10 Disturbing Theme Park Incidents CAUGHT on Camera

10 Disturbing Theme Park Incidents Caught on Camera

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re discussing terrifying amusement park accidents that were captured on video.

Woman Dangles by Her Feet Over 100 Feet in the Air

Foire du Trône, Paris

This fair is France’s oldest and largest traveling carnival, and in 2017, it became the scene of a horrifying incident. The ride, called “L’Adrenaline,” is basically a giant swing that starts 150 feet in the air. In the video, two young women are riding when one of their harnesses comes apart. The woman slides out of her seat and ends up hanging by her feet as the chair drops toward the ground. According to reports, the woman wasn’t injured, and it does appear that bystanders were able to bring the ride to a stop and rescue her. Investigators blamed the incident on human error – in other words, they said it was the woman’s own fault.

Worker’s Leg Severed by Kiddie Coaster

Sonoma-Marin Fair, California

This accident definitely was due to human error, but that still doesn’t explain how it happened. At this county fair in 2010, a young worker walked onto the tracks of a kids’ coaster called the Wacky Worm while it was in operation. The employee didn’t work on that ride, and no one knew what he was doing there. He opened a gate and stepped directly in front of the oncoming ride car, which struck him and sliced his leg off below the knee. A woman waiting in line, who must have had nerves of steel, picked up the leg and asked for some ice. Doctors did their best to reattach it, but there’s no telling how much therapy the kids on that ride needed afterward.

Pendulum Ride Snaps in Half

Green Mountain Park, Saudi Arabia

If you’re going to skip one ride at the fair, you should probably make it this pendulum-type one, because they seem to be death traps. There are videos all over the internet of these things snapping right in two and plummeting to the ground. That’s exactly what happened at this park in Taif, Saudi Arabia in July 2025. Almost two dozen people were injured when the pendulum broke apart, slammed into its base, and crashed into the ground. Fortunately, most of them weren’t severe, but several people did suffer critical injuries.

Flying Saucer Ride Plummets to the Ground

Istiklol Park, Uzbekistan

If that last video wasn’t enough to convince you to stay off these pendulum rides, this one is even more horrifying. In 2019, at an amusement park in the former Soviet state of Uzbekistan, a ride called the Flying Saucer snapped in half, just like the Saudi Arabian ride would six years later. However, after falling 23 feet to the ground, this ride landed on its side, and a 19-year-old girl was killed. Seven other people were injured but survived. Apparently, the ride had only been installed a few months earlier, and the park had recently received a critical safety inspection.

Fire Ball Collapses

Ohio State Fair

For those who might still be considering riding a pendulum ride, here’s yet another disturbing accident involving one. Rather than snapping in half, this time the ride appears to hit something, sending parts and passengers flying everywhere. The tragedy happened in July 2017, and an 18-year-old boy was killed. Several other people were seriously injured, including a teenage girl who went into a coma and later died. The ride was nearly 20 years old, and after an inspection, its designers blamed the breakdown on corrosion inside the support beam. Regardless of the cause, we’ll be staying far away from these rides for the foreseeable future.

Collapsing Tsunami Ride Kills Rescuer

Surajkund International Crafts Fair, India

Pendulums aren’t the only type of fair ride that’s been known to break apart without warning. In February 2026 at a craft fair in India, a ride known as the Tsunami partially collapsed while at least 26 people were riding it. A dozen people were injured in the crash, and a police inspector named Jagdish Prasad, who was patrolling in the area, rushed to assist. However, as he was helping to extract people trapped in the ride, the rest of it collapsed onto him, killing him. The terrible tragedy rekindled conversation around the regulation and inspection of rides at fairs in India.

Orca Almost Drowns Trainer – On Purpose

SeaWorld San Diego

There’s never been a report of a wild orca killing a human. But orcas held in captivity – that’s a different story. It’s not surprising. In nature, orcas swim an average of 40 miles a day. Of course these super-intelligent animals go crazy when they’re crammed into a tiny tub with nothing to do. In 2006, during a show at SeaWorld San Diego, an orca named Kasatka grabbed trainer Ken Peters and repeatedly dragged him to the bottom of the tank. He survived – only because the 5,000-pound animal chose to let him. Kasatka had also attacked Peters during a show in 1999. SeaWorld no longer breeds orcas or forces them to perform in shows. Now when are they going to retire the dolphins?

Smiler Roller Coaster Collision

Alton Towers, England

For once, this accident wasn’t caused by a ride malfunction. In fact, the ride’s safety system worked exactly the way it should. On a windy day in June 2015, operators of The Smiler sent an empty car down the track to make sure it was functioning properly. However, a strong gust activated the safety stop, halting the car on the track. Engineers overrode the system and gave the operators the go-ahead to restart the ride, and apparently no one realized the empty car was still sitting there. A car full of people crashed into it at full speed, severely injuring numerous riders. Two people had to have their legs amputated. Considering how hard the cars hit each other, it could have been even worse.

Girl Falls From Cliff Swing

Maliuyan Expedition Park, China

If none of the other entries on our list give you nightmares, this one definitely will. At this adventure park in Sichuan Province in 2026, a teenage girl fell to her death from over 550 feet in the air. She was about to go on a cliff swing bungee ride, and in the video, just before she falls, she repeatedly screams that her safety ropes are not tied tightly enough. The worker pushes her off the platform anyway, and she almost instantly plunges to the concrete below. There’s absolutely no excuse for this kind of negligence.

Free Fall Drop Tower Tragedy

Icon Park, Florida

Like many of these incidents, this one claimed the life of a teenager who did nothing wrong. In March 2022, 14-year-old Tyre Sampson boarded the Free Fall at Orlando’s Icon Park. At over 400 feet high, the ride was billed as the tallest free-standing drop tower in the world. The Free Fall functioned normally, but as the riders dropped back to Earth, Tyre slipped out of his seat and fell to the ground. Investigators later discovered that the ride operators had adjusted the harnesses to fit bigger people, going against the manufacturer’s guidelines. This left a larger gap between the harness and the seat, which Tyre had slid through. In 2023, Florida passed the Tyre Sampson Act to improve amusement park safety standards.

Which of these theme park accidents disturbs you the most? Let us know in the comments below.