Roller Coaster Death: Man Killed At Ohio’s Cedar Point While Trying To Reach For Dropped Item
A roller coaster death at Ohio’s Cedar Point amusement park happened on Thursday (August 13). According to Fox News, the victim was looking for his cellphone in a restricted area of the ride when the coaster struck him.
An Erie County coroner says that the victim was a man in his mid-40s. He entered a fenced area Thursday evening around 5 p.m. and was hit by a roller coaster called the Raptor. Cedar Point, located in Sandusky, Ohio, released a statement via Twitter and Facebook. Regarding the roller coaster death, the statement explained that “a guest entered a restricted, fenced area of Raptor and was struck by the ride. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family at this time.”
Cedar Point tweeted this message on Thursday.
“At 5 pm, a guest entered a restricted, fenced area of Raptor and was struck by the ride. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
The Raptor reportedly travels up to 57 miles per hour.
According to the Sandusky Register, the man is identified as James A. Young, 45, of East Canton, Ohio. Young had gotten off the Raptor and lost his cellphone in a restricted area. He hopped the fence in an effort to retrieve the item, Sandusky Police Assistant Chief Phil Frost said. The report goes on to say that it’s unclear if Young was actually struck by the ride itself or by a person on it. Police haven’t released any information on what injuries the victim sustained in the tragedy.
No one else was injured in the tragic accident. Frost is asking for witnesses to come forward who may know anything about the roller coaster death at Cedar Point. If so, please call Sandusky Police Detective, Dana Newell, at 419-627-5877.
Authorities aren’t aware of any other events like this taking place at the Ohio amusement park.
Cleveland.com reports that this is the second injury involving the Raptor thrill ride, however. On June 21, a man from Lakewood required 11 stitches after he tried to squeeze through a gate as it was closing.
The injuries and death from the Raptor had nothing to do with mechanical issues or malfunctions of equipment. Rather, it was due to park visitors disregarding safety and posted warnings of restricted areas. Since the rides go so fast on the rails, they tend to sneak up on people at the bottom of the ride as they go passing by. The roller coaster death that happened today is an example of how deceiving the rides can be even when you want to hurry and pick up a dropped item.
[Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons]
