Canada’s Wonderland is defending its safety procedures after a mother is accusing staff of ignoring her child who she says was improperly secured on the new AlpenFury ride.
The amusement park assured to Now Toronto that safety is its top concern after being called out online for negligence by a mother after a recent distressing encounter she says could have been fatal for her daughter.
In a TikTok video posted earlier this week, which has amassed more than two million views at the time of publication, she recounts her 10-year-old’s near-accident aboard Canada’s Wonderland’s latest addition, the AlpenFury. Fastened next to her daughter in the two-seat row of the launch coaster, she was horrified when she said that the lap bar was not secure and that her daughter could easily wiggle herself under.
Hoping that an employee would come and check the restraints, she was stunned when she says that did not happen. Immediately, she said she attempted to flag down a ride operator, even locking eyes with one to voice her concerns. Instead, she was met with a thumbs up signal by a worker, and the ride launched.
“My daughter is looking at me with terror in her eyes,” the woman recalled, explaining that she was forced to cling on to both her child and the bar for the entirety of the ride’s course.
“I could not tell you a single feature about this ride. Couldn’t tell you anything fun about it, but I could tell you every excruciating second of what was happening between me and my daughter as I desperately tried to keep her in her seat.”
The AlpenFury opened during the 2025 season, proclaimed as Canada’s longest, tallest and fastest launch coaster jolting riders 50 metres into the sky and reaching record-breaking speeds of 115 km/h.
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Thankfully, there were no serious injuries besides a few aches and pains that the woman said she would continue to feel the following day. Following the fearful experience, she headed to Guest Services to file a formal complaint.
The woman says while the amusement park staff were apologetic, even agreeing to review ride footage and offering funnel cake vouchers for the inconvenience, the close-call only emphasized the need for a standard double-check system for rider safety.
“Imagine my kid was on the ride with a friend and not a parent who had the instinct and the strength to do what I did,” she said.
“I wanted them to change a policy or implement a policy… It’s standard on multiple other rides that their work and their safety gets double checked. That’s what I wanted, not a funnel cake.”
The now viral video prompted several people to flood Canada’s Wonderland’s comments section under its AlpenFury POV video.
“Mom was an absolute superhero holding in her daughter on THIS,” one TikTok user said.
“I couldn’t imagine having to hold my child on this because of ride staff negligence,” another person said.
CANADA’S WONDERLAND RESPONDS
In response to the incident, Canada’s Wonderland said it conducted an internal review and found that all safety protocols had been followed.
“We conducted an internal review and determined the correct safety checks were completed and the ride functioned as designed. All guests completed the ride safely,” a spokesperson for the park said in a statement to Now Toronto on Wednesday.
“The safety of our guests is a top priority, and we have reinforced all safety policies with our operations team.”
The park also outlined the safety features of AlpenFury: “The lap bar secures across the thighs and pelvis, with additional restraints on the legs and padding against the shins. There are several layers of safety checks, including a physical push/pull by an associate and digital indicators on the train and in the control booth. The ride will not dispatch unless all restraints are confirmed locked.”
