I took my teen-aged nieces and nephews to Six Flags Magic Mountain last week and, I don't know what the hell came over me, but I rode along with them on those extreme roller coasters built for overactive adolescents and thrill-seekers... well let me tell you... these rides were absolutely terrifying! But I loved every minute of it, even though my stomach was in knots!
First we rode Goliath, which has a stomach-turning 250 ft drop:
Then we rode X2... My goodness! Here's a summary of the ride: once you're strapped in, your rotating seat falls back so that, on your back and head first, you barrel up a ramp and then plummet down several dozen feet before it suddenly twists and pivots your seat into a dangling position as you fall a hundred feet more. The damn thing kept twisting and pivoting that I actually felt a tinge of nausea. And then, near the end of the ride, flames shoot out from both sides, singeing whatever tiny leg hairs were already standing on end.
Our last ride of the day was Tatsu. Now this was absolutely terrifying. Instead of being on our backs like X2, this time we're on our bellies, dangling in the air, simulating being in the clutches of a fiery dragon (hence the dragon logo). This thing swept us up and down high above the trees which was scary enough, but then it does this loop where we're flipped on our backs before plummeting head first 200 ft.
The death of a Keenan High School student who was decapitated when he was hit by a roller coaster at an Atlanta amusement park has been ruled an accident, authorities said Monday.
Investigators also do not believe alcohol or drugs were involved.
Asia LeeShawn Ferguson IV, 17, was killed at about 2 p.m. Saturday when he was struck by the “Batman the Ride” roller coaster — which he was not riding — at Six Flags Over Georgia.
Authorities said Ferguson and a cousin scaled two six-foot fences and wandered into a restricted area that was posted with warning signs. No one else was hurt.
Ferguson and his parents were at the park with a group from Oakey Spring Baptist Church, near Springfield in western Orangeburg County.
Police ruled out initial reports from witnesses who said Ferguson jumped the fences to retrieve a hat he lost while riding the coaster.
All authorities know, said Cobb County (Ga.) police Sgt. Dana Pierce, is the teen hopped the fences to take the shortest route to the Batman ride from where he was. Another boy who was with him was not injured.
Mike Cosper, operations manager at the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office, said Monday an autopsy was performed.
Toxicology samples to determine whether Ferguson had consumed alcohol or drugs will be sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for analysis, he said, though results likely won’t be known for two or three months.
“We don’t suspect either in this case,” Cosper said. “It’s a tragedy.”
The roller coaster remained closed Monday after the Georgia Department of Labor took it out of service, spokesman Charlie Schroder said. The agency is responsible for inspecting amusement park rides.
Inspectors are conducting a preliminary investigation that could take several days.
“Once we’re satisfied the ride can operate safely,” he said, “it will return to operation.”
The park had closed the ride out of respect for Ferguson’s family.
Reach Brundrett at (803) 771-8484. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The death of a Keenan High School student who was decapitated when he was hit by a roller coaster at an Atlanta amusement park has been ruled an accident, authorities said Monday.
Investigators also do not believe alcohol or drugs were involved.
Asia LeeShawn Ferguson IV, 17, was killed at about 2 p.m. Saturday when he was struck by the “Batman the Ride” roller coaster — which he was not riding — at Six Flags Over Georgia.
Authorities said Ferguson and a cousin scaled two six-foot fences and wandered into a restricted area that was posted with warning signs. No one else was hurt.
Ferguson and his parents were at the park with a group from Oakey Spring Baptist Church, near Springfield in western Orangeburg County.
Police ruled out initial reports from witnesses who said Ferguson jumped the fences to retrieve a hat he lost while riding the coaster.
All authorities know, said Cobb County (Ga.) police Sgt. Dana Pierce, is the teen hopped the fences to take the shortest route to the Batman ride from where he was. Another boy who was with him was not injured.
Mike Cosper, operations manager at the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office, said Monday an autopsy was performed.
Toxicology samples to determine whether Ferguson had consumed alcohol or drugs will be sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for analysis, he said, though results likely won’t be known for two or three months.
“We don’t suspect either in this case,” Cosper said. “It’s a tragedy.”
The roller coaster remained closed Monday after the Georgia Department of Labor took it out of service, spokesman Charlie Schroder said. The agency is responsible for inspecting amusement park rides.
Inspectors are conducting a preliminary investigation that could take several days.
“Once we’re satisfied the ride can operate safely,” he said, “it will return to operation.”
The park had closed the ride out of respect for Ferguson’s family.
Reach Brundrett at (803) 771-8484. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
But, that was a freak accident caused by someone's stupidity. Had you posted a story about someone falling off a rollercoaster and plunging to their death, now there's a story that would give me pause.
Uriel
I'm too big a wuss to really enjoy rollercoasters like those, Elaine -- I would have been in as much of a fetal position as the bars allowed! I used to like Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland, but I suspect those were tame compared to what you describe. And when I lived near Busch Gardens in Virginia, I was much too young and timid to get on the Loch Ness Monster, which at the time was billed as the longest drop int he US, at 100 ft. Of course, we're talking 1982 or so.....
Elaine
Uriel wrote:
I used to like Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland, but I suspect those were tame compared to what you describe.
If they're anything like the Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain at Anaheim Disneyland, then yeah, those rides are kids stuff compared to X2 and Tatsu. Back in my youth, the wildest, most "extreme" rollercoaster at Magic Mountain was Colossus, and I insisted that we ride it for nostalgia's sake, despite my nieces and nephews protesting that that ride was "so gay" (sorry, their term). But after riding the newer coasters, Colossus turned out to be a big letdown and definitely not as exciting as I remembered it to be.
My goodness! Here's a summary of the ride: once you're strapped in, your rotating seat falls back so that, on your back and head first, you barrel up a ramp and then plummet down several dozen feet before it suddenly twists and pivots your seat into a dangling position as you fall a hundred feet more. The damn thing kept twisting and pivoting that I actually felt a tinge of nausea. And then, near the end of the ride, flames shoot out from both sides, singeing whatever tiny leg hairs were already standing on end.
