Hands hitting ceilings on Coasters?

[Nev]

Ok, so I just got back from Disneyland and I have to ask to those who may know - Can you (tall long people especially, such as myself with long arms) touch any part of Thunder Mountain as the ride is in progress?

There are times where I feel I would have my fingers taken off if I rode with my hands up, especially on those sharp turns where the rock seems to hang low over your head on the right side of the train.

Same question for Space Mountain or any Disney ride. I hear you can at the end of Space Mountain in World.

TIA

 

[theluckyrabbit]

As long as your arms are kept at reasonable length with some flex/bend in your elbows (i.e. you are not trying/reaching/extending especially hard to touch what you shouldn't), you should not be able to touch the walls or ceilings on the coasters. That being said, there is a reason why selfie sticks were banned and why the coasters, BTMRR is a big example here, go down as often as they do. When the sensors on the walls or ceilings go off, the whole ride must be shut down, evacuated, checked, and the system rebooted. Selfie sticks were breaking lights and hitting sensors, thus the ban. Spring Break is a season notorious for teenagers trying to touch walls and ceilings on rides and setting off sensors. DH is pretty tall and raises his arms on coasters -- he's never mentioned feeling like he "touched" anything during a ride. As long as you keep (within reason) "hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle," you (and the guests around you) should be fine.

 

[Jerryp49]

Disney`s Envelope of Protection vehicle :

Can`t find it now , but I saw a picture of a similar vehicle they used to test the matterhorn clearance.

 

[mich311e]

Not BTMRR but my husband is tall and he could definitely touch parts of Goofy's Sky School if he wanted to.

 

[Nev]

I remember seeing that video of the vehicle testing! I always think about that before getting on a coaster, putting all faith in that device haha! But Im gonna say that wasnt used on Thunder in Disneyland. There's something about hands all the way up on a coaster, but I'll be damned if my arms ever go up on that one. LoL This is the most extreme example of where I hide the hands - https://imgur.com/a/E0WW86N

 

[MonocularVision]

I am 6’4” and can touch parts on BTMRR, specifically the lamp hanging in the explosion room and parts of the ceiling. I don’t do it much anymore because I worry I will get in trouble. One time I was closer to the front of the train and tapped the lamp, but because I was up front I was moving faster than expected and ended up hitting it harder than planned. I realized it was probably a bad idea to continue doing it at that point.

 

[Nev]

It feels like a lawsuit waiting to happen but on the other hand, all these years later and I haven't heard a story about anybody breaking their hands on the ride and if it was possible, by now we would have heard about it or had it raised/removed. Having said that, an employee (during a ride evacuation) told us she wont put her hands up on Thunder or Space. But... she also said somebody stood up on Thunder a few years back and hit their head on the cave. When my son asked what happened to them she just gave the "He's DEAD" look. I can't find any info on it so I feel it didn't happen.

 

[Jrsy Boy]

It feels like a lawsuit waiting to happen but on the other hand, all these years later and I haven't heard a story about anybody breaking their hands on the ride and if it was possible, by now we would have heard about it or had it raised/removed. Having said that, an employee (during a ride evacuation) told us she wont put her hands up on Thunder or Space. But... she also said somebody stood up on Thunder a few years back and hit their head on the cave. When my son asked what happened to them she just gave the "He's DEAD" look. I can't find any info on it so I feel it didn't happen.

I don't know about BTMRR but that has been a story on Matterhorn for years. Don't know for sure if it has ever been confirmed or if it's just an urban legend.

 

[Aladora]

It feels like a lawsuit waiting to happen but on the other hand, all these years later and I haven't heard a story about anybody breaking their hands on the ride and if it was possible, by now we would have heard about it or had it raised/removed. Having said that, an employee (during a ride evacuation) told us she wont put her hands up on Thunder or Space. But... she also said somebody stood up on Thunder a few years back and hit their head on the cave. When my son asked what happened to them she just gave the "He's DEAD" look. I can't find any info on it so I feel it didn't happen.

I don't know about BTMRR but that has been a story on Matterhorn for years. Don't know for sure if it has ever been confirmed or if it's just an urban legend.

From Wikipedia:

List of incidents at Disneyland Resort

On September 5, 2003, a 22-year-old man died after suffering severe blunt force trauma and extensive internal bleeding in a derailment of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster that also injured ten other riders.[24] The cause of the accident was determined to be improper maintenance.[25] Investigation reports and discovery by the victim's attorney confirmed the fatal injuries occurred when the first passenger car collided with the underside of the locomotive. The derailment was the result of a mechanical failure which occurred due to omissions during a maintenance procedure. Fasteners on the left side upstop/guide wheel on the floating axle of the locomotive were not tightened and safetied in accordance with specifications. As the train entered a tunnel, the axle came loose and jammed against a brake section, causing the locomotive to become airborne and hit the ceiling of the tunnel. The locomotive then fell on top of the first passenger car, crushing the victim.[26] Some people blamed the new cost-conscious maintenance culture brought in by Paul Pressler and consultants McKinsey & Company in 1997, which included Reliability-centered maintenance.[27]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_incidents_at_Disneyland_Resort#cite_note-27


Article from ABC about the incident:

September 6, 2003

 

[Nev]

That was the derailment, but the employee said it was a seperate incident.

 

[MrsD.Duck]

From Wikipedia:

List of incidents at Disneyland Resort



Article from ABC about the incident:

September 6, 2003

We left Disneyland the day before that accident. We rode it in the morning and it was really rough then it was down the rest of the day, next day accident.