The roller coaster has been operating for more than 50 years. (Representational Photo)
A 38-year-old man was critically injured in Ohio, the United States, after being hit by a roller coaster at an amusement park. According to Independent, the incident happened around 8pm at Kings Island Park on Wednesday when the man entered a restricted area near the Banshee roller coaster. Independent quoted an amusement park official as saying that the man was hit at 110 kmph. The man’s identity has not been revealed, but the police said that he was rushed to University of Cincinnati Medical Centre.
The amusement park has not issued any official statement, but shut down the ride as officials conducted investigation.
As per an ABC News report, the man told a park official that he had left something behind and needed to go back to get it back.
The employee told him that it’s not possible for him to do something until the ride closed, but the man continued wandering near the ride and got inside through a restricted gate.
The witness quoted by the outlet said that the man had been dressed in clothing similar to park staff, so they thought he was an employee.
One of the witnesses said it sounded like the ride had hit a deer when the accident occurred.
Kings Island has been operating for more than 50 years. It is spread across 364 acres and is close to Cincinnati.
The Banshee roller coaster started operating in April 2014, as per the Independent report. It’s 4,124 feet long with seven inversions and is the “world’s longest steel-inverted roller coaster”.
