James Hackemer (29) was killed after fall from Ride of Steel in Buffalo

[puzzld]

http://mydeathspace.com/article/2011...eel_in_Buffalo


A man was killed in an accident on a roller coaster at a park in Buffalo on Friday, a law enforcement source said.

The source told NBC station WGRZ of Buffalo that a man "came out" of the Ride of Steel ride at 5:30 p.m. and "passed away." It was unclear if he fell and hit the ground or struck something.
The ride was shut down and the immediate area closed to the public, although the rest of the park remained open.
Darien Lake Safety experts and Genesee County Sheriff's Department are investigating, WGRZ said.
Last month, an 11-year-old girl died after falling from near the top of a Ferris wheel on the New Jersey shore. Her parents have filed suit against the ride's operator.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43692529/ns/us_news-life/

[deeply shaded]

And the lawyer, Larry Bendesky, said he was looking into whether anyone was responsible for the girl's death.
Since then, the couple has switched law firms.

[puzzld]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43692529/ns/us_news-life/ A U.S. Army veteran who lost his legs while deployed in Iraq died after he was thrown from a 200-foot-tall roller coaster at an upstate theme park on Friday.
James Thomas Hackemer, 29, was ejected from the Ride of Steel roller coaster at the Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, located between Buffalo and Rochester, at about 5:30 p.m., the Genesee County sheriff's office said.


The park confirmed a guest "came out of the Ride of Steel roller coaster" and said it was "saddened to report that the guest has passed."
Hackemer, of Gowanda, lost his right leg below his knee and his left leg at his hip because of a roadside bomb while he was deployed in 2008, authorities said. He had been living with his parents.


"It's going to help a little bit that he was happy," his mother, Nancy Hackemer, told The Buffalo News. "We shouldn't have had him for these last three years and four months."


She said the family had recently returned from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., where her son got "a new set of legs."
"He was assisted onto the ride," she said. "He was doing what he wanted to do."

No obvious problems
The park said local authorities and its safety experts were investigating.
Investigators said Hackemer was a passenger in the front seat and fell out at a "low hill" in the ride, WGRZ-TV reported. An initial investigation found no obvious problems with the restraints.


The park's website describes the Ride of Steel as one of the tallest coasters east of the Mississippi River, climbing 208 feet and reaching speeds in excess of 70 mph.


The roller coaster and surrounding area were closed after the man's death, park spokeswoman Cassandra Okon said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and the family of the guest," she said.

[HockeyGirl]

I wonder if his new legs had something to do with slipping out of the restraints

[deeply shaded]

I wonder if his new legs had something to do with slipping out of the restraints

I do too, because legs are kinda important with some restraints that just flop over your lap. He may have taken that thing about leaving your extremities inside the car at all times too literally.

[HockeyGirl]

yea i dont get it. They said in the first article I read that "an amputee had fallen out of a roller coaster"
So that made me assume he had no legs, which made me figure it was easy to slip out of the restraints.

Puzzlds article said he received new legs but I wonder if he was wearing them since it said he needed to be assisted onto the coaster

[puke]

is that the Superman ride?

[puzzld]

yea i dont get it. They said in the first article I read that "an amputee had fallen out of a roller coaster"
So that made me assume he had no legs, which made me figure it was easy to slip out of the restraints.

Puzzlds article said he received new legs but I wonder if he was wearing them since it said he needed to be assisted onto the coaster

Well, it takes a while to get good with new prosthesis so he may have been wearing them. But.... My Grandfather had an artificial leg and no way did that thing hook on tight enough to take the pounding of a carnival ride. I'd have expected to see it go flying off if he'd gone on a roller coaster wearing it. So they may have been removed as a precaution. But Grandpa died in 1985 so I'm sure the state of the art has improved and they may fasten on better now.

[morbid1]

Oh.My.Gaud! I went looking for pics of this ride and in the one I found the ride has just the waist restraint. Terrible, just terrible. Thank you for your service Mr. Hackemer. RIP.

[puzzld]

An investigation is under way into the roller coaster death of a U.S. Army veteran who had been trying to rebuild his life after losing both legs in Iraq. Teams of inspectors on Saturday were examining the Ride of Steel coaster at the Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, about 30 miles east of Buffalo.
Sgt. James Thomas Hackemer, 29, was ejected from the 208-foot-tall ride Friday evening, after climbing aboard during an outing with family and friends.
The wounded veteran was missing all of his left leg and most of his right one, as well as part of a hip, and had been living at his parents' home in Gowanda following years of rehabilitation.


It wasn't immediately clear whether attendants at the theme park had given any thought to barring Hackemer from the ride because of his missing limbs.
People without legs are barred from at least one other coaster at the park, the Predator. Rules posted on the resort's website for the Ride of Steel say that guests must be 54 inches or taller, but add that people with "certain body proportions" may not be able to ride. The website also suggests that guests try using a test seat at the coaster's station house.


Theme park officials declined to answer questions about the accident on Saturday, citing the ongoing investigation. Both the state's labor department, which has regulatory authority over amusement park rides, and investigators from the Genesee County Sheriff's Department were on the scene.

"We are all brokenhearted by this tragic accident and will continue our support of both the family and the investigation," the amusement park's general manager, Chris Thorpe, said in a statement. A Labor Department spokesman confirmed that the agency is investigating, but said it wouldn't be releasing additional information yet on the circumstances of the accident.


Sources told The Buffalo News that the man was "thrown from the coaster" and "fell a great height."
The park's website describes the Ride of Steel as one of the tallest coasters east of the Mississippi River, climbing 208 feet and reaching speeds in excess of 70 mph.


The roller coaster and surrounding area were closed after the man's death, park spokeswoman Cassandra Okon said. Other areas of the park remained open, and patrons arrived again on Saturday morning.

Hackemer was severely wounded in 2008 by an armor-penetrating warhead called an explosively formed penetrator. In a video interview with The Buffalo News this year, he described the aftermath of the attack, a hazy period in which he lost tremendous amounts of blood, had two strokes and was in a coma for six weeks at a series of hospitals.


The blood loss caused brain damage. Afterward, he had to relearn to eat and speak.
"I had to learn all my basic skills again," he told the newspaper. After finally going home, he said his parents had constructed ramps around the house and were trying to make him comfortable. Hackemer said he would never feel normal again, but after all his hard work felt like he was "pretty close."
His mother, Nancy Hackemer, told the newspaper in an interview after his accident Friday that the family had recently returned from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., where her son got "a new set of legs."


"It's going to help a little bit that he was happy," she said. "We shouldn't have had him for these last three years and four months."
"He was assisted onto the ride," she said. "He was doing what he wanted to do."











The death was at least the second in the last couple of months at Northeast amusement parks. In early June, an 11-year-old girl on a class trip to Morey's Mariner's Landing Pier in Wildwood, N.J., fell about 150 feet from near the top of a Ferris wheel and was killed. A state report found the ride's restraints to be working properly, and investigators haven't been able to determine how the girl, who was riding alone, got out of the Giant Wheel gondola.
People who have ridden the Ride of Steel coaster where Hackemer died recalled it as thrilling.
"That's the only one that gives you a scare. I mean, it does lift you out of your seat," said Liz Blest, 33, of Buffalo, who was staying at a campground next to the amusement park on a family trip.


Passengers are held in by a bar that sits across their legs

Theme park patron Michelle Mallory, who had one leg amputated four years ago as a result of a medical problem, said she was apprehensive about riding any of the resort's other coasters, but finally got on one called the Skycoaster.


"I asked for a supervisor to make sure I could ride," said Mallory, 31, of Auburn. She said she was told, "`You've got to have at least one leg."'
The Ride of Steel was also the site of a serious accident shortly after its grand opening in 1999. A 37-year-old man fell out of his seat 10 feet to the ground as the ride was braking on its final approach near the station house, according to The Buffalo News.
The victim suffered multiple rib fractures and internal injuries. A Cattaraugus County jury, found the park fully liable and awarded a $4 million verdict to him. The case eventually settled for $2.85 million, the newspaper reported.

[Her_Last_Death]

A US army veteran who lost his legs while serving in Iraq has died after been thrown from a rollercoaster. Sgt James Thomas Hackemer died after the accident on the Ride of Steel attraction at the Darien Lake theme park in upstate New York.

The park's website says the ride climbs more than 200ft in the air and reaches speeds of 70mph.

The 29-year-old lost his right leg below his knee and his left leg below his hip after he was hit by a roadside bomb in 2008.
His mother told reporters he had recently received a set of prosthetic legs from the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington.


She told The Buffalo News he had been assisted onto the ride and he "was doing what he wanted to do".
"It's going to help a little bit that he was happy," Nancy Hackemer said.
"We shouldn't have had him for these last three years and four months."

The rollercoaster has been closed to the public while authorities and the park carry out a safety inspection.

A statement on the park's website said they were "deeply saddened" by the incident.

__________________________________________

Not meaning to be crass, but should there have been more safety measures in place given his lack of legs?

RIP Sir.

[Her_Last_Death]

SOURCE: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/iraq-vetera...162346447.html

[Trahnse]

yea i dont get it. They said in the first article I read that "an amputee had fallen out of a roller coaster"
So that made me assume he had no legs, which made me figure it was easy to slip out of the restraints.

Puzzlds article said he received new legs but I wonder if he was wearing them since it said he needed to be assisted onto the coaster

One of the articles I read at work last night said he did not have his prosthetics on when he was on the ride. Guess that was a bad decision. =/

[deeply shaded]

One of the articles I read at work last night said he did not have his prosthetics on when he was on the ride. Guess that was a bad decision. =/

How could anyone have thought it was a good idea for someone with no legs to be on a roller coaster that only had a thing over the lap as a restraint? They usually have kids running these rides, though, so they wouldn't think about it. Ugh. Poor guy.

[robocommie]

Hey guys. I thought I'd chime in since I had the distinct displeasure of working at Darien Lake for way too many summers. In fact, you can see my mom's backyard from the top of the Superman.
Morbid1, you're right. This coaster only has a bar waist restraint but also a seatbelt. It's the kind of ride where you really plant your feet down at the bottom of the cart. And I can totally see how height is a huge safety issue in regard to this ride in particular. Even the dummies they use to test the ride have legs. Everyone involved in this, especially the ride attendants, should have known that it was unsafe given Hackemer's height. I've always joked that I would never go on the rides at DL again after working there and learning that probably 70% of the ride attendants are still hungover from a night of hard partying. But what can you expect from overheated, overworked, underpaid, under-trained 18 year olds who are trying to make a buck in the summer? Do you think anyone told them how to react to an amputee requesting to ride the coaster? They might have heard it once during evil HR's paltry training session and that's it. They met a nice guest (Hackemer) who was clearly an ex-serviceman, was probably friendly as opposed to the majority of the other guests, and they wanted to help him out. Totally tragic situation, and I hope it provokes Darien Lake to clean up their act a bit. They treat their workers like dirt and unhappy and under-trained workers make mistakes like this.
At least his family is happy and grateful they got some extra time with him. Sometimes when your number is up, it is just time for you to go. The settlement money certainly won't replace him, but it will help his family start a new, prosperous life.

[HockeyGirl]

What kind of a seatbelt is it? Does it go across the chest, or is it one strap across the lap?

[whackjob]

i gave myself motion sickness watching this.

[HockeyGirl]

Oh hell no.

[deeply shaded]

Oh hell no.

I hate roller coasters. My grandson used to call them roaster toasters.

[PCP777]

Oh hell no.

Damn that ride looks OK but nothing compared to the Titan, which I love as it is smooooth and faaaast. Listen to the wind in this clip, of course the minimum size is 48"


Check this out...First drop goes underground....





Of course we have season passes to Six Flags.

[deeply shaded]

Damn that ride looks OK but nothing compared to the Titan, which I love as it is smooooth and faaaast. Listen to the wind in this clip, of course the minimum size is 48"


Check this out...First drop goes underground....



Of course we have season passes to Six Flags.

I've built roller coasters like that in games. I wouldn't mind roller coasters if I ever felt secure, but that bar that goes over the lap is not secure in my opinion. I want to be strapped in. Then I could enjoy it without thinking I'm going to fly out.

[PCP777]

I've built roller coasters like that in games. I wouldn't mind roller coasters if I ever felt secure, but that bar that goes over the lap is not secure in my opinion. I want to be strapped in. Then I could enjoy it without thinking I'm going to fly out.

On the Titan, I take my lap bar to a point of almost pain, really squeeze it down and brace my feet on that coaster. From the top you can see Dallas and Fort Worth, it's super tall. I can't imagine the fright James had when he started coming loose.

I once road the Superman, which is one of those tower rides. The attendant did not buckle me in tight enough and for the entire extent of the ride, I had to brace myself and hang on to avoid falling it out. Although I love coasters, I will never ride that shit again and now I make sure I'm buckled and tightened on these rides for many of the reasons that robocommie described.

It’s the tallest ride of its kind in the world. Shoot to the sky just like SUPERMAN. It's a bird, it's a plane—it's you. Soar above Texas just like THE MAN OF STEEL. Feel the adrenalin rush of rapid ascent to the dizzying summits of three towering structures.
So tall it's forever changed the Southwestern skyline
Dizzying speeds flying up—and falling down
Awe-inspiring view of the Dallas-Fort Worth area

[mydeathspace]

Damn that ride looks OK but nothing compared to the Titan, which I love as it is smooooth and faaaast. [/video]


Of course we have season passes to Six Flags.

Sorry PCP, but the Superman Death Coaster looks way better than your Titan ride.

I used to LOVE 6 Flags, but the two around here are SUPER ghetto. The people there are complete trash. I couldn't be paid to go there anymore.

[PCP777]

DOUBLE POST!!!

All the Six Flags rides have height requirements, how tall can this guy be without legs?

RIDE NAME MIN. HEIGHT LOCATION FLASH PASS
BATMAN The Ride 54" Gotham City Yes
Dive Bomber Alley 42" w/adult Tower
Flashback 48" Goodtimes Square Yes
MR. FREEZE 54" Gotham City Yes
Pandemonium 42" w/adult Boomtown Yes
Runaway Mountain 48" Old South Yes
Shock Wave 42" Tower
SUPERMAN: Tower of Power 52" Tower Yes
Texas Giant — Now Open! 48" Texas
The Gunslinger 42" Boomtown
The Runaway Mine Train 42" Boomtown
Titan 48" Texas Yes

[PCP777]

Sorry PCP, but the Superman Death Coaster looks way better than your Titan ride.

I used to LOVE 6 Flags, but the two around here are SUPER ghetto. The people there are complete trash. I couldn't be paid to go there anymore.

I wouldn't expect that from San Fran. I still can't eat Chinese food around here after being spoiled there.