After a girl's feet were severed on a thrill ride at a Kentucky amusement park, similar rides around the country were temporarily closed, and even in Utah extra attention was being given to the safety of park patrons.

"It's not only a moral imperative that we make things safe, but we could not stay in business if it wasn't," said Dick Andrew, executive vice president of marketing for Lagoon Corp. in Farmington. He said that every day, before the sun comes up, mechanics are running multiple safety tests on park rides and equipment.

All rides and amusements go through significant checkpoints and the operators are required to excel at written and hands-on examinations before being trusted with managing such a task. While in operation, he said all rides and operators are monitored for safety.

"We would not even open a ride until it's been through the checklists for safety and mechanics," Andrew said. The Utah park did not close its Rocket ride following Thursday's horrific events at Six Flags' Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, but officials were following the progress of the ongoing investigation.

"We keep track of everything going on in the whole industry and we've been keeping an eye on this as well," he said. Andrew said amusement parks spend millions of dollars on safety procedures and protocol to keep their facilities "absolutely safe."

"There is no margin of error," he said.

More than 300 million people visited amusement parks last year and according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, during those visits at least 1.3 billion rides were given on amusement ride equipment. Throughout the year, 173 incidents were reported that required an overnight hospital stay.

"You were in much more danger this morning when you took a shower than you are going to a fixed-site amusement park in the United States," Andrew said. "I can't emphasize enough the importance of safety to the operation of a park."

The Superman Tower of Power, which the 13-year-old girl was riding when her feet were completely amputated above the ankle, lifts passengers 177 feet in the air, then drops them 154 feet, reaching speeds of 54 mph, according to the park's Web site. The ride was manufactured by Switzerland-based Intamin and hadn't had any previous major problems or malfunctions. According to CNN, a police dispatcher said a loose cable wrapped around the girl's legs while she was on the ride.

Intamin, Andrew said, is said to be "highly regarded and well-respected in the industry. But it puts all of us on edge and increases our attention to safety."

Logan-based competitor of Intamin, S&S Power, Inc., creates similar products, including roller coasters and thrill and family rides, for amusement parks worldwide. They supplied Lagoon with The Rocket launcher ride, similar to the Tower of Power, which, according to Andrew, is a very popular ride among park-goers.

A receptionist at S&S declined to answer questions about the safety of such rides but said accidents happen all the time, mostly due to errant behavior of riders.

"The whole lore of amusement parks is to create the illusion and excitement that there is thrill, fun and danger involved when there really isn't," Andrew said, adding that he hopes the national attention being given to the accident doesn't keep people from going to the parks and having fun this summer.

Wendy Leonard