This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various United Parks & Resorts-owned amusement parks, water parks or theme parks. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy. The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, or deaths that occur at a SeaWorld Parks facility. While these incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities due to where they occurred, they usually fall into one of the following categories:
Caused by negligence on the part of a guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to violate park rules. The result of a guest's known, or unknown, health issues. Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance. Act of God or a generic accident (e.g. slipping and falling) that is not a direct result of an action on anybody's part.
Adventure Island
Key West Rapids On September 10, 2011, a 21-year-old lifeguard was killed after being struck by lightning while clearing guests from the Key West Rapids ride tower due to inclement weather. No injuries to guests were reported. The park installed a system to warn of incoming weather.
Aquatica
Orlando, Florida location
Roa's Rapids On October 4, 2010, a 68-year-old man from Manchester, England was found unresponsive on Roa's Rapids. He was taken to Dr. Phillips Hospital but was later pronounced dead on arrival. Preliminary findings found he died of natural causes. On July 15, 2017, a 58-year-old man from Savannah, Georgia was also found unresponsive on Roa's Rapids. He died the next day. It was later revealed he had a history of health problems.
San Antonio, Texas location
Wahalla Wave On July 1, 2018, a woman was found unresponsive after riding the Wahalla Wave water slide. She was given CPR by lifeguards before being taken to a nearby Christus Santa Rosa Hospital.
Big Surf Shores On August 1, 2019, lifeguards responded to an incident where a 33-year-old man went into cardiac arrest while in the park's wave pool. He was taken to Christus Santa Rosa Westover Hills hospital by the San Antonio EMS and later died.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Cheetah Hunt
On February 13, 2014, shortly after a train was dispatched from the station, a malfunction occurred causing the ride to stop, stranding 16 passengers approximately 60 feet (18 m) in the air for an hour. Firefighters from the city of Tampa evacuated all riders safely with no injuries.
Edge of Africa On May 12, 2002, a 21-year-old zookeeper had her arm bitten off at the elbow by a lion during a standard training exercise as she conducted a behind-the-scenes tour for her family. Investigators concluded that she likely inserted part of her hand through a 1+1⁄2-inch (38.1 mm) gap, contrary to policy. Park operations were not affected, and no park guests witnessed the accident.
Jungala On July 1, 2016, an orangutan escaped from its pen and entered the Stanleyville area of the park. Portions of the park were locked down and evacuated. This was the second orangutan escape in a one-month period, both of which occurred at Jungala.
Gwazi
On July 24, 2006, a 52-year-old man from Palm Harbor, Florida died shortly after riding Gwazi. After riding, he had difficulty breathing, then collapsed. Paramedics performed CPR, but the victim was pronounced dead two hours later. The medical examiner's report showed that he suffered from high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries. The ride was closed for an hour after the incident to confirm that it was functioning properly.
Kumba
On June 10, 1995, a 13-year-old girl from Pinellas Park, Florida, died shortly after riding Kumba, due to a rare heart condition that triggered a heart attack. Her mother sued the park and won a judgment of $500,000. The jury cited the park for failing to timely administer CPR and slowing rescue efforts. The jury also found the mother 30% responsible for the victim's death, thus reducing the award amount to $350,000 because the mother's previous drug abuse possibly contributed to the victim's health problems. On December 29, 1996, passengers on a train were evacuated after it stopped 100 feet (30 m) in the air, after which operators returned it to the loading area. Five people were taken to nearby hospitals in Tampa, Florida after complaining from suffering back pain after riding.
Montu
On May 24, 2000, a 30-year-old man died from suffering a heart attack after riding the coaster. The victim had a preexisting heart ailment.
Other incidents involving guests On July 4, 2018, a 36-year-old man from Florahome, Florida was hit by a falling bullet from celebratory gunfire while visiting the park with his wife during Independence Day. At around 10:00 p.m. when the fireworks began, he felt shoulder pain. Park security responded and the man was airlifted to a nearby Tampa General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Python
A few weeks after Python opened in 1976, a 39-year-old man died after riding. The ride's previous tagline, "I challenged the Python and lived!", was subsequently removed.
Rhino Rally
On June 27, 2001, a ride vehicle overturned along the course of the attraction. Multiple riders suffered minor injuries and two were taken to the hospital.
Scorpion In December 1994, the roller coaster was part of a lawsuit filed against the park alleging that a model employed to portray a family figure for the park's promotional material was not allowed to disembark the coaster after voicing discomfort. The lawsuit alleged the park was liable for false imprisonment and negligence and sought $15,000 in damages for her injuries as she was forced to continue riding the roller coaster several times without a break. The lawsuit was later dismissed by the judge in 1997.
SheiKra
On October 15, 2005, a technical glitch caused a problem with the ride's air compressor system. Passengers were stranded on the coaster's holding brake at the platform edge for nearly an hour until they were brought down by a rescue trolley. On May 12, 2016, a malfunction caused the ride to stop, stranding 24 riders 200 feet (61 m) in the air for up to two hours. Busch Gardens officials evacuated all of the 24 riders safely, and no injuries were reported. SheiKra reopened four days later.
Skyride
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