyoung couple, was planning their future
(15:23):
together, likely discussing weddingplans and dreams as they waited in line
for what would be their final ride.
As fate would have it, rod.
And David, I just wanna make sure,like when I type this, sometimes I
only do their last names, but forme it just feels more personal if
(15:47):
I call them by their first name.
. As fate would have it.
As fate would have it, rod and Davidwere the last to board the yellow
train number one, and took the seatsin the very last car directly in
front of them, sat Tony and Cindy.
(16:07):
The four strangers chatted very brieflyas the safety restraints came down, the
ride at attendants performed their checks.
The all clear was given and the trainbegan its journey up the lift hill.
The way that this rollercoaster isdesigned is that it's a few different
carts that are all connected andthe carts can seat for people.
(16:30):
Two in the front sectionand two in the back section.
That just sounds like arollercoaster, correct?
Yeah.
Okay.
It is.
It is.
It's pretty standard, but Ijust wanna make sure that people
understood that these were theonly four people in their car.
In that car.
Yeah.
Okay.
In their car.
That's probably a better word for itthan cart, car, that's what I say.
Cart nerd.
Yeah, you about that Edia bud.
(16:54):
I actually own that website.
Do you?
, Great.
Doesn't make any money.
No, it probably doesn't.
So they give the all cleareverything seemed normal as the
train descended, the first dropand navigated the first two loops.
Woo.
Passengers screamed with delight as thecoaster thundered along its track at
speeds approaching 60 miles per hour.
(17:17):
But as the train approached oneof the three areas of uplift
before the third and final loop.
Something went catastrophicallywrong with the last car, the
one carrying our four riders.
Do you call the poppo?
No.
Actually we can pick up thesounds of people going down the
(17:39):
highway from here, so that's fair.
They could be a long ways away.
They could be.
Later investigation would revealthat missing bolts on the left inside
wheel assembly of that final carcaused the bogey assembly, which is
where the wheels and the hardwarethat connect the car to the track to
(18:04):
completely disengage from the track.
I guess the car equivalentwould be lug nuts.
Like the lug nuts came out andthe wheel just plopped, exited
the party said I'm out the chat.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So with nothing securing oneside of the car to the rails,
(18:28):
the car began to fishtail wildly.
Rod would later recall.
I remember feeling it sway andgrabbing onto the handle the next
thing I was landing on the ground.
What happened in those terrifyingseconds in between was a nightmare
(18:49):
unfolding in slow motion for onlookers.
As the car fish tailed, it repeatedlystruck the support structure.
The violent impacts causedthe lap bars to disengage.
This is a safety feature that turneddeadly as it released the restraints,
holding the passengers in their seatswith nothing to keep them secure, and
(19:13):
the car swinging violently, all four.
With nothing to keep them secureand the car swinging violently.
All four passengers wereejected from the ride.
Falling more than 25 feetto the concrete floor below
25 isn't as bad as I was imagining.
(19:36):
The concrete still sucks.
But I think it's survivable for many.
The partially derailed train unableto maintain enough speed, failed
to clear the third and final loop.
It rolled backwards down the loopand crashed into a concrete pillar.
(19:56):
Stopping abruptly.
Park attendants and emergencyservices rushed to the scene three
of the four ejected passengers.
David Sager, Tony Men ak.
Tony ak, and Cindy Sims werepronounced dead at the scene.
(20:21):
The sole survivor was Rod Sheko,
who had sustained catastrophicinjuries, but somehow clung to life
the rest of the passengers on the train.
We're safely evacuated and treated forminor injuries at a nearby hospital, but
(20:42):
for those who witnessed the accident,the psychological trauma would last
far longer than the physical wounds.
Rod CCO should not havesurvived that fall.
The impact shattered his lowerlegs, crushed half of his
left shoulder, broke his feet.
(21:02):
His pelvis, his lower back, and everyrib on the left side of his body.
Doctors who tried to count his fractureseventually gave up because there
were literally too many to count.
They seriously considered amputating hislegs because they were so broken, but
(21:23):
they did decide to attempt reconstructionby surgically inserting metal plates.
For six months, Rob remained hospitalizedhis body slowly and painfully knitting
itself back together while stillrecovering and standing in leg braces.
He married his girlfriend Joanne, atestament to finding love and hope
(21:48):
even in the darkest circumstances.
Eventually, Rob was ableto discard of the braces.
And doctors are removedthe plates from his legs.
He returned to work as a welder, sothat's what he did professionally.
And he continued for 15 years beforechronic back pain forced him to retire,
(22:11):
which I can't even imagine becausewelders get back pain when they haven't.
Had a catastrophic injury like that.
So honestly, his life as awelder might have been extended
from the previous surgeries.
Could Every welder I've everknown, like by lunchtime, whether
they're 20 or 60, there's like
(22:34):
body today at the age of 55, helives in British Columbia managing
his pain with medicinal marijuana.
After kicking a prescription painkilleraddiction more than a decade ago
God bless him.
That's what medicinalmarijuana is here to do.
(22:56):
I'm not against medicinal marijuana ohmy God, it's like a natural plant baby.
Do it all day, not all day.
Don't do it all day.
It makes me sick.
You know that I have a THC allergy.
Yeah, but.
I just, I feel like it couldn'tpossibly do enough for the pain for
that to be the only thing, but maybehe can just mix that with regular
(23:17):
stuff like Tylenol or something.
Yeah.
I don't know.
But kudos to him for beatingthat painkiller addiction because
that shit is no lie, no joke.
That's hard.
In a 2016 interview with CBCNews 30 years after the accident.
Another one.
We sound like we're ina safe neighborhood.
(23:39):
Truly you guys, like we do notlive in the middle of a city.
We, to be fair, that's a firetruck and wehave a fire station a quarter mile away.
We live.
Yeah.
I would say we live in a very safe area.
We have a fire stationright down the road.
We could catch on fire and beout before it burns one room.
No, I don't love that.
I don't, I'm glad that it would be out.
I don't like the idea ofour house being on fire.
(24:00):
In a 2016 interview with CBC News30 years after the accident, Rob
reflected on the tragedy and said,quote, David, Tony, and Cindy are dead.
And it changed my life forever.
I think about it every day.
End quote.
Despite his traumatic experience, Robhas returned to West Edmonton Mall
(24:21):
several times over the years withhis children and now grandchildren.
While he refuses to ridethe mine bender again.
Yes.
That's a good choice there.
Rob, same he doesn't discourage othersfrom doing so calling what happened, an
(24:42):
accident, plain and simple and a fluke.
Yeah.
But he does believe that it'sone that should be remembered.
For years, Rob has requested that themall install a mem, a memorial bench
near the mine bender to honor thethree people who lost their lives.
The mall allegedly offered to placea plaque on an office wall instead,
(25:05):
which Rob declined saying quote to me.
That's not a memorial.
End quote.
Yeah.
But they also don't want tobe advertising like, yes, hey,
here's a bench for you to sit on.
That is for these people that died ona rollercoaster, 10 feet from you, 100.
Nobody wants that.
Like I, I totally get what Rob issaying and but I'm, but I also get the.
(25:31):
Mall being like, for sure.
They can't be like advertising thatthree people died on this rollercoaster.
And then they're like, you next, youwanna just hop right in, jump in line.
Do it.
It's great.
Yeah, it would be the same thing if we'regonna cover some skydiving stories, and
it would be the same thing if it was likea skydiving company at a huge memorial
on the door of before you get in honor oflike high five for these people to die.
(25:55):
Yeah.
Oh God.
. As of my research, no formalmemorial exists at the site.
Rob did receive an undisclosed settlementfrom the mall after the accident.
I remember you asked about settlementin one of our last episodes, so I made
sure to look, but it's undisclosed.
(26:16):
But he did say quote, I'mfamous but I ain't rich.
Do we love Rob or what?
Like I love him.
He's a welder.
He's, I just really like him.
If he was rich, he definitelywouldn't have stayed.
Being a welder though, God,that is not an easy job.
Everything welding will lead to yourdeath or dismemberment, like machinists.
(26:41):
Something like, and this is gonna be amade up number now 'cause it's been so
long, I don't remember, but somewherearound 50% of machinists lose a finger
at some point in their career, andthat's our advertisement for you.
To get into machining.
Do you feel like you havewon too many fingers?
We have the job for you.
(27:03):
We are short machine jobs and machinists.
We need people that can buildthese engines that I break.
So true.
The mall also provides him with freetickets to attractions whenever he asks.
So he got an undisclosed amount of moneythat made him not rich, and he also
gets free tickets to the amusement parkthat almost killed him, that killed
(27:26):
his best friend and almost killed him.
He also says that he is still in chronicpain which I mean, yeah, he broke.
Half more than half of his body.
In the aftermath of the tragedy.
An inquiry was launched todetermine exactly what had gone
wrong with the ride that had beendeclared so safe by inspectors
(27:48):
just the day before the accident.
Unless somebody took those boltsout hoping to commit murder.
Ooh, that would be a crazy twist.
That is not what happened, butman, that would be, I'm just saying
those inspectors should be fired.
Investigators soon discovereda disturbing series of failures
that led to the catastrophe.
(28:09):
The primary cause was determined tobe four cap screws holding the wheel
assembly together that had workedloose and fallen out, allowing a wheel
assembly to detach from the track.
But why had these components failed?
The inquiry pointed fingersat the now defunct West
(28:31):
German Company, Anton Schwatz.
You like that?
That was real good.
Thank you for designand manufacturing flaws.
But the investigation also uncoveredtroubling information about the
maintenance and the operation of the ride.
(28:51):
The German manufacturer, Schwartz Co,had gone bankrupt during the delivery
of the ride, creating issues withquality control because the company was.
Bankrupt.
They had no money.
They didn't care anymore.
Additionally, there were problemswith translation from German
(29:15):
to English of operational andmaintenance information leading to
confusion and misunderstandings.
This is if you buy something from ikea,but then you can't find the English
section of the instruction, so you'rejust like trying to follow the pictures
in a completely different language.
Whew.
(29:36):
Except this is a ride
dogs.
This is a ride with people.
The stakes are muchhigher than an Ikea lamp.
I don't know.
I love my lamp.
I love lamp name.
The movie.
Oh, I don't know that one.
(29:57):
Our listeners willperhaps most alarmingly.
Mind Bender Cruz in Canada hadnot been provided with a special
inspection order from the GeneralSafety Services division of Germany
where the ride was manufactured.
This crucial oversight meant thatpotential issues went undetected.
(30:19):
Some witnesses reported hearingunusual noises from the train earlier
in the day, which had prompted atemporary shutdown and inspection.
I.
However, the ride was reopenedafter no issues were found during
the test, runs a decision thatwould have fatal consequences.
(30:41):
The investigation eventuallyconcluded that the accident was
the result of a perfect storm offactors, design flaws, maintenance
oversights, communication failures,and inadequate inspection protocols.
It was a sobering reminder thateven the most impressive engineering
(31:01):
achievements can fail catastrophicallywhen proper procedures aren't followed.
Rules.
It do be like that.
Rules.
Rules.
Follow the rules.
Ugh.
Okay.
Divorce.
The mind bender remained closed forover a year following the accident
(31:27):
when it reopened in January, 1987.
It had undergone extensivesafety modifications.
The existing four car trainswere converted to three car
trains, reducing seating capacityfrom 16 to 12 riders per train.
Less people means lessopportunity for death.
(31:50):
It's, that's just math.
Yeah.
Two plus two, that's four.
Quick maths anti rollback devices wereinstalled to prevent the cars from
rolling backwards if they lost momentum.
So that's important.
That's a smart one.
Yes.
Each car, which had previouslyconsisted of two wheel assemblies, they
were retrofitted with two additionalwheel assemblies for redundancy.
(32:14):
And we all know I'm a data center girl.
I love redundancy.
Redundant mency.
Oh my god,
woof.
I would say name the show, butat this point we're like 15
stickers deep in this episode road.
While the original lap bar restraintsystem was retained, seat belts
(32:35):
and shoulder headrests wereadded for additional security.
These modifications addressed thekey failures that led to the tragedy,
and it added multiple layers ofsafety to prevent similar incidents
from happening in the future.
Despite its deadly history, the mindbender continued to operate for decades.
(32:58):
Whew.
And the day it opened again, ithad a full line from, get this sec.
This is wild.
From 1998 to 2010.
It ranked among the top 50 steelrollercoasters according to
the magazine amusement today.
And we don't question amusement today.
(33:22):
Maybe tomorrow, as our daughter would say,
the rollercoaster had millionsof riders during its lifetime.
It's pretty crazy.
I think on January 30th, 2023, after37 years of service, the mind vendor
was decommissioned and closed to makeway for new developments in the park.
(33:47):
Its trains were repurposed for theAll-American triple loop at Indiana
Beach in the United States whilethe rest of the ride was dismantled.
The legacy of the mind vendor disasterextends far beyond West Edmonton Mall.
The accident led to sign, excuseme, the accident led to significant
(34:10):
scrutiny and changes in amusementride safety standards across all of
North America, regular maintenanceprotocols, redundant safety systems,
and thorough inspection requirements.
That we either don't even thinkabout when we're at an amusement
park or we take for granted.
But all of those are really critical forus to remain safe when we go to parks.
(34:38):
For the families of David, Tony,and Cindy, no safety improvements
could bring back their loved ones.
Their deaths serve as a somber reminderof the responsibility that theme
park operators and engineers bear.
For the lives of their guests.
So the next time you find yourself waitingin line for a roller coaster, perhaps
(35:02):
feeling impatient as the attendance,
I just stuttered.
I thought you had a seizure.
The next time you find yourselfwaiting in line for a rolly.
For roller coaster.
For a roller coaster, perhapsfeeling impatient as attendance.
(35:24):
Meticulously check anddouble check restraints.
Remember the story of the mind vendor.
Those extra moments of caution arethe invisible legacy of those who lost
their lives that day in June, 1986.
And Zach, that's our story for today.
I do still love a good coaster, andif it was still functioning, I would
(35:46):
absolutely go ride the mindbender.
Yeah.
Would you go with me?
Yes.
I obviously was.
I may be a reluctant homebody, butyou're reluctant to hang out with me.
That's a lie.
You're my best friend.
I love hanging out with you.
I'm way too codependent.
I used to be so independent andcool, and then I met you, and now
(36:08):
I'm just like, I'm a little baby.
Kangaroo just wants tolive in your pocket.
You can't let these people actually thinkthat I think they know because I travel
like 50% of the time and I don't do itwith you we spend plenty of time alone.
That's why it's so hard forus to record these episodes.
(36:29):
. If you enjoyed this episode,please rate, review, and subscribe
wherever you get your podcasts.
If you know one of the moviereferences or show references that
we make in every episode, pleasecomment on either Spotify or Apple or
message us on Instagram or Facebook.
And we will actually send you a sticker.
(36:50):
We don't just say thatlike we will do that.
We are on all of the social medias,et cetera, et cetera, join us next
time when we'll be exploring anothertransportation disaster story.
Until then.
Remember to stow your tray tables,fasten your seat belts, and prepare
(37:12):
for the unexpected, because not everytrip reaches its final destination.
Good.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Picture this, the world's largestshopping mall home to the world's
largest indoor amusement park.
Featuring the world's largest indoortriple loop rollercoaster families
line up for the thrill of a lifetimeas they board the mind vendor.
A ride build is one ofthe safest in the world.
(00:24):
But on July 14th, 1986,something goes terribly wrong.
The last car begins to fishtail wildlymetal screeches against metal We are
about to experience what happens whena few missing bolts turn a routine
thrill ride into one of the deadliestrollercoaster accidents in history.
(00:46):
So stow your tray tables, fasten yourseat belts, and lower your lap bar
because this is final boarding call.
Hello and welcome to Final Boarding Call.
I am your disaster obsessed hostAlice, and as always, I'm joined
by her very much homebody husband,very much homebody husband.
(01:11):
Slightly less reluctant.
We're getting there.
We're getting there.
You're warming up to podcast life.
They're growing on me.
I was actually just telling ourtherapist that I feel like the past
few episodes you've like really comeoutta your little podcaster shell.
Nope.
Okay.
And there he goes right back in, folks.
You couldn't see it just turtle fully.
He just fully turtled.
(01:33):
. Before we dive in, Zach, do you wannagive the quick reminder to the listeners,
oh, please rate, review, and subscribewherever you get your podcasts.
Outstanding.
. This episode.
It is a special one because like Imentioned on last week's episode, Zach
and I recently returned from a trip toDisneyland where we went to celebrate our
(01:55):
daughter's third birthday, which is crazy.
And we went with a ratio of sixadults to one child, and I could
not recommend that more for anybodygoing to Disney in the near future.
We had the two of us.
My mom and my amazing stepdad and thenalso my sister and also my cousin Lydia.
(02:18):
So there were six grownups,one almost 3-year-old.
And it was actually really nicebecause I did feel like Zach
and I both had an opportunityto like relax at certain points.
We weren't like fully on allthe time because we had back up.
Zach just made a face andZach's always fully on.
I was fully on, but alsoconsuming some alcohol.
(02:41):
Yeah, we had a wonderfully safeand uneventful Disney trip.
It was.
Beyond my wildest dreams, westarted with a character breakfast.
I cried watching ourdaughter meet Minnie Mouse.
Actually, we should post.
One of those pictures on the Instagrambecause they are so fricking funny.
(03:02):
Her face like broke, at least for mic.
It did.
Oh, it's so funny.
But the moral of the story is that ourDisneyland trip was wonderfully uneventful
in the sense that it was completely safe.
There were no scary moments.
We came, we conquered,Zach rode some rides.
I rode some rides.
I ran a stoplight.
(03:26):
Oh, Zach did run a stoplight.
I guess that was woo, the mostthrilling part of California for me.
Oh my god.
, Here we go.
Let me talk about my sources andthen we'll jump into the story.
\ This one is not going to be a super longone because I tortured Zach last week.
I edited it down a little bit, butwhen we first recorded it, it was
(03:46):
about an hour and 40 minutes long.
And for Zach had to just,I just wanted to go to bed.
He was so tired.
He was so tired.
So this one's gonna be well under an hour.
Let's go sources Wikipedia.
Get the sack edia.net.
Some people take theircoasters real serious.
(04:08):
Oh, I spent about an hour on edia.net
unbelievable history and headlinesand a CBC news article about
the incident and its aftermath.
And that one was interesting becausethey actually interviewed people
that were part of this crash.
, We're going back in time,Zach, to December 20th, 1985.
(04:32):
I love it.
Madonna, so let me tell youabout the West Edmonton Mall.
This is not in the United States, so theMall of America, I don't know when it got
that title, if it still holds it, but atleast when I lived in Minnesota the Mall
of America was the largest mall in theUnited States, but West Edmonton Mall,
(04:55):
which is in Alberta, is the largest mallin the world, or at least it was in 1985.
What do you do with abusiness plan like that?
I'm gonna build the biggest mall, and nowmalls have nobody walking through them.
It's a real fucking, it's a real bummer.
It's a real bummer.
I don't know, convert it toapartments, tear it down.
(05:16):
At that point, it's probably easierto just tear it down and rebuild
something else on the space.
That is my, that's a lot of haul off.
That is my completely.
Unqualified and uneducated opinionon what you do with a gigantic mall.
You know what else you can do with it?
Turn it into a data center.
You know how I know one of the companiesI worked for turned a mall into a
(05:37):
data center backed giant indoor bears?
What?
Okay, you giant indoor go-kart track.
Or that.
. So people Zach and I areclearly full of ideas.
Anybody in the real estate business, youcan just give us a ring and we'll tell
you what to do with all your empty malls.
Okay.
December 20th, 1985, the ribbon is cut onthe mind bender, which is the crown jewel
(06:03):
of Galaxy Land at West Al West EdmontonMall in Alberta, Canada, at a cost of six.
Million dollars in then money.
Which Zach, take a quick guess from mewhat you think that is in today's money?
No, I'm getting tired of youplaying this game 'cause it just
makes me look stupid when I haveno idea what that money equals now.
(06:26):
. $16 million.
Already, yeah.
So it was not just any rollercoaster, it was 145 feet tall.
Which is very tall.
Very tall, and it was the world's largestindoor triple loop roller coaster.
(06:47):
I've only done one tripleloop or coaster in my life.
It was at six flas.
That sounds like somebody that owns likean Audi S four or any other Eurocar.
It's really rare.
It's the only one with this kind ofstitching in this color, with this
color interior and this engine andthese wheels and that brake package.
Okay well, it was the world's largestindoor triple loop rollercoaster, okay?
(07:10):
Mm-hmm.
It held that badge.
Whatever shouldn't be allowedto have 47 subcategories.
Thank you.
Is it the largest roller coaster?
Oh, you should checkout coaster pedia net.
Oh my gosh.
I will never, you can getsome dets on these coasters.
For those that are unfamiliar withWest Edmonton Mall, it was once the
(07:32):
largest shopping center in the world.
It was a sprawling commercialwonderland spanning over 5.3.
Million square feet, 5.3
million within this consumer paradise.
I don't know where I came up with x.
Malls are horrible.
But anyway, I guess it was in 1985 orfour, probably a commercial Paradise
(07:56):
um, was Galaxy Land, then known asFantasy Land, which was the world's
largest indoor amusement park.
And at the heart of this park stood.
The mind Bender designed byGermany's Werner Stengel and
built by Anton Schwartz Cop.
(08:21):
I have to get these right because theseare actually like really important
people in the rollercoaster world.
So Germany's don't shun us.
I know like rollercoaster nerds,they'll want me to get the names right.
So it's Germany's Werner Stengel.
And it was built by Anton Schwartzkoff.
(08:41):
And their two legendsin rollercoaster design.
The ride was a marvel of engineering.
It was inspired by a portable coastercalled the DRE looping that had
traveled the German fun fair circuit,the Mindy Bend, the Mindy Bender.
(09:01):
The Mindy Bendy.
The Mindy Bendy.
The mind was a pseudo mirror image ofthat design, but it was taller and it had
additional at the end, the term helix.
In the roller coaster universe, itrefers to a section of the track
that forms a spiral or a continuouscurve of at least 360 degrees.
(09:26):
So it's when the tracks basicallycreate that Like twisty.
Twisty, yeah.
They just twist.
It's not like a loopyloop, it's just a whoop.
Yeah.
Not a loopy loop, buta twisty toodle, too.
Twisty tole.
Anyway, helixes this one hadadditional helixes helix helixes at
the end, it had additional whoopty.
Whoops.
Okay.
Felix Felicis.
(09:46):
Felix man, these guyswish that they had that.
Okay,, Let me walk youthrough the right experience.
After boarding riders would secure theirlap restraints and their shoulder bars.
Before ascending up acurved lift hill, right?
Standard rollercoaster stuff.
The train would then descend asharp twisting left hand drop
(10:09):
before climbing back up to thefirst of four stacked block brakes.
So I think that means the like.
The chain system becomes that.
I think so.
Then you have a second left hand drop.
Passengers would experience the firsttwo vertical loops in quick succession.
(10:31):
So Loop, loop, the trainwould hit a third block break.
I think that's what those sound,right When you hit like kind
of the break on a tick tick.
. Whatever.
Then it would drop.
And ascend again.
Climb, climb, climb, climb, Climb.
And then it would reach the fourthblock break and then drop to the
(10:53):
left down to the ground level.
So now we're like, that's a big drop.
Whew.
Then we do the third vertical loop.
Then the.
You better stop doing these sound effects.
I want the people to be ableto picture this with me.
(11:13):
Okay.
And then the final was atwo layered upward helix.
So that's where it basicallyflips on itself, right?
So that the tracks createa corkscrew esque effect.
They were inverted.
They were inverted.
Cute name the movie beforehitting the final break, run
(11:34):
and returning to the station.
So there you go.
That's it.
The ride typically lasted around65 to 85 seconds, though times as
short as 59 seconds were possibleif the track was recently waxed.
Oh,
just went skiing.
I'm just saying though this wasn'tpermitted during public rides because
(11:58):
the G-forces were literally toosevere for untrained passengers.
Let's talk about the GS duringtesting of the renovated trains
in 1987, the maximum G-Force ofa normal run was measured at 5.5
Gs in the third loop.
(12:20):
That's many Gs
right?
Yeah.
Onward.
That's a ton of Gs for anormal person to be pulling.
. I don't know.
Let's ask Maverick, let's, 10 Gs wascrazy in Top Gun, so I'm guessing 5.5
(12:41):
is still a lot for, nota fire fighter pilot.
. When it opened, the mind bender was build.
The mind bender was build as not justthe most thrilling indoor coaster in
the world, but also one of the safest.
The ride operated for just afew months without incident.
(13:05):
How did they get that safety placard?
Probably, it definitely wasn'tbecause of days without incident.
Oh, yeah.
It it drew thrill seekersfrom across Canada and beyond.
No one could have predicted that thismarvel of engineering would soon become
the site of one of the worst rollercoasterdisasters in Canadian history.
(13:28):
A June 14th, 1986, a Saturday.
Just another busy weekend at WestEdmonton Mall with families and
teenagers filling Galaxy Land,then still known as Fantasy Land.
The mind Bender had been operating forless than six months, but it already
(13:51):
established itself as the park's premierattraction among the visitors that day.
Were 24-year-old David Sager from Calgary.
And his friend Rod Chaco, who had traveledfrom Fort McMurray for a fun night.
Hey, how Bonnie McMurray.
(14:19):
Oh my God.
Name the show that quote's from, Idon't even know if I know what that is.
Probably not.
You wouldn't watch the show with me.
Oh my gosh.
Why do you do this to me?
Are you looking it up?
No, I'm not actually.
Oh, I'm doing just a little.
, Here we go.
So they're looking for a night of fun.
(14:41):
Rod would later describe his friend asa thrill seeker who enjoyed fast cars
and had just won an amateur strip teasecontest at a bar the night before.
I want his confidence go him.
Honestly.
David sounds so fun.
Like really fun.
Little did they know that their questfor thrill, that their quest for
(15:03):
thrills would end in tragedy this day.
Also at the park that day where Tonyman ro Manak men, Tony Manak also 24.
And his fiance, Cindy Sims, 21, theyoung couple, was planning their future
(15:23):
together, likely discussing weddingplans and dreams as they waited in line
for what would be their final ride.
As fate would have it, rod.
And David, I just wanna make sure,like when I type this, sometimes I
only do their last names, but forme it just feels more personal if
(15:47):
I call them by their first name.
. As fate would have it.
As fate would have it, rod and Davidwere the last to board the yellow
train number one, and took the seatsin the very last car directly in
front of them, sat Tony and Cindy.
(16:07):
The four strangers chatted very brieflyas the safety restraints came down, the
ride at attendants performed their checks.
The all clear was given and the trainbegan its journey up the lift hill.
The way that this rollercoaster isdesigned is that it's a few different
carts that are all connected andthe carts can seat for people.
(16:30):
Two in the front sectionand two in the back section.
That just sounds like arollercoaster, correct?
Yeah.
Okay.
It is.
It is.
It's pretty standard, but Ijust wanna make sure that people
understood that these were theonly four people in their car.
In that car.
Yeah.
Okay.
In their car.
That's probably a better word for itthan cart, car, that's what I say.
Cart nerd.
Yeah, you about that Edia bud.
(16:54):
I actually own that website.
Do you?
, Great.
Doesn't make any money.
No, it probably doesn't.
So they give the all cleareverything seemed normal as the
train descended, the first dropand navigated the first two loops.
Woo.
Passengers screamed with delight as thecoaster thundered along its track at
speeds approaching 60 miles per hour.
(17:17):
But as the train approached oneof the three areas of uplift
before the third and final loop.
Something went catastrophicallywrong with the last car, the
one carrying our four riders.
Do you call the poppo?
No.
Actually we can pick up thesounds of people going down the
(17:39):
highway from here, so that's fair.
They could be a long ways away.
They could be.
Later investigation would revealthat missing bolts on the left inside
wheel assembly of that final carcaused the bogey assembly, which is
where the wheels and the hardwarethat connect the car to the track to
(18:04):
completely disengage from the track.
I guess the car equivalentwould be lug nuts.
Like the lug nuts came out andthe wheel just plopped, exited
the party said I'm out the chat.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So with nothing securing oneside of the car to the rails,
(18:28):
the car began to fishtail wildly.
Rod would later recall.
I remember feeling it sway andgrabbing onto the handle the next
thing I was landing on the ground.
What happened in those terrifyingseconds in between was a nightmare
(18:49):
unfolding in slow motion for onlookers.
As the car fish tailed, it repeatedlystruck the support structure.
The violent impacts causedthe lap bars to disengage.
This is a safety feature that turneddeadly as it released the restraints,
holding the passengers in their seatswith nothing to keep them secure, and
(19:13):
the car swinging violently, all four.
With nothing to keep them secureand the car swinging violently.
All four passengers wereejected from the ride.
Falling more than 25 feetto the concrete floor below
25 isn't as bad as I was imagining.
(19:36):
The concrete still sucks.
But I think it's survivable for many.
The partially derailed train unableto maintain enough speed, failed
to clear the third and final loop.
It rolled backwards down the loopand crashed into a concrete pillar.
(19:56):
Stopping abruptly.
Park attendants and emergencyservices rushed to the scene three
of the four ejected passengers.
David Sager, Tony Men ak.
Tony ak, and Cindy Sims werepronounced dead at the scene.
(20:21):
The sole survivor was Rod Sheko,
who had sustained catastrophicinjuries, but somehow clung to life
the rest of the passengers on the train.
We're safely evacuated and treated forminor injuries at a nearby hospital, but
(20:42):
for those who witnessed the accident,the psychological trauma would last
far longer than the physical wounds.
Rod CCO should not havesurvived that fall.
The impact shattered his lowerlegs, crushed half of his
left shoulder, broke his feet.
(21:02):
His pelvis, his lower back, and everyrib on the left side of his body.
Doctors who tried to count his fractureseventually gave up because there
were literally too many to count.
They seriously considered amputating hislegs because they were so broken, but
(21:23):
they did decide to attempt reconstructionby surgically inserting metal plates.
For six months, Rob remained hospitalizedhis body slowly and painfully knitting
itself back together while stillrecovering and standing in leg braces.
He married his girlfriend Joanne, atestament to finding love and hope
(21:48):
even in the darkest circumstances.
Eventually, Rob was ableto discard of the braces.
And doctors are removedthe plates from his legs.
He returned to work as a welder, sothat's what he did professionally.
And he continued for 15 years beforechronic back pain forced him to retire,
(22:11):
which I can't even imagine becausewelders get back pain when they haven't.
Had a catastrophic injury like that.
So honestly, his life as awelder might have been extended
from the previous surgeries.
Could Every welder I've everknown, like by lunchtime, whether
they're 20 or 60, there's like
(22:34):
body today at the age of 55, helives in British Columbia managing
his pain with medicinal marijuana.
After kicking a prescription painkilleraddiction more than a decade ago
God bless him.
That's what medicinalmarijuana is here to do.
(22:56):
I'm not against medicinal marijuana ohmy God, it's like a natural plant baby.
Do it all day, not all day.
Don't do it all day.
It makes me sick.
You know that I have a THC allergy.
Yeah, but.
I just, I feel like it couldn'tpossibly do enough for the pain for
that to be the only thing, but maybehe can just mix that with regular
(23:17):
stuff like Tylenol or something.
Yeah.
I don't know.
But kudos to him for beatingthat painkiller addiction because
that shit is no lie, no joke.
That's hard.
In a 2016 interview with CBCNews 30 years after the accident.
Another one.
We sound like we're ina safe neighborhood.
(23:39):
Truly you guys, like we do notlive in the middle of a city.
We, to be fair, that's a firetruck and wehave a fire station a quarter mile away.
We live.
Yeah.
I would say we live in a very safe area.
We have a fire stationright down the road.
We could catch on fire and beout before it burns one room.
No, I don't love that.
I don't, I'm glad that it would be out.
I don't like the idea ofour house being on fire.
(24:00):
In a 2016 interview with CBC News30 years after the accident, Rob
reflected on the tragedy and said,quote, David, Tony, and Cindy are dead.
And it changed my life forever.
I think about it every day.
End quote.
Despite his traumatic experience, Robhas returned to West Edmonton Mall
(24:21):
several times over the years withhis children and now grandchildren.
While he refuses to ridethe mine bender again.
Yes.
That's a good choice there.
Rob, same he doesn't discourage othersfrom doing so calling what happened, an
(24:42):
accident, plain and simple and a fluke.
Yeah.
But he does believe that it'sone that should be remembered.
For years, Rob has requested that themall install a mem, a memorial bench
near the mine bender to honor thethree people who lost their lives.
The mall allegedly offered to placea plaque on an office wall instead,
(25:05):
which Rob declined saying quote to me.
That's not a memorial.
End quote.
Yeah.
But they also don't want tobe advertising like, yes, hey,
here's a bench for you to sit on.
That is for these people that died ona rollercoaster, 10 feet from you, 100.
Nobody wants that.
Like I, I totally get what Rob issaying and but I'm, but I also get the.
(25:31):
Mall being like, for sure.
They can't be like advertising thatthree people died on this rollercoaster.
And then they're like, you next, youwanna just hop right in, jump in line.
Do it.
It's great.
Yeah, it would be the same thing if we'regonna cover some skydiving stories, and
it would be the same thing if it was likea skydiving company at a huge memorial
on the door of before you get in honor oflike high five for these people to die.
(25:55):
Yeah.
Oh God.
. As of my research, no formalmemorial exists at the site.
Rob did receive an undisclosed settlementfrom the mall after the accident.
I remember you asked about settlementin one of our last episodes, so I made
sure to look, but it's undisclosed.
(26:16):
But he did say quote, I'mfamous but I ain't rich.
Do we love Rob or what?
Like I love him.
He's a welder.
He's, I just really like him.
If he was rich, he definitelywouldn't have stayed.
Being a welder though, God,that is not an easy job.
Everything welding will lead to yourdeath or dismemberment, like machinists.
(26:41):
Something like, and this is gonna be amade up number now 'cause it's been so
long, I don't remember, but somewherearound 50% of machinists lose a finger
at some point in their career, andthat's our advertisement for you.
To get into machining.
Do you feel like you havewon too many fingers?
We have the job for you.
(27:03):
We are short machine jobs and machinists.
We need people that can buildthese engines that I break.
So true.
The mall also provides him with freetickets to attractions whenever he asks.
So he got an undisclosed amount of moneythat made him not rich, and he also
gets free tickets to the amusement parkthat almost killed him, that killed
(27:26):
his best friend and almost killed him.
He also says that he is still in chronicpain which I mean, yeah, he broke.
Half more than half of his body.
In the aftermath of the tragedy.
An inquiry was launched todetermine exactly what had gone
wrong with the ride that had beendeclared so safe by inspectors
(27:48):
just the day before the accident.
Unless somebody took those boltsout hoping to commit murder.
Ooh, that would be a crazy twist.
That is not what happened, butman, that would be, I'm just saying
those inspectors should be fired.
Investigators soon discovereda disturbing series of failures
that led to the catastrophe.
(28:09):
The primary cause was determined tobe four cap screws holding the wheel
assembly together that had workedloose and fallen out, allowing a wheel
assembly to detach from the track.
But why had these components failed?
The inquiry pointed fingersat the now defunct West
(28:31):
German Company, Anton Schwatz.
You like that?
That was real good.
Thank you for designand manufacturing flaws.
But the investigation also uncoveredtroubling information about the
maintenance and the operation of the ride.
(28:51):
The German manufacturer, Schwartz Co,had gone bankrupt during the delivery
of the ride, creating issues withquality control because the company was.
Bankrupt.
They had no money.
They didn't care anymore.
Additionally, there were problemswith translation from German
(29:15):
to English of operational andmaintenance information leading to
confusion and misunderstandings.
This is if you buy something from ikea,but then you can't find the English
section of the instruction, so you'rejust like trying to follow the pictures
in a completely different language.
Whew.
(29:36):
Except this is a ride
dogs.
This is a ride with people.
The stakes are muchhigher than an Ikea lamp.
I don't know.
I love my lamp.
I love lamp name.
The movie.
Oh, I don't know that one.
(29:57):
Our listeners willperhaps most alarmingly.
Mind Bender Cruz in Canada hadnot been provided with a special
inspection order from the GeneralSafety Services division of Germany
where the ride was manufactured.
This crucial oversight meant thatpotential issues went undetected.
(30:19):
Some witnesses reported hearingunusual noises from the train earlier
in the day, which had prompted atemporary shutdown and inspection.
I.
However, the ride was reopenedafter no issues were found during
the test, runs a decision thatwould have fatal consequences.
(30:41):
The investigation eventuallyconcluded that the accident was
the result of a perfect storm offactors, design flaws, maintenance
oversights, communication failures,and inadequate inspection protocols.
It was a sobering reminder thateven the most impressive engineering
(31:01):
achievements can fail catastrophicallywhen proper procedures aren't followed.
Rules.
It do be like that.
Rules.
Rules.
Follow the rules.
Ugh.
Okay.
Divorce.
The mind bender remained closed forover a year following the accident
(31:27):
when it reopened in January, 1987.
It had undergone extensivesafety modifications.
The existing four car trainswere converted to three car
trains, reducing seating capacityfrom 16 to 12 riders per train.
Less people means lessopportunity for death.
(31:50):
It's, that's just math.
Yeah.
Two plus two, that's four.
Quick maths anti rollback devices wereinstalled to prevent the cars from
rolling backwards if they lost momentum.
So that's important.
That's a smart one.
Yes.
Each car, which had previouslyconsisted of two wheel assemblies, they
were retrofitted with two additionalwheel assemblies for redundancy.
(32:14):
And we all know I'm a data center girl.
I love redundancy.
Redundant mency.
Oh my god,
woof.
I would say name the show, butat this point we're like 15
stickers deep in this episode road.
While the original lap bar restraintsystem was retained, seat belts
(32:35):
and shoulder headrests wereadded for additional security.
These modifications addressed thekey failures that led to the tragedy,
and it added multiple layers ofsafety to prevent similar incidents
from happening in the future.
Despite its deadly history, the mindbender continued to operate for decades.
(32:58):
Whew.
And the day it opened again, ithad a full line from, get this sec.
This is wild.
From 1998 to 2010.
It ranked among the top 50 steelrollercoasters according to
the magazine amusement today.
And we don't question amusement today.
(33:22):
Maybe tomorrow, as our daughter would say,
the rollercoaster had millionsof riders during its lifetime.
It's pretty crazy.
I think on January 30th, 2023, after37 years of service, the mind vendor
was decommissioned and closed to makeway for new developments in the park.
(33:47):
Its trains were repurposed for theAll-American triple loop at Indiana
Beach in the United States whilethe rest of the ride was dismantled.
The legacy of the mind vendor disasterextends far beyond West Edmonton Mall.
The accident led to sign, excuseme, the accident led to significant
(34:10):
scrutiny and changes in amusementride safety standards across all of
North America, regular maintenanceprotocols, redundant safety systems,
and thorough inspection requirements.
That we either don't even thinkabout when we're at an amusement
park or we take for granted.
But all of those are really critical forus to remain safe when we go to parks.
(34:38):
For the families of David, Tony,and Cindy, no safety improvements
could bring back their loved ones.
Their deaths serve as a somber reminderof the responsibility that theme
park operators and engineers bear.
For the lives of their guests.
So the next time you find yourself waitingin line for a roller coaster, perhaps
(35:02):
feeling impatient as the attendance,
I just stuttered.
I thought you had a seizure.
The next time you find yourselfwaiting in line for a rolly.
For roller coaster.
For a roller coaster, perhapsfeeling impatient as attendance.
(35:24):
Meticulously check anddouble check restraints.
Remember the story of the mind vendor.
Those extra moments of caution arethe invisible legacy of those who lost
their lives that day in June, 1986.
And Zach, that's our story for today.
I do still love a good coaster, andif it was still functioning, I would
(35:46):
absolutely go ride the mindbender.
Yeah.
Would you go with me?
Yes.
I obviously was.
I may be a reluctant homebody, butyou're reluctant to hang out with me.
That's a lie.
You're my best friend.
I love hanging out with you.
I'm way too codependent.
I used to be so independent andcool, and then I met you, and now
(36:08):
I'm just like, I'm a little baby.
Kangaroo just wants tolive in your pocket.
You can't let these people actually thinkthat I think they know because I travel
like 50% of the time and I don't do itwith you we spend plenty of time alone.
That's why it's so hard forus to record these episodes.
(36:29):
. If you enjoyed this episode,please rate, review, and subscribe
wherever you get your podcasts.
If you know one of the moviereferences or show references that
we make in every episode, pleasecomment on either Spotify or Apple or
message us on Instagram or Facebook.
And we will actually send you a sticker.
(36:50):
We don't just say thatlike we will do that.
We are on all of the social medias,et cetera, et cetera, join us next
time when we'll be exploring anothertransportation disaster story.
Until then.
Remember to stow your tray tables,fasten your seat belts, and prepare
(37:12):
for the unexpected, because not everytrip reaches its final destination.
Good.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
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