The Story of Action Park | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror

"Made of concrete, fiberglass, and asbestos." I don't think I've ever heard of a scarier combination of materials.

When I was 11 in 1983 I fractured my big toe on the Tarzan swing as I landed on a hard concrete area on the side of the pool. I remembered being "treated" in the "first aid" station by a college kid wearing an AC/DC tee shirt.

I remember Johnny Knoxville talking about how fun but unsafe this place was in a documentary or interview. You know a place is batshit crazy when Jackass tells you it’s dangerous!

As a Child of the 80s it AMAZES Me that ANY OF US LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO PROCREATE

“Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.” - Action Park owner

Went five straight summers. There is no exaggeration in this video. I don’t know how I survived. Great times.

I appreciate that just like any other video about a specific disaster, he starts with the date. This implies that the mere opening of the park was the disaster in question.

I am a survivor of Action Park. Major head injury and had to be taken to the local hospital. Two other people were also taken there during my hospitalization

"They can't sue us if they're dead" - Action Park, probably

The owner of Action Park was pretty much playing Rollercoaster Tycoon in real life

I still have scars from the Alpine Slides. The whole park was absolute madness, you didn’t get in trouble if you went off the track with the carts, or if you slammed into someone else, or did an insane daring-do off of the rope swing. When you came into the park, there were always ambulances at the entrance. Kids not much older than me were running things, and you could smell the pot smoke coming out of the employee shacks. I have to say, I do remember it with great fondness, but I was a kid, so what the hell did I know about safety? I was lucky that I wasn’t ever hurt badly, but this should never be repeated again. As a parent now, I’m horrified, because Frontal Lobes and the ability to consider consequences.

I'm 60 yrs old now but when I was a teenager, my friends and I went to Action Park during the summer break from school. One year, I rode the Alpine Slide and on a deep slope in the ride, the cart got away from me after going through a steep turn and and I slide about 50 feet on my elbows and knees down the cement track. I got severe burns to my elbows and knees and had to go to the on-sight medical building. They actually wanted to charge me for the medical service when it was their ride that caused the injuries I sustained.

Frankly in listening to this, I'm surprised only 6 people died in that entire time.

Those shirts saying "I survived [tourist attraction]" aren't meant to be taken literally

I dated the daughter of a "safety investigator" Action Park had on staff, in 1982-1983. He has some amazing stories! One evening when I arrived at her house, he came to the door with his knees and elbows are skinned from testing the Alpine Slide. It was a wild amusement park - as crazy dangerous as this video says.

I can't stop laughing at these designs. Like an 8 year old playing roller coaster tycoon.

I nearly drowned in a wave pool in Germany when I was 16 and trapped in the deep end. I remember flailing my arms around like windmills trying to get the attention of a lifeguard and screaming for my life while trying not to go under as my elderly aunt and uncle laughed and waved at me thinking I was having fun. Fucking nightmare memory still and I am now 60 years old.

"This swinging rope is great, but what it really needs is a concrete wall opposite of it." - Action Park employee, probably.

The scariest thing about cannonball loop is that they sent a crash dummy down the slide and it came out without its head

Surviving childhood as a kid in the 70's was a badge of honor. I grew up in Florida and the insane things we did were endless. We had a local water park built in our neighborhood and we took advantage of the chance to skateboard the slides before it was officially opened. It was a thirty foot death drop if you didn't stay in the slide. But, we tore that place up!!