Apparently guests were going down too fast as they slid down head first on mats according to court reports. It is possible that when Volcano Bay … Continue Reading Below Since 2017, the water slide inside Universal Orlando’s Volcano Bay has allegedly left hundreds of tourists with injuries, including one New York man who was paralyzed last year from the neck down, his lawsuit states. The removal of the mats was the biggest change. Bowen’s lawsuit said the incident left him paralyzed from the neck down. In a new article from the Orlando Sentinel, journalist Gabrielle Russon details the events leading up to a lawsuit at Universal’s Volcano Bay. According to the lawsuit, Bowen and his daughters decided to go on the Punga Racers water slide before leaving for the day. Punga Racers 2.0. The suit claims that some solutions were never widely implemented because "they cost too much" and that instead of closing it down, "Universal kept testing various remedies without implementing them or warning its guests of this known risk". Could Guests see changes be made to the water theme park when it reopens on or before March 1? Feb 28, 2016 553. Thread starter Joe; Start date Jul 17, 2020; Prev. Lawsuit settled between Universal Orlando and man who suffered spinal injury on water ride. And to this day, the first racer to cross the finish line receives a watery salute from Punga himself. Since 2017, the water slide inside Universal Orlando’s Volcano Bay has allegedly left hundreds of tourists with injuries, including one New York man who last year was paralyzed from the neck down, his lawsuit … Punga Racers Graphs. GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE. This water slide went faster than I thought it would - was lots of fun! After a review, "ProSlide determined that the location of hydraulics on the slide was creating a wall of water that the guests impacted when they entered the catch pool, which created an 'abrupt deceleration' that caused injuries," the suit said. Since the water park … Punga Racers has reopened at Volcano Bay after a lengthy refurbishment, converting the water slide from a mat slide to a traditional body slide. Go. Simply check in for the attraction and wait to be alerted when it is time for you to get in line. Check out what's clicking on FoxBusiness.com. Currently, Punga Racers is listed on Universal’s official website as having a maximum weight limit of 300 pounds. Guests ride slides down four lanes through underwater sea caves on Punga Racers, an attraction at Universal's Volcano Bay. 1 of 3 Go to page. Street racers reportedly block I-225 Sunday night. Wait times can be hard to predict at Volcano Bay water theme park because of the TapuTapu wristband. "We have a safety-first culture that places the safety of our guests and team members above everything else.". Previously, the slide was a mat slide and riders rode on colorful foam mats head first, on their stomachs. Thread starter Joe; Start date Jul 17, 2020; 1; 2; 3; Next. Here at UniversalParksBlog, we’ve previously reported that Punga Racers at Volcano Bay has been the result of over a hundred accident reports since the water park opened. Staff member. Court papers show that "despite this proof that the modification did not solve the problem," Universal re-opened the slide for the public wherein "additional individuals were injured by the same wall of water that severely injured Mr. FAQ - Updated Privacy Policy. Florida Resorts. Representing both fire and water, the volcano is the heart of this immersive park with cascading falls during the day that transform into lava special effects at night. "That said, we take guest injuries seriously," Schroder said. Damaged my back! According to the Orlando Sentinel, which previously obtained a copy of now-sealed documents, roughly 115 visitors claimed they suffered injuries ranging from scrapes or nosebleeds to concussion or neck whiplash after patrons rode down the water slide headfirst on mats into the catch pools. Next Last. PUNGA RACERS. All rights reserved. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. The run out of Punga Racers was apparently not as long as similarly designed slides, forcing riders to stop much faster. After the accident, Universal reportedly changed the weight limit on the Punga Racers to 150 pounds. Premium Member. Maryland’s Six Flags America opened its site on Friday. Wave Village. Feb 15, 2012 13,103 Pittsburgh, PA. Jul 17, 2020 #1 Word on the street is Punga Racers reopened today. Waturi Beach Location: Wave Village. ORLANDO, Fla. — A New York man who sued Universal Orlando over a water slide accident at Volcano Bay has settled with the theme park company. Embed This Graph on Your Page! A post on Universal Orlando's Twitter on Thursday broke the big news... Universal opened a brand-new water theme park, Volcano Bay, back in 2017. Representatives for ProSlide did not immediately return FOX Business's request for comment. Since Volcano Bay opened it has had its fair share of lawsuits. This is a complex lawsuit so let us give some context as to what has happened so far, First, ProSlide is a manufacturer hired by Universal to … GadgetGuru. Since 2017, the water slide inside Universal Orlando’s Volcano Bay has allegedly left hundreds of tourists with injuries, including one New York man who was paralyzed last year from the neck down, his lawsuit states. Picture This: You’re driving down the interstate. The construction is never-ending and the traffic is forever-maddening. It planned on administering only 250 doses on its first day, but will eventually ramp up to 6,000 shots daily, according to The Baltimore Sun. Punga Racers; Taniwha Tubes — Tonga & Raki; Attractions & Ride Guide. The Punga Racers water slide opened at Universal’s Volcano Bay in 2017. Police lights (KKTV) By KKTV. Universal Orlando reportedly knew how dangerous its Punga Racers water slide was since it opened four years ago, according to court papers. "Instead, it spent two years searching for a solution to slow riders down safely without doing the obvious (but more expensive) modification -- extending the end of the ride into a traditional run out that would give riders time to more slowly decelerate without the need to stop them abruptly using a deep but shorter pool of water and the inevitable hydraulic that would create. The injuries occurred "primarily" in 2017 and 2019, according to the suit. The lawsuit claims that limit was instituted after Bowen suffered his injury. A favorite among Waturi children of all ages, Punga Racers send single riders on their manta ray mats sliding down four lanes through underwater sea caves. Jul 18, 2020 #21 It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a water park, but most of the indoor water parks I went to had mat racers. In case you aren’t aware, face coverings at Volcano Bay... Universal Orlando has set a reopening date for the Volcano Bay water park, and it looks like you'll be able to experience the head-rush of the Ko’okiri Body Plunge again as soon as the end of this month. I’m really surprised Universal couldn’t make it work. Recently we reported that a lawsuit in which a Guest broke their neck on a water slide was settled. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. sonoma15 Member. Schroder also noted that the company immediately begins an investigation and review "when there is an injury of any kind" and that Universal has a "rigorous and detailed process in place" to help resolve any issues. In the fall of 2017, Universal shut down the ride and asked ProSlide, the ride manufacturer, to determine the cause of the wall of water in the Punga Racers catch pool, according to the court documents. Consider making these improvements first, Today's mortgage refinance rates move lower | March 10, 2021, Today's mortgage rates continue to decline, hover near historical lows | March 10, 2021, Should you refinance your student loans now? Sadly, however, their vacation ended in tragedy with Mr. Bowen admitted to the hospital, paralyzed from the neck down,” his Orange Circuit Court lawsuit said. Universal spokesman Tom Schroder says 1.5 million visitors have gone on the water slide since it opened.