Coesistere
June 29th, 2008, 03:53 PM
AUSTELL, Ga. (AP)
— A teenager was decapitated by a roller coaster
after he hopped a pair of fences and entered a restricted
area Saturday at Six Flags Over Georgia, authorities said.
Six Flags officials are uncertain why the unidentified
17-year-old from Columbia, S.C. scaled two six-foot
fences and passed signs that said the restricted area
was both off-limits and dangerous to visitors, spokeswoman
Hela Sheth said in a news release.
Authorities were investigating reports from witnesses
who said the teenager jumped the fences to retrieve a
hat he lost while riding the Batman roller coaster,
said Cobb County police Sgt. Dana Pierce. Police have
declined to release the teenager's name until an autopsy is completed.
Six Flags said it closed the roller coaster after the
Saturday afternoon accident out of respect for the teen's family.
The ride was expected to reopen on Sunday,
according to a Six Flags news release.
Police said the ride was going full-speed when the teen
was struck. The ride's top speed is 50 mph, according
to the park's Web site.
No one riding on the roller coaster was injured, Sheth said.
The teen was with another boy who also entered the restricted
area but was not injured, Pierce said.
The teen and his parents were at the park with a group
from the Oakey Spring Baptist Church near Springfield,
S.C., police said.
— A teenager was decapitated by a roller coaster
after he hopped a pair of fences and entered a restricted
area Saturday at Six Flags Over Georgia, authorities said.
Six Flags officials are uncertain why the unidentified
17-year-old from Columbia, S.C. scaled two six-foot
fences and passed signs that said the restricted area
was both off-limits and dangerous to visitors, spokeswoman
Hela Sheth said in a news release.
Authorities were investigating reports from witnesses
who said the teenager jumped the fences to retrieve a
hat he lost while riding the Batman roller coaster,
said Cobb County police Sgt. Dana Pierce. Police have
declined to release the teenager's name until an autopsy is completed.
Six Flags said it closed the roller coaster after the
Saturday afternoon accident out of respect for the teen's family.
The ride was expected to reopen on Sunday,
according to a Six Flags news release.
Police said the ride was going full-speed when the teen
was struck. The ride's top speed is 50 mph, according
to the park's Web site.
No one riding on the roller coaster was injured, Sheth said.
The teen was with another boy who also entered the restricted
area but was not injured, Pierce said.
The teen and his parents were at the park with a group
from the Oakey Spring Baptist Church near Springfield,
S.C., police said.