Touching the Void
The Shockwave was, as Drayton Manor Park and Zoo boasted, the UK's only rollercoaster where the hapless punters could ride standing up. A large yet comfy leatherette phallous went between your legs, and the usual shoulder bars were lowered to keep you in place.

Being a hyperactive twelve year old, and this being the only exciting ride in the whole park, I went on it about thirty times, running round and joining the queue as soon as I'd got off. The final time was to prove near-fatal.

Having convinced myself that I was now something of an expert, I spied a free place in one of the cars and lept over the safety barriers to take my position. The shoulder things came down and the carriage began to move. I started screaming and made a leap to the side as the carriage squealed to a halt, the hapless attendants having applied the emergency breaks.

I didn't speak again for a whole day, but kept replaying in my head how I might have died if I hadn't lept off, or the carriage hadn't stopped. It still gives me the chills just thinking about it.

*After the accident, Joe made a full recovery. He continues to ride rollercoasters.*
(the joe factory what makes joes, Fri 26 Nov 2004, 12:59, Reply)