Worker killed by ride in motion at North Carolina State Fair

Weird. I was about to go to the NC fair this weekened, but other committments came up. The "morbid curiosity" in me wants to know exactly how far the man was thrown....
lata, jeremy

The Bonzai sounds like a Zamperla Hawk 24 (or 48) to me (see Aero 360 or Meteror for examples). That guy went flying according to the story! Once again, let's reiterate-"Don't ever enter a ride area while the ride is in motion", says I-Fan who's upset that another carnival company got a KMG Tango. Reithoffer has one also, and I wasn't able to make it to the York Fair this year.
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Dude, you're getting an Intamin!

Close, I.Fan, it's a Far Fabbri floorless Kamikazi. The ride is about 5 years old now. Less comfortible than the Hawk and much less impressive.

One of the Zamperla reps mentioned to me at IAAPA two years ago that the Hawk is too heavy to transport as a portable ride, actually.

I always feel bad for the families and people involved when stuff like this happens, but a part of me can't help but feel it's Darwin at work.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, when it's all in your mind. You gotta let go." - Ghetto, Supreme Beings of Leisure

Gotta agree with Jeff....sad but true. Jeremy, I also share the "morbid curiosity" gene, but got even more than I bargained for on the recent trip down to South Florida. I won't go into great details here, but there was a SERIOUS accident involving a motor home that flipped and rolled. Since we were going south and all the wreckage ended up in the northbound lanes, we pased by, albeit slowly, and what we saw was beyond grotesque.

bill, still wondering what part of "lock-out area" is confusing....

I feel sorry for the man's family, but I also feel really bad for the teenage girl whose legs hit him. That will affect her emotionally for a long time.

**Lorrie** (An entirely different Lorrie than the one mentioned in the article.....and I thought the spelling of my name was sort of unique..HA!)

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Proud to live in the Eye of the Storm - Good job Hurricanes! Congratulations Red Wings. *** This post was edited by Lorrie on 10/25/2002. ***

When I heard this on the news last night, they said he was thrown about 50 feet into the air.

This is really stupid on the victims part,according to those who witnessed the accident he had stepped into the rides path to retrieve something on the ground.

If this employee had been properly trained then he should've known to remain behind the barricade or safety gates or whatever protective enclosure the ride incorporates until it has come to a complete stop before going into the ride area to retrieve any loose objects which may have fallen out during operation.

Doesn't this sound somewhat similar to the accident at SFOG in which an employee was killed after entering a restricted area of B:TR while the ride was running,it seems really stupid for someone to enter such an area when they know they may be injured or worse killed as a result.

I just really want to know what was so terribly important that needed to be retrieved while the ride was still in motion?

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Brent Haley
Cedar Point Gemini Crew '02

Due to the media's propensity to sensationalize, I am always a little leery of what they say. I am going to put 1 and 1 together and say that something they are reporting is incorrect.

If a girl "kicked" the guy and knocked him 50 feet into the air (as the newstation reported) or over top of the neigboring Starship ride (as the article linked above reported), the girl would have suffered more than just a severe bruise. At least a broken foot/ankle/leg would have to occur for someone to be thrown that far.

Sean

Freakylick~ Just sort of guessing here, but maybe the girls leg wasn't the only thing to hit him. I agree that she would have to have more injuries for him to be thrown that far, so my guess is, since only one of her legs was bruised, is that the ride is what hit him more than anything, not her. He may have just been almost out of the way and her leg and the edge of the ride caught him an instant too soon. For him to be thrown so far, there is just no way that the ride itself didn't do the bulk of the damage. Way too sad, but rules are rules and people need to follow them, regardless of how many years spent on a job.

I believe, from the reports on the news that I heard, he was hit by the seat and the side of her leg was caught between the operator and the seat, no bone was hit, just flesh and muscle.

This is very sad, but as said before why would he go to retrieve something while the ride was in motion?

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800,000 years in 7 seconds: Time Machine the movie or next S&S creation?
"So Quoth the Lemon Chill Guy" (TM) (C)

Is this the same type attraction as Aero360 at KW?

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Getting a B&M will always beat out having to take a BM.

Yes

Just to let you know the man killed was part of my family and he was helping a child that fell asleep in the ride. He was hit by a passing car of another ride . Please be kind as to what you say in this matter. We all know what happens when people start to assume.

Interlocksix~so sorry for your loss. It is nice to know that he was trying to help a child. Although a horrible tragedy. it shows the human nature in us all in wanting to help others.

To the operators of the fair, I have to ask......why are 2 rides so close together?? An innocent man apparently lost his life because of this.

How could he have helped a child ON the ride if it was still in motion? This makes me curious a little, maybe a first year employee, but not a 12 year. I don't know, and I rather stop thinking about it. I'm truly sorry for your loss Interlocksix.

It was terrible! It was like a gaint iron golf that hit him in the air.

I think he meant that the guy was hit while helping a child on another ride.