Teen Killed by Rollercoaster

[MA-Caver]

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.

Six Flags officials are uncertain why the unidentified 17-year-old from Columbia, S.C. scaled two six-foot fences and passed signs that said the restricted area was both off-limits and dangerous to visitors, spokeswoman Hela Sheth said in a news release.

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]

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]

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

 

[MA-Caver]

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

Decapitation worked fine for this one.

 

[stone_dragone]

Decapitation worked fine for this one.

Exactly.

 

[Jade Tigress]

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]

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

 

[MBuzzy]

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]

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

 

[Jade Tigress]

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

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).

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.