Earlier this year we posted about Fabio's unfortunate collision with a goose, and we're back to revisit it again, because the story is apparently a gift that just keeps giving. This video, from 13 News Now, explains the original incident:
From March 30, 1999: Fabio gets hit by a goose riding Apollo's Chariot
The supermodel was at Busch Gardens Williamsburg to celebrate its then-newest roller coaster, Apollo's Chariot. He took a front seat inaugural ride… but ended up with a face of feathers and a bloody nose in need of stitches.
You can hear Fabio at the end of that video stating, "It wasn't a freak accident, and it's gonna happen again. And I cannot live with my conscience knowing that the ride is still running and maybe a person or even a child can be killed."
But the story doesn't end there. Park Rovers posted a video in March 2022 that provides a deep dive into the lingering questions around this incident. The video is called, "The Mystery of Fabio's Goose Incident," and asks: "On March 30, 1999, Fabio Lanzoni rode Apollo's Chariot and was hit in the face by a goose. Or was he?" Park Rovers presents conflicting stories told by Fabio, park officials, and people who claim to have been on the coaster with Fabio on the day in question. Some claim Fabio was hit by a goose. Fabio himself claimed that at first, but then began stating that the bird hit the video camera that was attached to the front of the coaster, which shattered the equipment, causing a piece of metal to fly off and his nose. He also claims that the video footage of the incident mysteriously "disappeared." Was this a coverup? Goosegate 1999? We may never know.
Apollo's Chariot is a popular ride at Busch Gardens Williamsburg that is still going strong. As far as we know, no other goose/camera incidents have occurred since Fabio's.
