If you’d like to be included in this slot, please get in touch: estherchilton@gmail.com. Poems can be up to 60 lines and prose 2000 words. If you’d like to add a short bio and photo, then great. All I ask is that there’s nothing offensive.
My guest this week is here for the first time. Please welcome Matt Snyder, who you may know from his entertaining blog iMartist. He has an interesting tale to tell:
AN UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT OF LIFE: lived
By
Matt Snyder
It was the Summer of 1988, I was 18 and working a Summer job as a ride operator at the local amusement park.
The ride I was stuck at the most, was a behemouth Wild Mouse like coaster called The Flying Dutchman.
The Flying Dutchman was run by four 18 year olds and two 14-16 year olds who assisted. The roles played on the ride were as followed: Push off team Operator & Attendant were responsible for loading each 4 person car. On this particular day, 4 very heavy men and women were loaded. After seat belts checked out they were pushed out onto track. If something were to go wrong at this stage, like the ride stopped as the car climbed the hill, the operator had to climb the steps of the track hill and offer support till maintence/management/first aid arrived.
Nothing like that happened on this day. What did happen was far worse.
The other positions filled on the ride were an 18 yr old to monitor the computer that ran the ride, an 18 yr old standing at the station break, it was their job to co-ordinate with push off to release the break so the cars could exit the station and an 18 yr old to make sure the emergency brake was always on and a 14-16 yrs old attendant on the other side to help people out of the car when it came into the station.
When that car of 4 heavy set people went around the first turn we all heard 6 loud hissing noises. Lourdes checked the computer which said error all brakes were disabled. An emergency phone call was put in for management/maitenence/first aid.
Lourdes shouted to Sam and Kevin to unload the people in the next car to go out and close the ride.
It was a chaotic scene. The people on this ride essentially had the ride of their life, increasingly going faster at each turn. Dave was on the station and I had a firm grip on the emergency break. My attendant Ken tried to tell the people line to leave because the ride was now closed.
The tension was so high I felt it through my entire body. When that car reached the station it flew through both brakes that Dave and I controlled and crashed into a car in the station. The impact was so strong it sent 4 empty cars out to the hill.
There was smoke seen and screaming heard from the 4 passengers who experienced, broken ankles and feet as well as whiplash.
I was trembling and in a state of shock, my body was like jelly. I spent a few hours at first-aid then was able to cut my shift short.
After the accident one teen waiting in line asked “Is this ride closed and for how long ?”
The answer would be indefinitely. The 4 people in the accident would sue the Amusement Park to cover medical expenses.
A few days after while at home, I would have to recount my story to the park appointed Lawyer.
Eventually the Amusement Park settled out of court and sold The Flying Dutchman to an Amusement park in Jamaica.
That fateful day in the Summer of 1988 would become quite infamous.
BIO: The Pennsylvania based blogger M. who can be found at martist1970.com has been blogging since 2011. He has been exhibiting his art for 37 years as well as involved in all disciplines of the arts including music, performance & film. He is 55 and lives with his 43 yr old wife Jess and their 15 yr old cat Nigel P. Kitty.
Esther Chilton 
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