# Teen Killed by Rollercoaster



## MA-Caver (Jun 28, 2008)

> * SC teen struck, killed by Six Flags coaster in Ga.*
> By MIKE STOBBE, Associated Press Writer 32 minutes ago
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080628/ap_on_re_us/six_flags_death
> AUSTELL, Ga. - A teenager was decapitated by a roller coaster after he hopped a pair of fences and entered a restricted area Saturday at Six Flags Over Georgia, authorities said.
> ...


Sad, tragic and just plain stupid. A lack of common sense and simple patience. If you lose something on a ride then simply telling the management about it and they'll look for it AFTER the park closes and AFTER all the rides have been shut down and put it in their lost and found, and he can come back to pick it up later or have it mailed. It's what they do! But wanting to have his hat back NOW got him killed, and rather gruesomely at that. One fence simply says stay out, two fences means you'll get seriously hurt or killed in the area beyond the second one. 
This makes me angry at the blatant stupidity of the teenager who will probably end up on the Darwin awards and win top prize. His friend will have to live with the image no doubt burned into his mind because he was right there when it happened. 

One wonders if higher fences or even electrified (not a killing voltage) would've helped keep the kid (or anyone else) out of the danger zone? Security cameras strategically placed or even a motion alarm or something could've at least alerted security by the time the first fence was negotiated. 
There's fault all around on this one I think. Main burden of responsibility of course lies on the dead teen.


----------



## Kacey (Jun 28, 2008)

Or worse... he did it for a dare.  Idiocy knows no bounds, and this is definitely top of the list idiocy.    My condolences to his parents and family.


----------



## CoryKS (Jun 29, 2008)

"You can't fix stupid." - Ron White


----------



## MA-Caver (Jun 29, 2008)

CoryKS said:


> "You can't fix stupid." - Ron White


Decapitation worked fine for this one.


----------



## stone_dragone (Jun 29, 2008)

MA-Caver said:


> Decapitation worked fine for this one.



Exactly.


----------



## Jade Tigress (Jun 29, 2008)

The article said we was trying to retrieve a hat he lost while on the ride. Stupid, yes. But don't forget, this was a 17-year-old. I have a 17-year-old, smart one too, but they still think they're invincible. What a sad story.


----------



## Kreth (Jun 29, 2008)

Well, this probably won't be a popular opinion, but I'm going to call this natural selection in action... :idunno:


----------



## MBuzzy (Jun 29, 2008)

Just goes to show that those "restricted area" "Do not enter" signs do mean something.  It is very sad that something like this happens.  

I hope that it doesn't cause some kind of knee jerk reactions to roller coasters, which are extremely safe for the most part (at established amusement parks at least).


----------



## shesulsa (Jun 29, 2008)

Stupid alone you can sometimes fix ... but once stupid acts? THAT's what you can't fix.


----------



## Jade Tigress (Jun 30, 2008)

Kreth said:


> Well, this probably won't be a popular opinion, but I'm going to call this natural selection in action... :idunno:





MBuzzy said:


> Just goes to show that those "restricted area" "Do not enter" signs do mean something.  It is very sad that something like this happens.
> 
> I hope that it doesn't cause some kind of knee jerk reactions to roller coasters, which are extremely safe for the most part (at established amusement parks at least).





shesulsa said:


> Stupid alone you can sometimes fix ... but once stupid acts? THAT's what you can't fix.



Sad but true. My heart goes out to his family more than anything.


----------



## punisher73 (Jun 30, 2008)

MA-Caver said:


> One wonders if higher fences or even electrified (not a killing voltage) would've helped keep the kid (or anyone else) out of the danger zone? Security cameras strategically placed or even a motion alarm or something could've at least alerted security by the time the first fence was negotiated.
> There's fault all around on this one I think. Main burden of responsibility of course lies on the dead teen.


 
I don't agree with this.  I don't think there is fault "all around".  The park had TWO six foot fences, with appropriate signage.  The teen chose to ignore and had to go to GREAT effort to get in that situation.  How many times has a person been killed in this situation before?  None, that I can think of. Why?  Because the measures that the park took are appropriate and adequate.

They say that the long term thinking part of the brain is not developed in males until around 21 years of age.  Guess this goes to support that.  A kid made a very stupid choice and paid for it.  I don't think anyone is to blame or should share the blame except for the teen.

Now, because of his stupidity he has scarred MANY lives.  I feel for the parents and friends on who they lost, but it was his own fault.


----------



## jks9199 (Jun 30, 2008)

punisher73 said:


> I don't agree with this.  I don't think there is fault "all around".  The park had TWO six foot fences, with appropriate signage.  The teen chose to ignore and had to go to GREAT effort to get in that situation.  How many times has a person been killed in this situation before?  None, that I can think of. Why?  Because the measures that the park took are appropriate and adequate.
> 
> They say that the long term thinking part of the brain is not developed in males until around 21 years of age.  Guess this goes to support that.  A kid made a very stupid choice and paid for it.  I don't think anyone is to blame or should share the blame except for the teen.
> 
> Now, because of his stupidity he has scarred MANY lives.  I feel for the parents and friends on who they lost, but it was his own fault.


I agree.  It's not like there was a 3 foot rail fence or some other minimal barrier.  There were *TWO* six foot tall fences, multiple signs... plus the ability to just plain LOOK and realize that if a car comes through there, you're dead meat.

Sorry... The kid was a dumbass.  It's to bad the pain caused by his stupidity wasn't limited to himself, but is being visited upon his friends and family.

And, in my opinion, if anyone tries to sue the park -- the case should be thrown out before the park is even notified!


----------



## CoryKS (Jun 30, 2008)

This article says he and his friend climbed over the two fences as a shortcut to get back into the park after lunch.  So this wasn't just a fence around the ride, it was a perimeter fence.  

Shortcut.  Must...  Not...  Comment.


----------



## ackks10 (Jun 30, 2008)

punisher73 said:


> I don't agree with this.  I don't think there is fault "all around".  The park had TWO six foot fences, with appropriate signage.  The teen chose to ignore and had to go to GREAT effort to get in that situation.  How many times has a person been killed in this situation before?  None, that I can think of. Why?  Because the measures that the park took are appropriate and adequate.
> 
> They say that the long term thinking part of the brain is not developed in males until around 21 years of age.  Guess this goes to support that.  A kid made a very stupid choice and paid for it.  I don't think anyone is to blame or should share the blame except for the teen.
> 
> Now, because of his stupidity he has scarred MANY lives.  I feel for the parents and friends on who they lost, but it was his own fault.




i have to agree with you punisher, but  what if the kid could not READ, i mean you know that alot of schools just pass kids, but if he could not understand what the signs said, than that make it all the more of a tragedy, i feel for the family and friends,


----------



## shesulsa (Jun 30, 2008)

Reports in our area said the kid was part of a church group.

I think, sadly, that God puts examples on this planet for us.  It is tragic that we as a species don't seem to "get it" until either we see an example or one is made of us.


----------



## MA-Caver (Jun 30, 2008)

punisher73 said:


> I don't agree with this.  I don't think there is fault "all around".  The park had TWO six foot fences, with appropriate signage.  The teen chose to ignore and had to go to GREAT effort to get in that situation.  How many times has a person been killed in this situation before?  None, that I can think of. Why?  Because the measures that the park took are appropriate and adequate.
> 
> They say that the long term thinking part of the brain is not developed in males until around 21 years of age.  Guess this goes to support that.  A kid made a very stupid choice and paid for it.  I don't think anyone is to blame or should share the blame except for the teen.
> 
> Now, because of his stupidity he has scarred MANY lives.  I feel for the parents and friends on who they lost, but it was his own fault.



Reading this made me realize that I was wrong in my previous statement that you disagreed with. Thanks for pointing that out (nods to jks9199 as well). The fault does lie solely with the teen. 
I too feel for the family by the way. It's tragic that they were out having a wonderful time at the park and THIS happens. They'll probably not ever go to another in their lifetime.


----------



## jks9199 (Jun 30, 2008)

ackks10 said:


> i have to agree with you punisher, but  what if the kid could not READ, i mean you know that alot of schools just pass kids, but if he could not understand what the signs said, than that make it all the more of a tragedy, i feel for the family and friends,


Even if he couldn't read... FENCE = DON'T GO THERE!

If he's so mentally limited that he doesn't understand a fence -- he shouldn't be walking around on his own.

Hey, I'll be kind.  Let's give him the more decorative, wrought iron fence.  It might have been there just to keep the public away from the paying customers, or to divide portions of the park.  But the second, non-decorative, 6' chain link fence?  Nope; that's a CLUE that you don't belong on the wrong side.  If you can't read -- it's still a freaking fence!  There are signs on it... I don't think a sane person would guess that the signs read "This fence is a challenge; enjoy!"


----------



## Kacey (Jun 30, 2008)

ackks10 said:


> i have to agree with you punisher, but  what if the kid could not READ, i mean you know that alot of schools just pass kids, but if he could not understand what the signs said, than that make it all the more of a tragedy, i feel for the family and friends,



Most kids - no matter how much trouble they have reading - can read, or at least recognize, signs that say "keep out" or "danger" - that's why they tend to have big letters and be in big, bold print, as the ones below.  And whether he could read or not - and no matter whose responsibility it was if he couldn't - as jks said, if he's so mentally limited that he can't comprehend signs like that, along with fences, he shouldn't be out without an adult.

This was a needless, senseless tragedy, and my condolences go out to all who knew him.


----------



## Bob Hubbard (Jun 30, 2008)

A fence is designed to indicate "you shouldn't go there".
Multiple fences reinforce this.
A roller coaster moved very fast, and is very heavy.

I asked my 14 yr old nephew about this whole thing....he said the kid was stupid.

So what we have here is 1 very stupid, and now very dead 17 yr old. 
A deer too stupid to avoid the wolf is dinner. That's natural selection at work.
What is it when a 17 yr old, almost old enough to vote, almost old enough to enlist, and almost legally independant, is too stupid to not willingly walk in to a potentially fatal yet completely avoidable situation?


----------



## aedrasteia (Jun 30, 2008)

Lots of judgement and anger directed at a dead child.

if you've raised a teenage boy to legal drinking age without something awful or unfixable happening, congratulations and blessing to you. In honesty, some part of that good outcome was luck. Teen boys (and girls too) do impulsive, dangerous acts often and most of the time parents and family are the last to know. With strong and loving parenting, prayers, and lots of luck they come through alive and later tell us about "that time when I almost...". 

They are solid certain that they won't be the ones the 'danger' sign is intended for because they are faster or smarter or just taking a shortcut. They don't "think things through" because the part of the brain (frontal lobes) that does the work isn't working fully yet. Around their 20s it starts and slowly they understand. And then, if you are lucky again, sometimes you hear an apology - "I'm sorry about that time I frreaked you out when I ...." If you are really brave you ask "what _didn't _you tell me about?" and endure the answers. When I heard the apologies and the stories from a now-29 year-old, i was sure he'd reached grown-up-land. And he's living with his 19 year old step-brother now, so he's borrowing some of our adult 'motivational' behavior.

stupid is the wrong word I think. But just for a try, post here the honest truth about what stupid things you did, between 13 and 20, that could have gone very very wrong and didn't, by just a thread of luck. not because you 'deserve' to be in the gene pool.

some good people loved this boy and he seems to have been a good kid. it seems wrong and unecessary to add hard cruelty.

our friend's 17 year old daughter was killed when she tried to either look at or change a blown tire on the shoulder of a wet interstate at dusk. no cell phone coverage and fear of walking to a service station, apparently. 

yep. her parents and church learned how many people thought she was 'stupid' too. don't know if comments like some posted here reached them but I wouldn't be surprised.

I hope all the 14 year olds make it.


----------



## MBuzzy (Jun 30, 2008)

It may be harsh, but there is really no better word for it.  Ignoring signs like that, no matter what age - is simply ignorance.  Put whatever name on it you want, the signs are there for a reason.  The FENCES are there for a reason.  Yes, teenagers do stupid things....and sometimes they pay the consequences.  We have all done stupid things, hopefully they weren't stupid enough to cause serious injury.  

Even when I was a teenager, I fully understood the consequences of my actions.  I was able to say "Ok, this is wrong, I know this is wrong, I might get in trouble......I'm going to do it anyway."  and by doing that, I thereby accepted the consequences of my actions - it is unfortunate that this child had to learn it the hard way.

The thing is...kid or not, going in there was an obviously stupid fatal mistake.  It isn't the park's fault, it probably isn't his parents' fault, it isn't his friend's fault.....I don't know how important blame is in this case, but honestly, there is no one other than the kid himself to blame.  

It is horrible and it is sad and the family has my most sincere condolances - because it is true, it could happen to anyone - this is just an example of something that could have EASILY been prevented through simply forethought of consequences.  I honestly don't buy that "teenagers can't think of consequences" and "Their brains don't work like that."  I for one, give kids much more credit than that.  They usually know what they are doing is wrong and do it anyway.


----------



## Gordon Nore (Jun 30, 2008)

aedrasteia said:


> Lots of judgement and anger directed at a dead child.
> 
> if you've raised a teenage boy to legal drinking age without something awful or unfixable happening, congratulations and blessing to you. In honesty, some part of that good outcome was luck. Teen boys (and girls too) do impulsive, dangerous acts often and most of the time parents and family are the last to know. With strong and loving parenting, prayers, and lots of luck they come through alive and later tell us about "that time when I almost..."



Strongly agreed. It's a pathetic story that reminds me, as teacher and parent, how impulsive teens can be. I feel nothing but sadness for this boy's family, friends and community.


----------



## exile (Jun 30, 2008)

aedrasteia said:


> Lots of judgement and anger directed at a dead child.



ædrasteia, consider the possibility that it's not really judgment or anger; it's frustration and fear&#8212;fear in people with children, or with friends and loved ones who have children&#8212;that the failure of these children to excercise basic self-preserving intelligence will lead to _their_ deaths, or horrific injuries and incapacitation. Sure, we've all done stupid things, and we're all still here to a large extent because of luck&#8212;and because of that, and cases like this one, the fact that we live on the surface of a very fragile bubble is clear to us&#8212;and the people who are posting, I think are exasperated and frightened that to too many kids, such as this one, it _isn't_ clear. That means they're in grave danger, until/unless they live long enough to learn what we learned. Whether or not it's a normal part of growing up to ignore clear warnings about dangerous situations, because we all think at that age and stage that we're immortal, the fact is that this kind of case makes clear just how easy it is for death to find someone who's a little too cocky and self-assured. What this kid embodies is the real danger that haunts all kids who haven't yet absorbed the fact that they can, indeed, _die_. People's reactions are saying, please, let this not be normal, or typical, or the default. They're thinking of their daughters, sons, neices...

I've got an 11 year old son and I think I know exactly what's going through their minds.


----------



## MA-Caver (Jun 30, 2008)

exile said:


> > Originally Posted by *aedrasteia*
> > Lots of judgement and anger directed at a dead child.
> 
> 
> ...


Exactly, anger and judgment isn't specifically directed at the child... who really isn't a child but on the verge of becoming a young man. Though we've labeled him as stupid (and rightly so) I guess you can say we're angry at the stupidity. As Kacey said, it's a _needless_ death. But stupid is as stupid does. It's like train dodging or doing skateboard tricks near a busy street. Seen one video where the kid just missed having his face re-arranged by a speeding bus by literally millimeters after sliding too far off a steep stair-railing and landing badly only to stop himself at the edge of the curb. There are safer places to do stuff like that. There are safer ways to do just about everything. 
In the rollercoaster situation the kid could've simply just asked the park management to find his hat and return it to him. But he didn't, and it cost him.


----------



## morph4me (Jun 30, 2008)

We've all done stupid things and managed to survive, that doesn't make what we did any less stupid. I believe exile is correct, it isn't anger, it's frustration and fear. I don't see too much judgement here, just people stating facts, he did a stupid thing and he suffered the consequences, unfortuinately he isn't the only one, his family and friends are also suffering. My heart goes out to his family and friends, and it's a tragedy that his life ended over a hat, but it doesn't change the facts, he died because of a stupid act that he is solely responsible for comittiing.


----------



## jks9199 (Jun 30, 2008)

aedrasteia said:


> Lots of judgement and anger directed at a dead child.
> 
> if you've raised a teenage boy to legal drinking age without something awful or unfixable happening, congratulations and blessing to you. In honesty, some part of that good outcome was luck. Teen boys (and girls too) do impulsive, dangerous acts often and most of the time parents and family are the last to know. With strong and loving parenting, prayers, and lots of luck they come through alive and later tell us about "that time when I almost...".
> 
> ...


The anger I feel is not directed at the stupid kid.  I pity his family for the suffering his idiocy brought on.

The frustration and anger I felt was directly the result of the post (and attitude among some people throughout the world) that implied that he wasn't responsible for his own death.  Quite simply, HE made 2 separate choices to jump fences rather than go around to the gate; whether he did this as a shortcut, to recover a hat, on a dare, or simply because he was 17 is immaterial. Yes, I was a 17 year old boy myself once; I did plenty of things for no better reason than "why not?" -- and I accepted the responsibility for the inevitable consequences of some of those decisions.  I can't say whether this kid did or not -- because at this point he has NO CHOICE but to accept those consequences.  Sadly, it's his family and friends who have to live with them.

Quite bluntly -- I've spent too many hours over the years dealing with people, of all ages, who don't accept that their choices do indeed have consequences, and they must simply accept them, not try to find someone else to blame.  I'm tired of it.  I'm fed up with the mindset that says "It's the park's fault for not using an unclimbable fence, with a chute lined with pillows and marshmallows (no peanut products, of course) that redirects and gently deposits anyone who does manage to climb said fence gently into a happy place."  We quite simply don't live in a Nerf world; it's only in commercials we can bubblewrap the entire world.  So, if someone is going to ignore fences and warning signs, and they get hurt or dead -- IT'S THEIR OWN DAMN FAULT.


----------



## Bob Hubbard (Jun 30, 2008)

I feel for his family, and for his friends. I really do. As the father of a -17- year old, and uncle to a 14 year old, and godfather for 2 17 year olds, I honestly do feel for them.

But he had choices, he had options, and some of them were pretty easy to see.
"My hat fell off and landed in that fenced off area over there, just past all the signs that say -Danger- and -Do Not Enter-. I wonder what I should do?" 
If it was on a dare, I'm sorry he lacked the self esteme to tell his "friends" to **** off, it's just a hat.
If it was because of a feeling of invulnibility, I'm sorry that over powered things like common sense, and respect for property laws.

If he's "mature" enough to get a drivers licence, tackle SAT's, and all that, being able to understand that "DANGER" and 2 fences means he might get hurt bad, isn't too much to ask for.

As to me doing stupid things....yep. Lots. But at 17 I didn't think I was invulnerble, and tended to think things through before doing them. Might be why I never thought sword training with live blades, on roller skates was a smart thing to do, or setting bottle rockets off by hand, or playing chicken on the highway, or leaping off the garage onto a mattress, or jumping off a bridge into a shallow creek or any of a few dozen other things I see people do.

So, I'm sorry a kids dead, I'm sorry people hurt, but it's his fault, not mine, not yours, not Six Flags, not his school teachers, his.


----------



## MBuzzy (Jun 30, 2008)

I just realized something....I'm not sure what the "final ruling" on the reason he was in there was....but if it was a lost hat....why was he wearing a hat on a rollercoaster?


----------



## Touch Of Death (Jun 30, 2008)

MA-Caver said:


> Reading this made me realize that I was wrong in my previous statement that you disagreed with. Thanks for pointing that out (nods to jks9199 as well). The fault does lie solely with the teen.
> I too feel for the family by the way. It's tragic that they were out having a wonderful time at the park and THIS happens. They'll probably not ever go to another in their lifetime.


I feel it was totally the teen's fault. We wouldn't be having this discussion if he walked on to the Freeway. You will notice they have even less security on the freeway.
Sean


----------

