History Ride / ActionPark

The [=YouTube=] series ''WebVideo/{{Defunctland}}'' has an episode covering its history. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkW-ceNvck Watch it here.]] The youtuber Illuminaughtii also made an episode on it, which you can watch ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkW-ceNvck here]]''. A full on documentary, ''Class Action Park'', debuted in August 2020 on Creator/HBOMax with Creator/JohnHodgman narrating.

* CallousnessTowardsEmergency: In the documentary ''Class Action Park'', one former attendee recounts what he saw in the Tarzan Swing ride, in which a person hung on to swing rope, and and dropped about ten feet onto the pool below. Since the pool was spring fed, a person could go into shock going from 90 degree (F) heat to water that was at least 30 degrees (F) colder, and the crowd waiting their turn, upon seeing someone struggling to swim, or being fished out by a lifeguard, would point at them and scream demening, and vulgar, insults at the unfortunate victim.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Employees were reportedly offered hundred-dollar bills to test the infamous looping waterslide. According to a former employee, "$100 [[DrowningMySorrows did not buy enough booze to drown out that memory.]]" According to ''Class Action Park'', during the park's heyday in the [[TheEighties 1980s]], despite the countless unreported minor injuries (scrapes, bumps, bruises, etc.), dozens of serious injuries (defined only as a visitor being carried out in an ambulance), and even a few deaths, Gene Mulvehill, who owned Action Park, didn't face serious legal repercussion, with the worst thing being a rare visit from the U.S. Marshals coming to collect an equally rare legal settlement that Mulvehill refused to pay right after the court proceedings. The reason for such a lax enforcement by the authorities is because Action Park brought a large influx of cash to the local economy in the summer, and his nearby ski resorts brought the cash in the winter. This ''did'' eventually catch up to Gene, as bad press and word of mouth from the park soon caught on to the point that his investors started distancing themselves from him. After his two other business chains in ski resorts dried up, he was forced to shut down the park in 1996.

* LowerClassLout: According to ''Class Action Park'', a great percentage of the attendees were people of blue collar background from New York City, who couldn't afford to take exotic vacations in the Caribbean, so traveling to rural New Jersey was the closet thing they could do that resembled a long distance destination, and their lack of manners and decorum is what led to people getting hurt trying to push their, and the ride's, limits, and why the staff had to develop a routine to take care of a "[[PottyFailure Code Brown.]]"
* MetaphoricallyTrue: The slogans "There's nothing in the world like Action Park [--nothing quite as dangerous, that is--]!" and "The Action never stops...[--if you consider "constant risk of serious injury" and "the ambulance ride to the hospital" to be "action"--] at Action Park!"
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The name "Action Park" was already something of a red flag itself, but the punning nicknames it gained (mostly from employees) -- "Traction Park", "Class-Action Park", and "Accident Park" -- really upped the ante. And then there's the "Grave Pool", which wound up being horribly, brutally accurate.
* NintendoHard: Probably one of the most twisted examples of this -- riders ''liked'' the park precisely because of the freedom it allowed them, and the injuries they sustained were largely their own fault. Many people fondly remember Action Park as a place to demonstrate one's mettle.

* ParentalHypocrisy: In the Creator/{{HBO}} documentary, one former employer talks through NostalgiaFilter about how before cell phones, [[FreeRangeChildren kids would go off on an adventure without parental supervision]]. The former employee recounts how before he got a job at there, he and his brother would have breakfast, then they would ride their bikes to Action Park, have fun, and be back home for dinner, with their parents being none the wiser. He then says that if he ever found out one of his kids ever did something like that, he "would beat their asses."

* PrecisionFStrike: A [[FunWithAcronyms hidden]] case happened once the lifeguards decided to brand whoever they saved by writing on their wristbands "CFS" - short for "can't fucking swim".

* RestrainingBolt: The Super Go Karts and LOLA Cars rides had vehicles that ostensibly had a maximum speed of 20 mph (32 km/h), thanks to their governor devices. [[SubvertedTrope However]], the staff knew that wedging tennis balls into the devices would disable them, allowing them to go up to 50 mph (80 km/h), and were willing to do so if a visitor desired. Unsurprisingly, many head-on collisions resulted. The employees were also known to take the karts out and race them on Route 94 after-hours, especially after a microbrewery opened up nearby.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Employees were reportedly offered hundred-dollar bills to test the infamous looping waterslide. According to a former employee, "$100 [[DrowningMySorrows did not buy enough booze to drown out that memory.]]" According to the documentary ''Class Action Park'', during the park's heyday in the [[TheEighties 1980s']], despite the countless unreported minor injuries (scrapes, bumps, bruises, etc.) dozens of serious injuries (defined only as a visitor being carried out in an ambulance), and even a few deaths, Gene Mulvehill, who owned Action Park, didn't face serious legal repercussion, with the worst thing being a rare visit from the U.S. Marshalls' coming to collect an equally rare legal settlement that Mulvehill refused to pay right after the court proceedings. The reason for such a lax enforcement by the authorities is because Action Park brought a large influx of cash to the local economy in the summer, and his nearby ski resorts brought the cash in the winter. This ''did'' eventually catch up to Gene, as bad press and word of mouth from the park soon caught on to the point his investors started distancing themselves from him. After his two other business chain in ski resorts dried up, he was forced to shut down the park on 1996.

* TooFastToStop: A common problem with the Go Karts and LOLA Cars, if their RestrainingBolt was removed. Also the sleds in the Alpine Slide, as they ended up having only two speeds: frustratingly slow and "[[OhCrap death awaits]]" (paraphrasing an employee) [[note]] The latter ended up being accurate as one such guest was riding the slide, lost control, flew off the track and brained his head on some rocks. He fell into a coma and died sometime later.[[/note]]

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Employees were reportedly offered hundred-dollar bills to test the infamous looping waterslide. According to a former employee, "$100 [[DrowningMySorrows did not buy enough booze to drown out that memory.]]" According to the documentary ''Class Action Park'', during the park's heyday in the [[TheEighties 1980s']], despite the countless unreported minor injuries (scrapes, bumps, bruises, etc.) dozens of serious injuries (defined only as a visitor being carried out in an ambulance), and even a few deaths, Gene Mulvehill, who owned Action Park, didn't face serious legal repercussion, with the worst thing being a rare visit from the U.S. Marshalls' coming to collect an equally rare legal settlement that Mulvehill refused to pay right after the court proceedings. The reason for such a lax enforcement by the authorities is because Action Park brought a large influx of cash to the local economy in the summer, and his nearby ski resorts brought the cash in the winter. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome This]] ''[[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome did]]'' [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome
eventually catch up to Gene]] as bad press and word of mouth from the park soon caught on to the point his investors started distancing themselves from him. After his two other business chain in ski resorts dried up, he was forced to shut down the park on 1996.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Employees were reportedly offered hundred-dollar bills to test the infamous looping waterslide. According to a former employee, "$100 [[DrowningMySorrows did not buy enough booze to drown out that memory.]]" According to the documentary ''Class Action Park'', during the park's heyday in the [[TheEighties 1980s']], despite the countless unreported minor injuries (scrapes, bumps, bruises, etc.) dozens of serious injuries (defined only as a visitor being carried out in an ambulance), and even a few deaths, Gene Mulvehill, who owned Action Park, didn't face serious legal repercussion, with the worst thing being a rare visit from the U.S. Marshalls' coming to collect an equally rare legal settlement that Mulvehill refused to pay right after the court proceedings. The reason for such a lax enforcement by the authorities is because Action Park brought a large influx of cash to the local economy in the summer, and his nearby ski resorts brought the cash in the winter. [[RealityEnsues This]] ''[[RealityEnsues did]]'' [[RealityEnsues eventually catch up to Gene]] as bad press and word of mouth from the park soon caught on to the point his investors started distancing themselves from him. After his two other business chain in ski resorts dried up, he was forced to shut down the park on 1996.

The [=YouTube=] series ''WebVideo/{{Defunctland}}'' has an episode covering its history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkW-ceNvck Watch it here.]] The youtuber Illuminaughtii also made an episode on it, which you can watch ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkW-ceNvck here]]''. A full on documentary, ''Class Action Park'', debuted in August 2020 on Creator/HBOMax with Creator/JohnHodgman narrating.

The [=YouTube=] series ''WebVideo/{{Defunctland}}'' has an episode covering its history. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkW-ceNvck Watch it here.]] A full on documentary, ''Class Action Park'', debuted in August 2020 on Creator/HBOMax with Creator/JohnHodgman narrating.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The idea of a looping water slide sounded awesome on paper. Action Park heavily promoted the loop in its commercials as a unique attraction of the park. However, many guests got seriously injured by the ride. So many got stuck in the loop that they had to add an escape hatch.

* EveryoneHasStandards: According to "Class Action Park", the owner, Eugene Mulvihill, was friends with ''Creator/DonaldTrump'', himself know for having some questionable ideas of his own during his career. Eugene invited Trump over to check the park out and Trump was utterly horrified at the state of it, leaving unimpressed.

* CallousnessTowardsEmergency: In the documentary ''Class Action Park'', one former attendee recounts what he saw in the Tarzan Swing ride, in which a person hung on to swing rope, and and dropped about ten feet onto the pool bellow. Since the pool was spring fed, a person could go into shock going from 90 degree (F) heat to water that was at least 30 degrees (F) colder, and the crowd waiting their turn, upon seeing someone struggling to swim, or being fished out by a lifeguard, would point at them and scream demening, and vulgar, insults at the unfortunate victim.

* IntoxicationEnsues: Alcohol was sold at concession stands, with little enforcement of the drinking age, meaning that many rides that were dangerous enough to go on sober were operated by drunk guests and employees. This was a major contribution to accidents.

* NoOSHACompliance: One of the most famous RealLife cases of this trope.

* TooFastToStop: A common problem with the Go Karts and LOLA Cars, if their RestrainingBolt was removed. Also the sleds in the Alpine Slide, as they ended up having only two speeds: frustratingly slow and "[[OhCrap death awaits]]" (paraphrasing an employee).

* EveryoneHadStandards: According to "Class Action Park", the owner, Eugene Mulvihill, was friends with ''Creator/DonaldTrump'', himself know for having some questionable ideas of his own during his career. Eugene invited Trump over to check the park out and Trump was utterly horrified at the state of it, leaving unimpressed.

* CallousnessTowardsEmergency: In the documentary ''Class Action Park'', one former attendee recounts what he saw in the Tarzan Swing ride, in which a person hung on to swing rope, and and dropped about ten feet onto the pool bellow. Since the pool was spring fed, a person could go into shock going from 90 degree (F) heat to water that was at least 30 degrees (F) colder, and the crowd waiting their turn, upon seeing someone struggling to swim, or being fished out by a lifeguard, would point at them and scream demining, and vulgar, insults at the unfortunate victim.
** A former lifeguard recounts the time that she was sentenced to supervise the race boat pond (apparently that was least wanted position amongst the staff, and was seen as a punishment rather than just another assignment) one boat crashed onto another, and the rider on top tried to keep going, not caring that he was crushing the rider on the bottom, and the lifeguard had to yell at him, and hit the boat with a stick to get him to leave. When the top rider got off his boat, he walked away like nothing happened.

* {{Reconstruction}}: A literal example in the park's grand re-opening, which now goes by the motto, "All of the thrills, none of the spills." This is most evident in the successor to the Cannonball Loop, the Sky Caliber, which is designed so that a safe looping water slide would actually be plausible.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Employees were reportedly offered hundred-dollar bills to test the infamous looping waterslide. According to a former employee, "$100 [[DrowningMySorrows did not buy enough booze to drown out that memory.]]" According to the documentary ''Class Action Park'', during the park's heyday in the [[TheEighties 1980s']], despite the countless unreported minor injuries (scrapes, bumps, bruises, etc.) dozens of serious injuries (defined only as a visitor being carried out in an ambulance), and even a few deaths, Gene Mulvehill, who owned Action Park, didn't face serious legal repercussion, with the worst thing being a rare visit from the U.S. Marshalls' coming to collect an equally rare legal settlement that Mulvehill refused to pay right after the court proceedings. The reason for such a lax enforcement by the authorities is because Action Park brought a large influx of cash to the local economy in the summer, and his nearby ski resorts brought the cash in the winter.

The rides were poorly designed and poorly maintained, leaving people seriously injured or sometimes ''dead''. A total of six fatalities have been linked to the park. Most of the employees were undertrained, underage and [[TheAlcoholic under]] [[TheStoner the influence]]. At best, the employees studiously ignored what little safety rules were in place, at worst they would egg on visitors to violate them and [[PassThePopcorn sit back to watch the ensuing carnage]]. The park advertised on Spanish-language radio stations in New York, yet most of its employees couldn't speak a word of Spanish and all of the signs and such were in English. Though it was a popular summertime destination for New Yorkers and New Jerseyans in the 1980s, legal and financial troubles, not just at Action Park but also at the ski resort and within the management, caused Action Park and Vernon Valley/Great Gorge to shut down after the 1996 season. The whole complex was later purchased by Intrawest in 1998 and reopened as Mountain Creek. The former Action Park became Mountain Creek Waterpark, its old rides having been either torn down or heavily renovated (with much better protection for the riders, obviously).

We could say more, but [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Park the Wikipedia article]] elaborates on it in much more depth, as well as [[http://weirdnj.com/stories/action-park/ this article]] from ''Weird NJ'', the documentary ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY-xgS7K3Xc The Most Insane Amusement Park Ever]]'', and [[http://thecenteroftheaction.blogspot.com/ this blog]] run by former employees. Just know that they once attempted to build a ''[[https://www.cracked.com/article_28081_the-terrifying-saga-action-parks-loop-de-loop-slide.html looping water slide]]'', and that it was actually open to the public for a brief period.

* GiantWallOfWateryDoom: The wave pool was nicknamed the "Grave Pool" by lifeguards due to how many people they pulled out, as well as the fact that three people ''drowned there''. Up to 30 people could require rescue in a single weekend, and there were always a dozen lifeguards on watch at any one time. Since most of the park's visitors were from the New York and New Jersey areas, they were used to going to beaches and didn't account for the lack of buoyancy they'd have in fresh water.

* CallousnessTowardsEmergency: In the documentary ''Class Action Park'', one former attendee recounts what he saw in the Tarzan Swing ride, in which a person hung on to swing rope, and and dropped about ten feet onto the pool bellow. Since the pool was spring fed, a person could go into shock going from 90 degree (F) heat to water that was at least 30 degrees (F) colder, and the crowd waiting their turn, upon seeing someone struggling to swim, or being fished out by a lifeguard, would point at them and scream "Pussy! You're a fucking pussy!"

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Employees were reportedly offered hundred-dollar bills to test the infamous looping waterslide. According to a former employee, "$100 [[DrowningMySorrows did not buy enough booze to drown out that memory.]]"
** According to the documentary ''Class Action Park'', during the park's heyday in the [[TheEighties 1980s']], despite the countless unreported minor injuries (scrapes, bumps, bruises, etc.) dozens of serious injuries (defined only as a visitor being carried out in an ambulance), and even a few deaths, Gene Mulvehill, who owned Action Park, didn't face serious legal repercussion, with the worst thing being a rare visit from the U.S. Marshalls' coming to collect an equally rare legal settlement Mulvehill refused to pay right after the court proceedings. The reason for such a lax enforcement by the authorities is because Action Park brought a large influx of cash to the local economy in the summer, and his nearby ski resorts brought the cash in the winter.

* CallousnessTowardsEmergency: In the documentary ''Class Action Park'', one former attendee recounts what he saw in the Tarzan Swing ride, in which a person hung on to swing rope, and and dropped about ten feet onto the pool bellow. Since the pool was spring fed, a person could go into shock going from 90 degree [=F=] heat to water that was at least 30 degrees colder, and the crowd waiting their turn, upon seeing someone struggling to swim, or being fished out by a lifeguard, would point at them and scream "Pussy! You're a fucking pussy!"

* LowerClassLout: According to ''Class Action Park'', a great percentage of the attendees were people of blue collar background from New York City, who couldn't afford to take exotic vacations in the Caribbean, so traveling to rural New Jersey was the closet thing to long distance destination, and their lack of manners and decorum is what led to people getting hurt trying to push their, and the ride's, limits, and why the staff had to develop a routine to take care of a "[[PottyFailure Code Brown.]]"

* ParentalHypocrisy: In Creator/{{HBO}} documentary, one former employer talks through NostalgiaFilter about how before cell phones, [[FreeRangeChildren kids would go off on an adventure without parental supervision]]. The former employee recounts how before he got a job at there, he and his brother would have breakfast, then they would ride their bikes to Action Park, have fun, and be back home for dinner, with their parents being none the wiser. He then says that if he ever found out one of his kids did that he "would beat their asses."

* ParentalHypocrisy: In Creator/{{HBO}} documentary, one former employer talks through NostalgiaFilter about before cell phones, [[FreeRangeChildren kids would go off on an adventure without parental supervision]]. The former employee recounts how before he got a job at the park, he and his brother would have breakfast and he and his brother would ride their bikes to action park, have fun and be back home for dinner, with their parents being none the wiser. He then says that if he ever found out one of his kids did that he "would beat their asses."

Action Park (running from 1978 from 1996) was an especially infamous {{Theme Park|s}}, located in the town of Vernon in northwestern UsefulNotes/NewJersey. On paper, it seemed like a normal theme park, with an alpine slide, a ski area (it was part of the Vernon Valley/Great Gorge Ski Resort, now known as Mountain Creek), and two themed areas: Motorworld (based around vehicles) and Waterworld (a water park). Sounds good, right?

The rides were poorly designed and poorly maintained, leaving people seriously injured or sometimes ''dead''. A total of six fatalities have been linked to the park. Most of the employees were undertrained (and often under the influence of alcohol and other things) teenagers who didn't care about safety rules and often encouraged dangerous antics. The park advertised on Spanish-language radio stations in New York, yet most of its employees couldn't speak a word of Spanish and all of the signs and such were in English. Though it was a popular summertime destination for New Yorkers and New Jerseyans in the 1980s, legal and financial troubles, not just at Action Park but also at the ski resort and within the management, caused Action Park and Vernon Valley/Great Gorge to shut down after the 1996 season. The whole complex was later purchased by Intrawest in 1998 and reopened as Mountain Creek. The former Action Park became Mountain Creek Waterpark, its old rides having been either torn down or heavily renovated (with much better protection for the riders, obviously).

Well, the execution is where things [[GoneHorriblyWrong went horribly wrong]].

The [=YouTube=] series ''WebVideo/{{Defunctland}}'' has an episode covering its history. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkW-ceNvck Watch it here.]] A full on documentary, ''Class Action Park'', debuted in August 2020 on Creator/HBOMax with John Hodgman narrating.

The [=YouTube=] series ''WebVideo/{{Defunctland}}'' has an episode covering its history. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkW-ceNvck Watch it here.]]

We could say more, but [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Park the Wikipedia article]] elaborates on it in much more depth, as well as [[http://weirdnj.com/stories/action-park/ this article]] from ''Weird NJ'', the documentary ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY-xgS7K3Xc The Most Insane Amusement Park Ever]]'', and [[http://thecenteroftheaction.blogspot.com/ this blog]] run by former employees. Just know that they once attempted to build a ''looping water slide'', and that it was actually open to the public for a brief period.