A man suffered critical injuries after being hit by a roller coaster at Kings Island Wednesday night.
The as-yet-unidentified 38-year-old man climbed over a fence and entered a restricted area around the Banshee roller coaster around 8pm local time on Wednesday, according to multiple eyewitnesses. Some reports said that the man was trying to retrieve keys that he had lost when riding the coaster.
After entering the restricted area, the man was hit by the Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster, which reaches a top speed of 68 mph. The man suffered unspecified "traumatic" injuries and his condition is not known at this time.
"The park's safety and first aid personnel responded immediately to the situation and contacted local emergency responders," Kings Island said in a press statement. "The guest was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The ride remains closed while local authorities and park personnel conduct an investigation. Kings Island’s focus continues to be on the welfare of the guest and his family."
For those who do not know, theme parks routinely walk attractions at the end of the operating day and retrieve lost items that can be reclaimed by park guests. There is zero need to try to reclaim a lost item from a ride on your own - which is an act that can put your life and safety at risk, as demonstrated once again yesterday.
Update (June 24): The guest, Arntanaro Nelson, 38, of Wilmington, Ohio died Friday, local authorities announced today. The coaster reopened Saturday.
* * *
To keep up to date with more theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter.
The worst part about ignoring the plethora of posted Warning Signs is not only do you put your own health at risk but you also are putting the health of innocent riders at risk. It’s a really sad and completely avoidable situation. I always have to remind myself that whenever I see a “Do Not ____” sign, no matter how silly or arbitrary it may seem, its most likely there becuase someone at some point did something stupid to deem it so. SMH
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
This is horrible.
I remember a few years back when a young man tried to retrieve his hat at a Batman coaster ride. And, well he lost. I just looked up that story and here is the title. “Teen decapitated at Six Flags over Georgia.” - This was in 2008.
I must admit, when I was a young man, I used to think America was the smartest country on the planet. Now that I am older, I know we are a bunch of idiots.
Losing your life over a hat or keys is ridiculous. We were the worse country in deaths from Covid, because ya know “I’m American and no one will tell me to wear a mask’… Convicted felons running for office… What a mess…
The inmates are officially running the asylum.