Mystery – How a Missouri Girl Fell Off a Coaster and Few Noticed
It's been more than 27 years since this tragic event happened and I still haven't heard an explanation of how a Missouri girl fell off of a roller coaster yet no one seemed to notice. It's a mystery that remains unsolved today.
It was June 30, 1995 when 14-year-old Ryan Bielby of Kansas City was having fun with friends at Worlds of Fun. That would tragically change when she entered the Timber Wolf roller coaster. The Spokesman Review chronicled what happened next. The wooden coaster ascended up what many believe was its highest point 100 feet in the air where it took a sharp turn.
All that is known for sure is that Ryan fell to her death at that point of the Timber Wolf. The quote from one of the representatives of the park said “Passengers in the front of the train left as if it was a normal ride cycle, and (those) behind left without saying anything. Just her friends noticed”. How is that possible?
Ryan's friends claimed that her lap bar and restraint came loose at the top of the Timber Wolf's highest point yet both were reportedly still in place when the coaster returned to the boarding area.
The Wikipedia page tells a different story as it claims witnesses saw Ryan remove her bar and restraints and try to switch seats in the middle of the ride. Something doesn't add up.
This tragic incident remains the only fatality in Worlds of Fun history according to Wikipedia. It reports that Ryan's family received a $200,000 settlement from Worlds of Fun when all was said and done.
My focus remains on how the other riders could exit the ride without any knowledge that someone had fallen off Timber Wolf's highest point. That's a mystery that is likely never to be solved as the years pass by.
