Is this response to me directly? I'm confused. I haven't tried to put the blame for this on anyone except the teenager. I was merely asking HOW the accident might have actually happened. Hope that clears things up for you as far as I'm concerned!
Coaster kills boy at 6 Flags Over Georgia
- Thread starter concernedperson
- Start date
Is this response to me directly? I'm confused. I haven't tried to put the blame for this on anyone except the teenager. I was merely asking HOW the accident might have actually happened. Hope that clears things up for you as far as I'm concerned!
Nooo... I hadnt read the whole thread, and was responding to some of the first posts, before anybody was aware of his age. I saw that as more info came out, we pretty much all agree that the teen was to blame.
We have a high voltage area nearby me... with signs all over the place "DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE" along with a high fence to prevent access. Some teenage boy climbed it with his friends, and he was promptly electrocuted. If I recall, the family tried to sue!!! It reminds me of this amusement park accident.
Texana
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I have to say that if the family's first response is they are hiring a PI to find out "the facts" then it explains to me why the kid thought he could climb two fences that said KEEP OUT in the first place.
Nobody deserves this kind of tragedy, obviously, but families have to emphasize that a) choices have consequences and b) signs and warnings are there for a reason.
We made it a practice to talk about "unintended consequences" at an early age with our children, which would probably horrify a lot of people, but we wanted to emphasize that once you make a bad decision, you cannot control the outcome. If you drive drunk you may get a ticket, or come home drunk and be grounded, but obviously, the unintended consequence is that you kill someone else or yourself. That kind of thing.
Obviously this family is suffering greatly, as are the employees and witnesses to the accident. What a terribly senseless and needless tragedy!
Nobody deserves this kind of tragedy, obviously, but families have to emphasize that a) choices have consequences and b) signs and warnings are there for a reason.
We made it a practice to talk about "unintended consequences" at an early age with our children, which would probably horrify a lot of people, but we wanted to emphasize that once you make a bad decision, you cannot control the outcome. If you drive drunk you may get a ticket, or come home drunk and be grounded, but obviously, the unintended consequence is that you kill someone else or yourself. That kind of thing.
Obviously this family is suffering greatly, as are the employees and witnesses to the accident. What a terribly senseless and needless tragedy!
OK, good!! I thought so, but wanted to make sure you knew my position (since my comment was quoted). :blowkiss:
Nugrandma1
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From what I have seen on TV the family just might sue Six Flags. They would lose a lot of sympathy for that.
southcitymom
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Welcome, Nugrandma - what a cute little baby!
christine2448
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This whole thing just has me sick. Only cause it's so close to home and I have been there....so many times, having fun.....the thought of it all. 
englishleigh
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This whole thing just has me sick. Only cause it's so close to home and I have been there....so many times, having fun.....the thought of it all.
Christine, is Batman the black-tracked coaster right on the front as you are walking to the front gate, next to the Mindbender?
Kiki
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I don't think we should judge them if they decide to sue. It is most definitely wrong but anger is part of the grief process and at this point they probably need someone to blame. Any of us may do the same thing in their shoes. Hopefully if they do, they would come to their senses before the case ended.
christine2448
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Here is a YouTube Video that someone taped riding in the front row of this coaster. I do not have sound, do have no clue what is going on.(at work)..but it is a good video and gives you an idea of the 'area'.
You can see when the ride starts you have rail above and below you...once you go 'off' the first hill, you are 'swinging' from the top rail, nothing under you but air.
The video shows all the fenced off areas under/around the coaster.
You can see when the ride starts you have rail above and below you...once you go 'off' the first hill, you are 'swinging' from the top rail, nothing under you but air.
The video shows all the fenced off areas under/around the coaster.
christine2448
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pixies
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I don't ever remember a part of the grieving process called "Suing".
Anger, yeah, I get that but they should be angry at themselves, their son and others who did not supervise this young guy who was capable of making such STUPID desicions. If he did something this amazingly dumb once, I am sure he has done something dangerous in the past.
(Like most teenagers!)
I know as a teen, my parents never knew where I was. EVER. But I had plenty of friends whose parents always knew where they were and what they were doing long before the days of CELL PHONES, which I am sure this dead young man and his parents had.
The blame here, if any, belongs on the young man who was killed by his own actions but there is plenty to share with his family who allowed him to roam around without supervision.
Anger, yeah, I get that but they should be angry at themselves, their son and others who did not supervise this young guy who was capable of making such STUPID desicions. If he did something this amazingly dumb once, I am sure he has done something dangerous in the past.
(Like most teenagers!)
I know as a teen, my parents never knew where I was. EVER. But I had plenty of friends whose parents always knew where they were and what they were doing long before the days of CELL PHONES, which I am sure this dead young man and his parents had.
The blame here, if any, belongs on the young man who was killed by his own actions but there is plenty to share with his family who allowed him to roam around without supervision.
GlitchWizard
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I hardly think going to an amusement park with a church group is considered negligent on the part of the parents. I don't think they'll get anywhere with a lawsuit, either, however. Poor parents. I can't imagine the horror. My daughter is 16, and I'm terrified some dumb mistake could take her from me.
sillygoose
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This is a video of the actual Batman ride in GA where it happened.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQGN37wNNBs
As you can see, the coaster appears to be sitting right next to the parking lot. It's been said that the guys were trying to take a shortcut to the park through this area. I'm guessing maybe they either went away from the park to go eat, or they went to their vehicle for something. I've been to that Six Flags and IIRC the Entrance is a long way off from the parking area (or it seems to be anyway). It appears to me be a case of laziness here. It's my opinion that the boys just didn't want to have to walk all the way back through the Entrance to get to the park. I don't think Six Flags should be held reponsible for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQGN37wNNBs
As you can see, the coaster appears to be sitting right next to the parking lot. It's been said that the guys were trying to take a shortcut to the park through this area. I'm guessing maybe they either went away from the park to go eat, or they went to their vehicle for something. I've been to that Six Flags and IIRC the Entrance is a long way off from the parking area (or it seems to be anyway). It appears to me be a case of laziness here. It's my opinion that the boys just didn't want to have to walk all the way back through the Entrance to get to the park. I don't think Six Flags should be held reponsible for it.
I can't see them winning a law suit. But the part about him being allowed to roam without supervision....he was 17. In a year or less he could have been fighting for our Country.
southcitymom
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I agree completely.
RainbowsAndGumdrops
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I have to ask about this information/ opinion. Had the guys already been in the park that day, or were they breaking into the park? I assume they were simply taking a shotcut, but as a sleuther, I have to dig and rile out the possibilities.
GlitchWizard
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I believe I read that they had been in the park, left to go picnic with the other members of the church and took a shortcut back to the park by going over the fence.
It's a similar set up at a park my daughter and I go to - very long walk if you go in the correct way, and we always wish there were a short cut gate, especially if it's hot out. We're not young and strong 17 year old boys, though, so climbing the fence wasn't ever an option.
Vegas Bride
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I think the title of this thread is misleading, the coaster did not kill this boy, his lack of judgement killed him.
I feel horrible he came to this fate but it was so preventable. As a teen and even in my 20's I did some very foolish things but jumping high fences to get into restricted dangerous areas was not one of them.
VB
I feel horrible he came to this fate but it was so preventable. As a teen and even in my 20's I did some very foolish things but jumping high fences to get into restricted dangerous areas was not one of them.
VB
sillygoose
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That's what I read too. The first post in this thread contains the link to the article that states this. A police spokesman made that statement, so I'm assuming it's the correct scenario. I think all the hat retrieval and touching riders' feet stuff was probably all just speculation and hearsay from people at the park. Whatever he was doing, it is certain that he was a paying customer.
I'll post it here so no one has to go back to the first post.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/me...flags_death.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab