Six Flags Over Georgia Fatal Accident-- Batman The Ride

[GAcoaster]

Detail Here

 

Once again, another person in a restricted area. While I feel sorry for the family, it's hard to feel much sympathy for someone who climed over two fences into a clearly marked restricted area...

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

While this is a rather troubling story, unfortunately blame has to lie with the person who decided to enter restricted areas. Those sections around rides are closed to everyone for a reason, and the signs should be obeyed. I do feel for the family because it is a tremendous loss, but at the same time this could have been totally avoided.

[Sean O'Leary]

not the first time someone went into a restricted zone and got killed by a inverted rollercoaster.

 

Monday, August 14, 1995 - At Morey's Piers amusement park in Wildwood, New Jersey, a 36-year-old maintenance worker was killed after being struck in the head by the foot of a passenger riding the Great Nor'Easter suspended looping roller coaster. The passenger was also injured.

 

article coutesy of http://www.rideaccidents.com/coasters.html

Edited June 29, 2008 by Sean O'Leary

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

It would seem as though every major news site has picked up on this now with both CNN and MSNBC now reporting on the accident and adding the details that there was a decapitation involved which just makes this story even more heartwrenching!

[redsoxfan0810]

It happened on the same ride in 2002, a maintenance guy was under the ride when he shouldn't have and he was of course struck and killed (But kept his head.) Just another case of stupidity in this world, I have sympathy for his family and friends but none whatsoever for the kid himself.

[GAcoaster]

Six Flags Over Georgia Statement:

A 17-year-old park visitor scaled two six-foot fences that secured the Batman roller coaster and was struck and killed by the coaster at approximately 2 p.m. today. We do not know why this person was intent on gaining access to this restricted area, as multiple signs clearly state: Danger Zone / Do Not Enter / Authorized Personnel Only. Some witnesses have stated that the individual was trying to retrieve something he had lost. Others reported that he was trying to touch the ride. This is merely speculation at this point, and we are working with park visitors and local police to learn more. No guests on the ride were injured. The visitor's family was at the park with him, and Six Flags representatives are currently with the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

[gafreak]

I hope that this traggic incident doesn't make six flags want to remove all of these coasters from the parks, 2 accidents on same ride in 6 years doesn't look good.

[Up_Up_and_Away]

I hope that this traggic incident doesn't make six flags want to remove all of these coasters from the parks, 2 accidents on same ride in 6 years doesn't look good.

 

In both instances the ride was operating normally. The very idea of removing the rides because the victims happened to be in the path of the coaster is ludicrous.

[J4Sing]

I'm a little confused on the forensics of this accident. Now if the Batman in Georgia is identical to the one in GA, the lowermost extreme of the train is the passenger's dangling legs, right? Thus it is logical to assume that it was the impact from the rider's legs that decapitated the kid. If this is so, how were there no injuries to the passengers, as the story states? Anybody whose legs strike a persons head with enough force to decapitate would certainly not walk away unscathed. Am I missing something here?

 

 

[redsoxfan0810]

I hope that this traggic incident doesn't make six flags want to remove all of these coasters from the parks, 2 accidents on same ride in 6 years doesn't look good.

 

I agree with Up_Up_and_Away, That would be like closing down a highway because two people have been hit on it. People will still use it.

Edited June 29, 2008 by redsoxfan0810

[gafreak]

My example. Is lightning loops, it wasn't the fact that batman was comming that wasn't going to be the site for it, the girl who fell off changed the big wigs mind on the new location of BTR

[DarkKnight]

they have signs there for a reason really..... the dude shouldn't have passed that area just of a stupid hat. i don't know but i will tell you one think it wasn't Si9x Flags Over Georgia's Fault at all!

[darkridedan]

It wasn't SFoG's fault, but I personally would love to see themed walls placed around the ride. It's an added expense, but when it's impossible to enter the track area, it's impossible for this to happen, to a guest. Now this happening to an employee is another story all together.

 

Because of what happened on Scream at Magic Mountain a few years ago, coaster operators can't enter their own track area without a shutdown of the ride. Now guests MUST wait until the next day to be able to get their lost articles, unless it is life or death like medication.

 

Chain link fences just seem to scream "Climb me" much louder than the red signs state "Danger Zone" or "Restricted Area." Some guests are just that stupid. A teenager who came off a school bus on a Saturday just seems to be the cream of the stupidity crop.

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

I have to agree with above posts about the rides and being shut down. I don't believe that these two incidents would make the chain decide to pull the plug on the Batman inverted coasters. As Up_Up_and_Away stated, the ride was operating normally, and this accident did take place due to a guest not observing or obeying the posted signs warning of the danger in the area he was looking to get to. I am certain we have no need to worry about rides being shut down.

 

As for wondering how other riders were not injured, I was wondering the same thing as J4Sing in that I would imagine on an inverted coaster would require contact with a rider for an injury like this to be sustained. I suppose we are going to have to wait until more details come about to find out what actually happened. I have to imagine the investigation is getting many stories from various parties, a lot of which are probably slightly inconsistent with one another and piecing them together could take a while.

[GAcoaster]

Follow up from the Associated Press:

 

Teen's death leads to sign change at Ga. Six Flags

 

AUSTELL, Ga. (AP) — State regulators say Six Flags Over Georgia must increase the size and number of warning signs near a popular roller coaster that hit and killed a teen.

 

Police say 17-year-old Asia LeeShawn Ferguson IV of Columbia, S.C. scaled two fences and wandered into a restricted area where he was decapitated by the roller coaster.

 

The Batman ride reopened Wednesday following the Saturday accident. But State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond says the park must make signs bigger, post more of them and add the words "extreme danger" within 10 days.

 

Thurmond says the park met all other safety standards.

[darkridedan]

Wow. This is definitley a reality show watching, video game- playing world. People don't know to stay away from a train going 50 mph without larger signs? Six Flags would be smart to stay away from the stupid demographic. There is absolutely NOTHING about this story that surprised me.

[gafreak]

I went to college for crime scene investigation and eye witnesses are not considered relavent most of the time due to the people always have diffrent stories even though they all saw what had happened, unless there is camera footage any out come is going to be speclative.

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

I think it's amazing the differences from even when I was of that demographic. It really seems that with each passing day people and companies need to do more and more to ensure that idiots don't somehow hurt themselves doing stuff they are not supposed to. The statement of is just way too contradictory it's sad first you have "But State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond says the park must make signs bigger, post more of them and add the words "extreme danger" within 10 days." which would insist the park had not done something correct. Then the statement "Thurmond says the park met all other safety standards". Ok well as a young kid if I saw a single sign that read danger I knew it meant not to go near it, but a teenager requires a huge sign with giant letters to ensure they don't try something. This just boggles my mind, and coming from someone extremely familiar with the legal system and court system workings this is the trend that disturbs me because decisions like this which require a park to modify something because some idiot though he knew better just opens the doors for half the frivolous lawsuits that go on ensuring that people don't need to take responsibility for their actions. This just harkens back to the recent story of the 18yr old girl from Randolph who got drunk and fell off her balcony and died in her hotelroom in Hawaii, whose family then proceeded to turn around and sued her friend's mother who was staying in another room but was on thr trip with the three girls and should have prevented her death, and they then get awarded over half a million dollars. Argh this is just so frustrating people need to just be responisble for what they decide to do in their lives whether good or bad!