Features

VALLEJO — Cal OSHA is investigating an accident at Marine World this weekend in which a woman fell off a ride and had to be hospitalized. 

It happened Saturday afternoon on the park’s Starfish. Marine World spokesman Jeff Jouett said the woman suffered a two to three-inch cut to the back of her head after falling about six feet. 

She was airlifted to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek where she was kept overnight for observation. Jouett said her injuries appear to be not serious. 

He said the ride was closed after the 4 p.m. accident Saturday and it won’t be reopened “until everyone is satisfied that it’s safe.” 

How the woman was injured isn’t clear. Safety lap restraints on the ride lock automatically and the ride won’t function if one of the restraints isn’t locked, Jouett said. 

“At this point, it’s not known whether it was mechanical design or passenger related, or a combination of those,” he said. 

In addition to Cal OSHA investigators, park engineers have inspected the ride. The ride is manufactured by Chance Rides in Kansas and a representative of that company is scheduled to be at the park Tuesday. 

Rides at the park are inspected on a daily basis, Jouett said. 

“And if there’s any cause for concern during the day, they’re reinspected.” 

The Starfish has been in the park since 1998 and Jouett said he doesn’t know of another accident involving the ride. 

The Starfish is a disc-shaped ride that goes in circles while tilting back and forth, much like a spinning plate.