Incidents at Herschend parks

This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at amusement parks, water parks or other attractions owned and/or operated by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy.
The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, or deaths that occur at a Herschend-owned or -operated facility. While these incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities due to where they occurred, they usually fall into one of the following categories:
*Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to break park rules.
*The result of a guest's known, or unknown, health issues.
*Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance.
*Act of God or a generic accident (e.g. slipping and falling), that is not a direct result of an action on anybody's part.
Dollywood
Lightning Rod
*On June 13, 2016, after grand opening, the coaster was shut down temporarily due to a nation-wide mechanical recall.
Thunder Express
*In 1989, on opening day, an incoming train bumped a second train parked in the station, slightly injuring 18 people.
Timber Tower
*On June 18, 2007, 44 people were stuck on Timber Tower for several hours.
Dollywood Express
*On April 14, 2004, a female passenger fell out of one of the train's carriages while it was in motion. An investigation determined that a drink was spilled on the woman, who then lost her balance and fell out of the train. The attraction was closed after the incident, but was re-opened the next day after it was determined to be operating normally. The passenger was taken to UT Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee and was released a day later.
Guest altercations
*On June 29, 2019, a parking lot tram collided into another, injuring at least 22 guests. 6 people were taken to a nearby hospital by an ambulance.
Silver Dollar City
Lost River Of The Ozarks
* On July 15, 2002, a section of the queue line collapsed, injuring 19 people.
Fire in the Hole
*On July 9, 1980, a 23-year-old man was killed and a 27-year-old woman was injured while riding Fire in the Hole. A train on the roller coaster was accidentally switched to a maintenance track and storage area, which had low-hanging structures across the track. The male passenger's head struck one of these structures, killing him. The accident was ruled a case of human error, and after an investigation the attraction re-opened two days later. The overhanging structures were later removed from the maintenance area.
Outlaw Run
*On July 28, 2015, a 10-year-old girl complained of neck pain after riding the roller coaster. She was taken to a nearby hospital and later recovered.
Wild Adventures
*On June 3, 2011, Splash Island lifeguards identified an unresponsive 3-year-old girl in Paradise River. A lifeguard, a supervisor and a park security officer performed CPR on the child and revived her before she was transported by emergency medical services to South Georgia Medical Center.
Former properties
Ride the Ducks
The duck boats operated by Ride the Ducks have been involved in a number of incidents. In July 2010 one of the amphibious vehicles stalled on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was struck by a barge, sinking the duck boat and killing two of the passengers who were Hungarian tourists. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the tugboat operator's inattention to his duties.
On May 8, 2015, a Ride the Ducks boat struck and killed a 68-year-old Beaumont, Texas woman crossing the street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Chinatown section. Witnesses at the scene say that the woman crossed against a red light while viewing content on a tablet and was struck while in the boat's front blind spot. The incident is still being investigated.
Ride the Ducks was sold to Ripley Entertainment in December 2017 and is no longer a Herschend property. The sale occurred before the Table Rock Lake duck boat accident on July 2018 near Branson, Missouri, where a Ride the Ducks boat capsized and sunk on Table Rock Lake during a thunderstorm, killing 17 passengers.

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