Young boy has stroke after riding roller coasters

A four-year-old american boy had an uncommon type of stroke after riding a roller coaster.

Jose Biller, MD, chair of the Department of Neurology of Loyola University described such a case. A four-year-old boy was healthy before riding the roller coasters. He rode two rides: one was 679 feet long and 30 feet high with a top speed of 25 mph; the second ride had a 53-foot drop with a descent speed of 40 mph. The boy vomited the day after he rode the rides; and he developed a droop on the left side of his face. After being taken to the hospital, the carotid artery injury and stroke were detected, and he received low-dose aspirin. He improved, and at his six-month checkup, his gait had greatly improved and he only had mild muscle weakness on his left side.

The study’s lead author reports that the sudden acceleration, deceleration and rotational forces of the boy’s head and neck on the rides are the likely causes of the damage to his carotid artery.

Biller also explains that the phenomenon is not common, but that children under age 10 are more vulnerable to sudden neck movements. They haven’t yet developed strong enough neck muscles to tolerate the sharp head movements while riding roller coasters.

Multiple reports of stroke in adult roller coaster riders have been reported, but there are only two other reports of children having strokes after roller coaster riding. Those two other children were older – 11 and 13, according to Biller.

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