AP News Story Link

What a freaking idiot. Darwin Award?

Something similar happened here many years ago on the "Top Gun" ride at Paramonts Great America in Santa Clara, CA.

A guy (who didn't speak english - only spanish) lost his hat on the ride and hopped over a fence to retrieve it. Some lady's leg struck his head and it killed him and severely broke the lady's leg in the process. I didn't really feel sorry for the dolt who died, but I felt VERY sorry for the poor lady who broke her leg and had to suffer until the end of the ride to get medical attention - not to mention the mental trauma of "kicking someone to death".

I think the family of the dead guy tried to sue the park later for not having signs in spanish.

That seems to be a continuing danger with this type of ride because the very same coaster that killed the teenager the other day killed a park maintenance person in 2002 in the same manner as you described (rider's leg hit him in the head).

Story

The kid jumped two 6 ft fences to get a hat.

Damn.

Musta been some freakin' hat.

Oh Darwin!!

I think that's the same coaster they have at 6 Flags in Arlington (Tx)... cool ride but made me feel kinda sick... and I didn't even kick anybody's head off

I don't get why he didn't get out of the way... I mean you can hear a roller coaster coming from a mile away with all the screaming and the noise the coaster makes going down the track... But then again, he was stupid enough to jump two fences to get into the area for a freaking hat!

The news last night made it out to be such a tragedy.

Nothing tragic about it. If the kid was dumb enough to jump 2 fences into a restricted area, he pretty much got what he deserved.

I'm now waiting for the outcry about how the park didn't take necessary precautions.

Personal responsibility and common sense are truly out the window these days. No wonder so many people want to vote for Obama.

Six Flags! More flags! More fun!!!........less heads

I say take off all the warning labels and let the problem solve itself

You don't have kids, do you? See, whether he did something stupid or not, it is a tragedy, at least for his parents and for his family. I have no idea whether they're good parents or not, and neither does anyone else because sometimes despite your very best efforts, kids do things that are astoundingly dumb. For that matter, as I posted previously, one of the park's own maintenance people - presumably more trained and aware than this kid - got himself killed in the same spot.

The parents have already said they don't hold the park responsible.

You guys should read up on empathy. No, not sympathy, empathy's different, and a lot of people here could use some.

The park is not responsible for this kid's death. Even though the parents may have said they don't hold the park responsible, after an army of ambulance chasers finishes courting them, they will file a lawsuit.

Empathy? No. Why should anyone feel empathy in this case? The proper emotion is sympathy. Sympathy for the parents who have lost a kid.

It's also possible this kid's stupidity may have been helped along by other activities....

Link...

Why would the kid and his cousin take a break in the parking lot? The answer most likely lies in the toxicology results.

yes, darwin wins again.

Only you could pontificate on what the "proper" emotion is and then toss out uninformed speculation about the kid being a dopehead. :rolleyes:

It's been widely reported locally, but apparently not on whatever cynical speculation sites you're trolling, that the entire group was in the parking lot because they ate lunch on their buses. From the Atlanta paper :

"The boy was with a group from Oakley Spring Baptist Church in Salley, S.C. He had been in Six Flags earlier in the day, but the church group went to the park's east parking lot to get some lunch, according to Cobb County police spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce. Rather than returning to the park through the regular entrance, two boys took a shortcut."

And you have absolutely no clue whether his family will sue. I used to work disaster response for a major airline and while most people sue - it's part of the process when your airline's plane crashes - many do not. They may receive a settlement but do not file suit.

Now let's talk about emotions. Empathy, the ability to imagine what another person is feeling based on their circumstances, is obviously required before one can feel sympathy. Argue semantics if you like, but compassion is the bottom line and there's sometimes not much to be found on this forum.

BTW, and this isn't necessarily directed at you, empathy is what's missing from a psychopath's toolbox. Food for thought.

Whoa Bluesky - don't lose your head over this!

*rimshot*

Only you could get all emotional over the fatal actions of a complete idiot. There is no reason anyone should feel much of anything towards this kid. There were enough signs and fences to let this kid know he was risking his life. He chose to ignore all.

But thanks for your usual "Vagina Monologues" type analysis of the situation.

I feel bad for the kids's parents. Not the kid.

There is also conflicting stories about the lunch thing in the parking lot. It sounds more like an "evolving" story. Even in the link you posted, it said at the time of the accident the kid's parents were in the park.

Quote:

And you have absolutely no clue whether his family will sue............

They may receive a settlement but do not file suit.

I would say the likelihood of the family not suing is extremely low. Sure, it's possible they may not, but not very likely.

What makes you think the family would receive a settlement? Settlements are made in response to litigation.

If they will sue, it'll get dismissed. Plain and Simple. Maybe the church is liable for the kid's safety?

Showing your ignorance and inattention to detail yet again I see. I never said the kid deserved anything, I said it was a tragedy for his parents. And you think settlements are only in response to litigation? Six Flags' insurance company will surely offer a settlement proactively. That's because fault aside, what any company wants most is for the thing to go away quietly without having their brand linked to a dead customer in the media over and over again. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, it's just the way it is.

It's amusing when you get torqued up. All you do with your attacks and name-calling is prove again and again why you're not taken seriously by most people on this board. The funniest thing is that you actually seem to think that any rational adult gives a s**t what you think of them. That's rich.

In case someone wants some popcorn, I have plenty.

BPC, what's up with that picture, you have 13 year old girls that your abducting? your such a pervert

You're the only one in this thread who is getting bent out of shape. You're the one who started chastising everyone for not feeling whatever emotions you were feeling regarding the case.

Yes, settlements are in response to litigation. Insurance payments are quite another matter. When people go to an amusement park, they go at their own risk. Unless the park or their equipment is at fault, the park is not going to offer a settlement of any kind. If they did that, it would be an admission of liability on their part.

The family is already setting the stage for a lawsuit. In the link below, the video segment says the family has already hired an investigator of their own.....

Link....

The article also gives a conflicting eyewitness report in that it says someone claims the kids ran past them while they were waiting on line for the ride, then jumped the fence. A somewhat different story than other articles on this case.

So, no one really knows the true story or exact details of what happened.

But, go right ahead and get all emotional. You getting emotional about the case is so far one of the few concrete facts. That and the fact a stupid kid is dead.

Madman I got news. It's you. Everytime someone states something, you get on your jerk-mobile and start antagonizing everyone. You have this I'm right everyone else is wrong complex, and if they don't agree with you, then they are complete idiots, who can be mocked.
Your not the freakin encyclopedia, don't act like one

That's it.

I'm trading my wfe's Xterra in on a Jerk-mobile.

Freakin' sweet.

No, it's not me. Reread the thread again. I'm not the one who started getting bent out of shape and throwing insults.

Brush up on your reading comprehension. I'm not always at fault just because you are on the polar opposite political spectrum from me Yasha.