Also known as “Accident Park”, this park opened in Vernon, NJ in 1978. It is considered one of the most dangerous amusement parks. Founder and CEO Gene Mulvihill’s philosophy was that amusement park visitors should be in control of their experience, envisioning a park where patrons managed the ride–including how fast and how high they went. And that’s exactly what he created at Action Park.
For example, the Alpine Slide (3rd pic on the right) was described by a former employee as “essentially a giant track to rip people’s skin off that was disguised as a kid’s ride.” The Alpine Slide concept was simple enough: you sat on a sled and descended down concrete tracks using a hand brake to control your speed, either slowly or at a speed described by a former park employee as “death awaits”. The park saw its first fatality on the Alpine Slide, when a 19-year-old employee rode off the track and hit his head. According to New Jersey’s records, there were at least 26 other serious head injuries and 14 fractures attributed to the Alpine Slide.
The Tidal Wave Pool, nicknamed The Grave Pool (pic on 2nd row - left), which was filled with fresh water as opposed to sea water could have waves that reached 40 inches at the highest blast. The 12 lifeguards on duty rescued, on average, 30 people a day on high-traffic weekends.
The most notorious ride was definitely the Cannon Ball Loop (bottom). According to one urban legend, when park owners sent a dummy doll on a test run of the ride, it came back with no head. Gene Mulvihill offered his employees $100 to test out new rides, including the Cannonball Loop, and despite employees winding up with bloody noses and bruises, he opened the ride. One person even remembers hearing that a patron got stuck at the top of the loop, causing the park to build a hatch to aid in future rescues. Just a month after it opened, and after countless injuries were reported, it was shut down by the Advisory Board on Carnival Amusement Ride Safety.
Action Park was finally closed in 1996. It had 6 fatalities (3 drownings, an electrocution ,and a couple skull injuries). In 2010 is was re-opened under the name Mountain Creek Water-park
