Teen Beheaded by Batman Ride at US Theme Park
Pastor Dale Morgan
Teen Beheaded by Batman Ride at US Theme Park*
Sunday, June 29, 2008
AP/The Atlanta Journal Constitution
AUSTELL, Ga. — A teenager was decapitated by a roller coaster after he
hopped a pair of fences and entered a restricted area Saturday at Six
Flags Over Georgia, authorities said.
Six Flags officials are uncertain why the unidentified 17-year-old from
Columbia, S.C. scaled two six-foot fences and passed signs that said the
restricted area was both off-limits and dangerous to visitors,
spokeswoman Hela Sheth said in a news release.
Authorities were investigating reports from witnesses who said the
teenager jumped the fences to retrieve a hat he lost while riding the
Batman roller coaster, said Cobb County police Sgt. Dana Pierce. Police
have declined to release the teenager's name until an autopsy is completed.
Six Flags said it closed the roller coaster after the Saturday afternoon
accident out of respect for the teen's family. The ride was expected to
reopen on Sunday, according to a Six Flags news release.
Police said the ride was going full-speed when the teen was struck. The
ride's top speed is 50 mph, according to the park's Web site.
No one riding on the roller coaster was injured, Sheth said. The teen
was with another boy who also entered the restricted area but was not
injured, Pierce said.
The teen and his parents were at the park with a group from the Oakey
Spring Baptist Church near Springfield, S.C., police said.
In May 2002, 58-year-old groundskeeper Samuel Milton Guyton of Atlanta
was killed after he wandered in a restricted area under the Batman
roller coaster's path and was struck in the head by the dangling leg of
one of the ride's passengers. The ride was closed for a day to allow the
federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration to inspect the
ride. It was deemed safe for passengers.
In June 2007, a teenager's legs were severed when cables snapped on the
Superman Tower of Power ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in
Louisville, Ky. Doctors were able to reattach Kaitlyn Lasitter's right
foot, but she had to have some of her left leg amputated and subsequent
surgeries.
State officials blame a faulty cable and slow response by an amusement
park ride operator in the accident. Her family is suing Six Flags
Kentucky Kingdom, claiming the park failed to maintain the ride and
equipment and ensure riders' safety. The amusement park has denied
liability in court filings.