Sandusky police investigating accident at Cedar Point near Raptor

Should Cedar Point put signs like that on the RR crossings? Pretty easy to go under/jump over the crossing gate when a train is approaching, because, you know, Millennium Force is on the other side.

And I'm actually surprised that no one has been injured by the train (or at least we haven't heard about it) with the amount of people that I've seen still duck and walk/run under the closing gates mainly over by MF. You don't quite see that type of excitement to get by the Mean Streak gates.

This has nothing to do with who was in the right or wrong. The deceased did a stupid thing, Cedar Fair did everything they could to prevent it. An ambulance chaser (IE lawyer) sees money in this and I guarantee that there will be a lawsuit and the family will make money. CF looses and so does everyone else.

Better Call Saul!

What about that Ohio code someone pointed out, does that count for non-riders obeying signs and rules?

Maybe he just failed to read the warning sign, just like people fail to use the edit button on their posts...

My brain done hurt now after reading that article.

My opinion of Susan Glaser as a journalist and Cleveland.com as a viable news source have certainly changed after reading this mind-numbing report. I suppose the chance for a potential lawsuit is always there... but seeing how the family reacted as a whole by not placing any blame on the park and that there were no riders on the train who were injured I don't see what the case would be. Even the seediest of lawyers would have a tough time going anywhere with this.

"It's on the amusement park to design their facilities to discourage that foreseeable behavior and protect their guests from hazards at the park."

This is my favorite quote. This "expert" makes it seem like the park had no fence, no warning signs, no deterrent at all from entering the low zone. He can use all the big 50-cent words all he wants but he just sounds like one of those ambulance chasers to me. Fence inserts and taller fences and more "secure" bins are not free, regardless of how "inexpensive" the "expert" claims they are. The park isn't in the business of protecting valuables, they're in the business of being an amusement park. He can have all the degrees and credentials he wants but I don't understand how a man with a doctorate in "experimental" psychology has never heard the concept of personal responsibility. I'll be at the park tomorrow, enjoying my day and not hopping fences... Something I think everyone should be an "expert" at.

EDIT: - Oh wait, he's an expert in being an expert witness is all. Found this in the comments section on the article. Certainly the only thing worse than an ambulance chaser is the witness for hire chasing the ambulance chaser...

http://www.jurispro.com/KennethNemire

She fully disclosed and mentioned his role as a witness for hire, and contrasted with the opinions of an opposing expert who has worked for decades in the industry. It seems to me that's exactly what journalists do.

I think I may sue this idiot for emotional distress. He did not give enough warnings in his interview about how dumb and uneducated he would sound. I'm willing to settle for no less than $1.2 million dollars.

Doctor or not, he still sounds like a man with a lack of common sense...

Coco said:

And I'm actually surprised that no one has been injured by the train (or at least we haven't heard about it) with the amount of people that I've seen still duck and walk/run under the closing gates mainly over by MF. You don't quite see that type of excitement to get by the Mean Streak gates.

I always thought someone could fall off into the swamp when the train goes over the bridge by Mine Ride (if they were horsing around). My son asked if anyone ever jumped off the train and stayed in boneville overnight so they coudl get into the park the next day- hope not!!

Unless the system for early morning employees coming to work has gotten any better since when I worked there in 2002, it's actually fairly simple for someone to get into the park before anyone is there to check tickets. They really need to fix that.

djDaemon said:
Two things stand out and concern me about that area:

1. If the smaller fence is 4', then the 6' fence seems to be installed on about a 1' lower grade than the smaller fence. So, what you have is essentially a 5' fence.
2. Assuming it's not an image color issue, that sign is awfully faded.

Now, let me be clear - there's absolutely no excuse for hopping one fence, let alone two (unless you're rescuing an infant from an attacking bear or something). But I can certainly see where there may be some argument that the park could have been a bit more proactive in keeping guests out of this low zone.

DJ, I've agreed with you on a lot of things lately, but this one I would have to disagree 100% with.

1) All rudeness aside, you can't tell the height of that fence from this picture. Unless you're literally standing next to it with a tape measure, I don't understand how you can make that assumption. I mean, after investigation (and I would think there was inspection by the state), Raptor reopened the next day.

2) Faded or not, the sign posted is clear as day, and is 100% readable from that picture. Do we need flashing lights and florescent colors on these signs to attract the attention of guests?

I can understand why people WOULD argue about CP needing to take more precautions, I really do. Safety is the number 1 top priority. However, I think we can all agree that it was a poor decision that resulted in a tragedy for this man's life. I'm still sick that it happened.

Regardless of how tall the fences are, they are there as boundaries. Just because a fence is short enough that I am able to scale it, doesn't mean the boundaries don't apply to me.

I read the article. I don't believe CP has culpability here.
But I do think the article raised valid points that the deceased guest probably didn't realize the danger of what he was doing. It probably wasn't immediately apparent to a layman guest that the trains hung that low from the track. In that context, he probably didn't realize the significance of his actions. His thought process was likely not as reckless as his actions may seem to suggest in hindsight.
While I wouldn't blame the park, it is probably also fair to say that a higher fence in that area or a
More explicit warning may have raised a red flag of awareness in his mind, given him a moment of pause in the midst of his haste and singular focus on his lost items, and prevented the tragedy.
Looking at the pics it seems much easier to comprehend someone hopping that fence to retrieve valuables than what I had pictured in my mind. It does not look as ominous as one might think.

Do I really have to explain to you why you shouldn't hop a fence onto my private property?

^^ Of course not. Nobody is saying what he did wasn't wrong.

In the comments section Ms. Glaser explains (somewhat) why she wrote the article. My opinion is free advertising for the expert for hire.

For those of you wondering why I wrote this story: Yes, Ken Nemire reached out to me (I don’t think I would have found him otherwise). I found his comments to be newsworthy and yes, provocative. I didn’t realize there were at least six other incidents like the Cedar Point accident (six in 20 years, I realize, is not a large number, but it’s not like this has never happened before). I attempted to provide his comments in as balanced a way as possible, given that Cedar Point wouldn’t comment. If I had talked to him and not written a story, I would be making a statement with my inaction, too. Agree or disagree with his position -- but I think it's an issue worthy of discussion.

She is obligated to write a story about everything she hears directly? Well, I did see a UFO land at the park today. Better call her up.

And what's there for the park to comment on? Be reasonable here.