An Iraq war veteran and double amputee was ejected from a roller coaster at the Darien Lake Theme Park and fell to he death. Gowanda resident Sgt. James Thomas Hackemer was on the Ride of Steel as it quickly crested a steep hill and apparently flew off because the lap bar couldn't be properly secured to his torso. "He didn't have anything holding him down," said his 19-year-old nephew who was riding next to him. "By the time I'd realized that he was pretty far out of the seat, he was too far for me to grab." According to the Post, the pair asked a member of the park's staff which rides Hackemer could safety enjoy, and were told, "They're all fine." The Ride of Steel's height requirement is 54 inches. Hackemer was 3 feet tall.
Hackemer, who was 29, had his legs amputated after a roadside bomb detonated in 2008. Doctors initially thought Hackemer would be in vegetative state, but he awoke from his coma and physical therapy and his prosthetic legs helped him recover. Hackemer's sister told the Buffalo News that her brother was "determined to get on his favorite ride, the Ride of Steel," and, "We in no shape or form hold Darien Lake accountable. They weren't negligent. It's nobody's fault. It was an accident." She says Hackemer "was doing what he loved. That's what gives me peace." Authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident.
