Man killed by roller-coaster while looking for cellphone at Ohio amusement park

Sandusky Police say 45-year-old James A. Young, II of East Canton was riding the Raptor roller coaster Thursday when he lost some personal items during the ride.

“Once the accident occurred (on Thursday), Cedar Point contacted us”, said Brett Gates, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Amusement Ride Safety. “He went there every summer with his friends”.

The man was in a restricted area of the park surrounded by a fence when it happened.

Edwards said he didn’t know how high the fence was that Young scaled or whether any changes to park security would be made as a result of the incident. He then reportedly jumped over a fence under the coaster to look for his lost item. He was than struck and killed by an operating roller coaster, according to the Associated Press. “Our throughts and prayers are with the family”.

Young was an intervention specialist for the Louisville City School District in Stark County.

She described her son as “so loving, so full of life”, and said he was known for his generosity and love for his students. The raptor reaches speeds of up to 92km/h and sends riders upside down six times during the two-minute ride.

Cedar Point officials say that the coaster was inspected overnight and was determined safe. Baxter informed that investigations in the case were still on and police team was determining how the security was breached that led Young enter the restricted area.

Young, 45, was instantly killed by the impact and was reported to be the only person injured in the incident.