Doug McKay: The Man Who Suffered One Of The Worst Amusement Park Deaths In History
Doug McKay: The Man Who Suffered One Of The Worst Amusement Park Deaths In History Doug McKay had only recently been handed the reins of his family carnival business by his father when he was killed by one of his own rides. Forty-year-old Doug and his wife Sherry McKay co-owned Paradise Amusements, a family-owned and operated outdoor carnival based in Idaho. In 2003, they were in the middle of a three-year contract with the Whidbey Island Fair — located on an island just north of Seattle, Washington. But on August 16th, Doug noticed something wrong with one of their rides. The Super Loop 2, a small roller coaster that involved a single vertical loop, needed lubrication along a portion of its track. As the Whidbey News-Times reported, Doug made the fateful decision to climb onto the ride’s platform — while the ride was still in operation — to fix the issue. According to the Seattle Times, Sherry explained that Doug had been around carnival rides for most of his life and was experienced ...