The giant slide at Belle Isle Park in Detroit has delighted people for nearly 50 years, but has been shut down for two summers thanks to the pandemic. It reopened on Friday to much fanfare and many bruises. It re-closed after just a few hours due to the body count.
What exactly happened here? It's not clear exactly why the ride was any faster or why riders got more air than in previous years, but something has given the giant slide the power of child-threatening.
When Kasey Chapple, 9, of Warren, caught her on the slide on Friday she thought: “Oh my God, I want to go down so bad.”
She went down and then: “Boom! Bounce. Bounce.”
Kasey would go down again, she said, but not on Friday. Maybe the next day.
Detroit News
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources huddled and came up with a few potential ways to slow riders down, including coating the slide in wax and hosing it down with water in between rides. The slide re-opened Saturday, and no injuries were reported, but I dunno man, you can go first.
Gravity can be a menace, as those who would slide in Bernie Brewer's assprints know all too well. But if you simply must take your life in your hands and ride the Belle Isle giant slide, please listen to this guy.
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