A roller coaster death at an amusement park is raising questions, as to why was there not much tighter security at Cedar Point? According to authorities, James A. Young was killed after being struck by a roller coaster as he was searching for his missing phone.
According to Ohio authorities, a roller coaster death has occurred on August 13 at Cedar Point, one of the nation’s oldest amusement parks located on Lake Erie in Sandusky.
Dozens of accidents have taken place at Cedar Point since it opened in 1870 including:
On July 14, 2004, four people were struck by metal debris that sheared off the coaster’s launch cable during launch. On May 16, 2008, a car rolled backward down a hill, colliding with another leaving ten individuals injured. On July 28, 2014, a cable supporting one of the carriages on the pendulum snapped injuring 2 guests.
However, this is the first time; someone has died at the amusement park. According to the police, at around 5 p.m., James A. Young II of East Canton took a ride on the Raptor, an inverted roller coaster and some of his belongings including his phone slipped and fell as he was zig-zagging in the air.
At the end of the ride, the 45-year-old man, who was at the amusement park with few friends, left them behind and jumped over a fence to get into the ride’s restricted area. The monstrous Raptor is 3,790 feet (1,160 m) and is one of the tallest, fastest and longest inverted roller coasters in the world.
The move cost him his life. Mr. Young was hit by the roller coaster and died on the spot. Sandusky Assistant Police Chief Phil Frost said during a press conference:
“After losing some of his things, Young jumped over a fence into a restricted area under the Raptor and was looking for his personal belongings. He was struck by the Raptor train that was in operation.”
A statement issued by Cedar Point spokesman Bryan Edwards revealed that staff members did all in their power to rescue Young. Edwards said:
“At approximately 5 p.m., a guest entered a restricted, fenced area of the Raptor roller coaster and was struck by the ride. Park safety officials responded immediately to the situation. Unfortunately the guest has passed away. Local authorities are on the scene conducting an investigation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family at this time.”
While many are saying that the death was caused by negligence on the part of the guest, others are asking, why doesn’t the park hire more staff or have better fences after hundreds have been injured?
Do you think the park should be blamed?
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.
— Cedar Point (@cedarpoint) August 13, 2015
