Sometimes safety isn’t fun
So, I mentioned lawyers and the Oktoberfest, and I figure I should elaborate. Back in the day, there was a ride at the Oktoberfest which involved an angled conveyor belt, which brought the rider up to a steep, narrow staircase, which in turn lead to a circular slide. All in all it was a fairly old-fashioned and unspectacular ride.
Enter alcohol. With alcohol, the conveyor belt became a spectator sport without peer, as the individuals who would have struggled with the fast-moving belt turned into falling, crashing, flopping living pinballs. You see, the key is to jump on the belt and maintain your balance as best you can, without grabbing the handrail. If you grab the handrail, in a futile search for equilibrium, you will quickly find that your hands and upper body remain with the rail (which is not moving) while your feet and lower body follow the belt (which is moving rather quickly). This resulted in some spectacular pratfalls, and was no doubt a serious injury waiting to happen.
Well, I’m guessing it happened. I’m also guessing some lawyer somewhere took a stab at a lawsuit (and, of course, a plaintiff, since behind every annoying lawyer there is a plaintiff), scaring the operator into changing things around a bit. This year there were burly young men who jumped on at the first sign of instability, holding up the besotten riders until they reached the top. No falling, no rolling, and frankly not half as fun to watch, but a lot safer I suppose.
Tags: beer, lawyer, oktoberfest, spectator_sport
0 opinions for Sometimes safety isn’t fun
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: