Thursday, August 11, 1996 – At Old Indiana Fun Park in Thorntown, Indiana, a 57-year-old woman suffered fatal head injuries and a 4-year-old girl was paralyzed after a miniature train derailed and overturned as it approached a curve. Riders were spilled onto the ground and the two victims became crushed underneath the ride. It was reported that the train was traveling much faster than its design speed of 12 miles per hour. The ride operator attempted to apply the brakes as the train neared the curve, but claimed that they would not hold. Upon inspection of the ride, it was discovered that many of the ride’s brakes were either broken, missing, or not connected, and that most of the anti-derailment devices were missing. The speedometer was broken, as was the governor, which limits the speed of the train. Also, the track was littered with broken ride parts.
Despite its operating condition, the ride had passed two state inspections in the 3-month period prior to the accident. After the accident, the safety inspector admitted that he was not qualified to inspect amusement rides.
A state review of the park’s own records showed that the train had derailed 79 times in the 2 months prior to the accident. The train had derailed as many as 9 times in a single day.
Owners of Old Indiana Fun Park admitted negligence, but denied knowing anything about the condition of the ride prior to the accident. They have since declared bankruptcy.
Old Indiana Fun Park closed and was auctioned on February 22, 1997.