Decapitation at Six Flags Over Georgia

[hobie16]

"According to Fox 5 TV, a group of boys with a church group visiting the amusement park jumped a fence around an off-limits area. One of them jumped to grab someone's feet as the Batman ride passed over, and he was decapitated."

This may have been preceded by, "Hey, watch this. I saw it done in a cartoon."

[Shorty82]

I agree with Wombat, but what I think is the bigger tragedy here is that someone is going to see the death of this young person as a way to make money via lawsuit. I can picture a lawsuit against Six Flags as well as against the roller coaster's designer and manufacturer.

Hopefully any lawsuit filed will be laughed right out of court. Two tall fences both having a large number of signs warning people to stay out should be more than enough to keep people safe. It's not like this kid wandered somewhere he shouldn't, he intentionally jumped two fences and ignored all the signs telling him to keep out. If there was just a rope or a low fence to keep people out of the danger area I could see a lawsuit being deserved.

And let's not forget about the ROs. Even though the investigation will most likely show they did nothing wrong, I'm sure they would have been very shaken up by this incident. I know if I was at the control panel when this happened I would be asking myself "what if" for a very long time, even if management and co-workers kept telling me I did nothing wrong.

I feel sorry for all the people who were working the ride and the people on the train that hit the kid. I hope Six Flags will offer counseling to the employees and guests involved.

[EeyoresButterfly]

I agree with Wombat, but what I think is the bigger tragedy here is that someone is going to see the death of this young person as a way to make money via lawsuit. I can picture a lawsuit against Six Flags as well as against the roller coaster's designer and manufacturer.

And let's not forget about the ROs. Even though the investigation will most likely show they did nothing wrong, I'm sure they would have been very shaken up by this incident. I know if I was at the control panel when this happened I would be asking myself "what if" for a very long time, even if management and co-workers kept telling me I did nothing wrong.

My first thought was of the RO's as well. I remember every single accident that happened while I was running an attraction, even though most of them I could not have prevented and none were 100% my fault. Those things stay with you forever. Places like Six Flags employ a large number of teenagers, for many it will be their first job. Could you imagine that happening? I doubt I would be able to continue working that ride if I had been on duty. Even when it is not your fault you still can't help but feel like you should have been able to do something.

I disagree with the take many people have on this. Yes, it was a stupid thing to do, but that does not mean that we cannot show some human compassion. This kid made a very big mistake, and he paid the ultimate price for it. Why can't we just leave it at that?


I would also like to say that now is not the time to pass judgment. I have read news stories dated from today, and they all said different things including:
-he was sneaking back into the park
-he was trying to get a hat
-he was trying to touch the coaster/person's leg

I will wait until I hear the official report to believe what I hear as the motivation. The news is not accurate at this point folks, it won't be until the police interview all of the witnesses and release their statement. Until then, it is all speculation by people who may or may not have witnessed the event and are looking for their 15 minutes of fame.

[felinefan]

It seems to me teenage boys are loathe to take a longer route to anywhere, and will take shortcuts whenever and wherever they can. I have observed this many times. Obviously they though they could get past the ride before the cars went by--another trait I have seen in teenage boys. They consistently underestimate things, and minimize risks. They are the ultimate optimists in that they believe that they can go over fences, through a ride area, jump over more fences, and that this shortcut is "better" than doing things the right way. They think they can get through without getting hit, that their plan will work, and they won't get hurt. Hopefully the friend that was with him has learned a valuable lesson and will warn others. But as we know, kids think it won't happen to them.

The stupidest deaths are the ones that are the ones that are the most preventable. Also, let's not forget that history is full of otherwise smart, sensible people who have made really dumb mistakes. And there have been well-raised kids who somehow manage to forget or disobey the rules, and suffer for it anyway. Good breeding and smarts are no guarantee of everything going well.

[Syndrome]

I feel sorry for all the people who were working the ride and the people on the train that hit the kid. I hope Six Flags will offer counseling to the employees and guests involved.

And I hope they bill the kid's parents for that counseling, since Six Flags is not the one who created the necessity for it.

[Sarah Magdalene]

And I hope they bill the kid's parents for that counseling, since Six Flags is not the one who created the necessity for it.

A-fricken'-MEN!

[Big Wallaby]

And I hope they bill the kid's parents for that counseling, since Six Flags is not the one who created the necessity for it.

Now that, I can fully agree with. There's no reason Six Flags should have to pay for what the kid did... They've had to pay enough from this as it is.

[dancinghomer]

I came across an interesting article today about what the state labor and investigation department of Georgia said about the ride. They said the signs and fencing meets both state and national standards, but then they go and say that they should have more and bigger signs that say "Extreme Danger". And that they should put up more fencing to prevent things like this from happening.

"Good job guys, you are doing everything you should be doing to prevent people from being stupid, but why don't you just do more."

[Shorty82]

A-fricken'-MEN!

Now that, I can fully agree with. There's no reason Six Flags should have to pay for what the kid did... They've had to pay enough from this as it is.

Y'all are right there!

I came across an interesting article today about what the state labor and investigation department of Georgia said about the ride. They said the signs and fencing meets both state and national standards, but then they go and say that they should have more and bigger signs that say "Extreme Danger". And that they should put up more fencing to prevent things like this from happening.

"Good job guys, you are doing everything you should be doing to prevent people from being stupid, but why don't you just do more."

One would think two tall fences both with large signs telling people to keep out would be enough and should be enough but in some people's cases they aren't. I wouldn't be surprised that this tragedy would have still happened even if there were 6 fences literally covered with "Extreme Danger" signs.

[Cheshire Figment]

How about concertina razor wire at the top pf the fences?

And I think six flags should file a preemptive lawsuit against the family for all expenses related to the incident, including lost profits.