A man is in critical condition in hospital after being hit by a rollercoaster at an Ohio amusement park on Wednesday.
The incident happened at around 8pm at the Kings Island park in Warren County, when a 38-year-old man entered a restricted area near the Banshee rollercoaster, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Park safety officials and first responders rushed to the scene and called 911 to report that a man was hit at “68 mph”.
He was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Officials did not release information about the man’s identity but police say he has been critically injured.
The Independent emailed King’s Island for comment.
The park shut down the ride as officials conducted an investigation.
The man had reportedly approached a greeter at the ride and said that he had left something behind and wanted to retrieve it. The employee told him there was nothing they could do until the ride closed for the evening.
The witness said that the man wandered near the ride and went through a restricted gate. He appeared to be similarly dressed to other employees so people thought he worked ther, or was a manager. According to local news station WCPO, a witness said that it sounded like the ride had hit a deer when the accident occurred.
Kings Island has been open for half a century and is described on its website as “the premier entertainment destination in the Midwest.”
The amusement and water park is spread out across 364 acres, a half-hour drive from downtown Cincinnati.
The Banshee rollercoaster opened in April of 2014. It’s 4,124 feet long with seven inversions and is the “world’s longest steel-inverted rollercoaster.”
