Action Park: 6 deaths over 20 years
Action Park recorded at least five named fatalities across its 20-year run, with park spokespeople consistently deflecting blame for each death.
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Action Park Origins: Eugene Mulvihill's No-Rules Empire (1978–1982)
At 52:30 · chapter starts 49:35
Eugene Mulvihill was a ski resort owner looking for off-season income when he conceived Action Park in 1978 — and his son Andy's memoir makes clear he had no idea what he was doing. Rather than engineering safety into rides, Mulvihill embraced risk as a brand identity, convinced Americans were tired of being 'coddled.' Wave pools were designed to simulate mini-shipwrecks; slides had no speed controls. The park grew from hundreds of visitors in its first season to millions within two years, even as visitors emerged bleeding, stinking of diesel fuel, and clutching Band-Aids. The first death came in July 1980 when 19-year-old George Larson was ejected from the Alpine Sled, rolled down an embankment, and struck his head on a rock 25 feet from the ride. The park's spokesperson argued it was the rock's fault, not the ride's. An investigation by the state Department of Labor found seven safety violations, including no emergency access road, but ruled the death accidental.
Action Park: Where Risk Was the Brand
Action Park's founder Eugene Mulvihill had zero amusement park experience when he opened the park in 1978, but he intentionally built risk into the brand. Visitors could control their own speed on slides with no track, cling to rafts in wave pools designed to simulate shipwrecks, and were quietly encouraged to behave recklessly.
George Larson: The Slide, the Rock, and the Deflection
In 1980, 19-year-old George Larson was thrown from an Alpine Sled at Action Park and smashed his head on a rock 25 feet away. Action Park's spokesperson told reporters it wasn't the ride's fault — it was the rock. An investigation found no emergency vehicle access road existed at the park.
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