Sandusky police investigating accident at Cedar Point near Raptor

As to the question of active monitoring of kill zones...

Top Thrill Dragster has this. Look at the gates next time you are near that ride; the kill zone gates have prix switches on them that will indicate to the safety related control system that the gate is closed.

But that only detects that the gate is closed. There really is no reliable, practical way to verify that a large area is actually clear of people. If you do something like a light curtain, you will get nuisance trips all the time, plus by definition the train will set it off on every cycle. At some point you have to evaluate: Have I taken steps which a reasonable person will respect? The ride has a barrier AND a sign. To Cedar Point's credit, they have taken a pretty reasonable approach to fencing, leaving the generally non-hazardous areas with shorter fences and fewer (or no) signs so as not to undermine the message in the kill zones. So there is no reason that a reasonable person might think, "Oh, it's not THAT dangerous!"

Really, the biggest problem is that the train isn't there for about 60 of every 75 seconds. That 60 seconds is a long time, long enough to become complacent...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

RideMan said:

I'm trying to figure out where this happened..."

Based upon the picture that was posted on Coasterbuzz, I think this happened between the back of the Fresh Cut fries building and Chickie's & Pete's. It looks like the track located just underneath the beginning of the station platform:

http://binged.it/1h8hac6

.

CoasterGuy15 said:

Detroit Basketball said:

Picture of accident from Coasterbuzz

Not sure how to post pictures on here. This picture was posted on coasterbuzz.

Seems very hard to picture that Raptor (or someone's dangling feet) could actually reach someone that far below... But maybe that's what that guy thought too

That is PRECISELY why the kill zones on inverted coasters are so incredibly dangerous. You really have no concept of how far below the track that train is going to hang.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Here is where it supposedly happened.

Would you feel bad for this guy if he were killed?

http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2015/07/30/30896973/

Just saying...you can't fix stupid.

You can take a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink. In other words, you can place fences, signs, and security cameras, but if a person neglects common sense, theres nothing you can do. I will pray for this man and his family, hopefully the media doesn't end up tarnishing anyone's reputation.

LogLog1919 said:

A picture from the scene, they had just given up on chest compressions

It's not "giving up", you do so many rounds of compressions/drugs/etc before calling the doc to call the death. Either way chest compressions would only keep him alive so long, as it seems the head trauma was severe enough to cause brain death. You're not dead when your heart stops, but you are when your brain stops, as the heart can be artificially powered, but the brain can't. You lose about 10% of your brain per minute when in cardiac arrest without compressions/other interventions sending oxygen to your brain, but with head trauma that is severe enough, chest compressions wouldn't be of any use anyways.

Man.. This sucks. No lost article is worth ones life. Was he nine feet tall? geez... Unlucky 13..

This is an unfortunate for sure. I'll echo the sentiments that the real victims are the family members and people who witnessed it (on the train and off) and that I feel bad for them. But I'll reserve any "respect" for the deceased man. I might sound course but I don't care, it's just my personal view.

"Oh, that poor man ignored all of the signs prohibiting people from entering a low zone and he didn't once think about the dangers. If only he was more well informed."

Yea, no. I just can't think that way. Being critical of someones lack of common sense after an easily avoidable incident is not being disrespectful......it's pointing out the obvious. Also, I say "incident" because let's face it, this doesn't exactly fall under the definition of "accident".

Regarding the photo showing EMS workers trying to save the victim, please do NOT embed it in the thread.

It's not a matter of feeling bad for someone who is deceased. It's a matter of being a decent human being and showing some respect for those who are grieving. This is a public forum and everyone is certainly entitled to their opinions but if you wouldn't walk up and state your comments directly to his wife, mother, father, child, best friend, or anyone else who might be a loved one then maybe it's best just to keep it to yourself.

The guy was a teacher.

what the hell was he thinking?

Hope he wasn't there with the Kids day trip.

That fence actually does look rather easy to climb. Wonder if they'll put the other kind of fence in.

The fence that is set back from another fence?

What sticks out to me is number of signs indicating this is a restricted area.

I expect:

• More fencing, double barriers maybe, or taller fences
• Areas potentially close to ride kill zones may be moved or again, more barriers/taller fences.
• More IROC goodness (insert sarcasm). If IROC was their knee jerk to Texas Giant and the lot, I expect more changes
• Potential policies/law changes considering how strict Ohio already is

It's a shame this happened, all over a damn phone. However, this is why I stress loose article bins when available, lockers if you wish to personally do it, a car or non rider, or at most make sure they are very secure. Loss of life like this did not have to happen, and is incredibly unfortunate.

jsmith7300 said:
It's not a matter of feeling bad for someone who is deceased. It's a matter of being a decent human being and showing some respect for those who are grieving. This is a public forum and everyone is certainly entitled to their opinions but if you wouldn't walk up and state your comments directly to his wife, mother, father, child, best friend, or anyone else who might be a loved one then maybe it's best just to keep it to yourself.

Except, that's not what is going on. Nobody is being critical to the family and I'm willing to bet they'll never visit this site. No one is going out of their way to let the family know the foolishness of the guy's decision. Because that IS inconsiderate, rude and disrespectful. It's just not what's going on here. You can't sensor everything or everyone on the assumption that what is being said here could reach the family's attention.

I reject your reasoning. This did not happen because of any loose article related policy or provisions, it happened because someone apparently thought rules did not apply to them. If a six-foot fence and signs warning of fatal injuries are not enough to deter an adult to from entering, I don't know that anything will.

Maybe electrifying the fences or barb wiring will keep them out.

This is really no different from people ignoring railroad crossing gates and getting hit by a train. Both are not accidents, rather willful disregard and recklessness. Hopefully the media will report this accurately and not try to give CP a black eye, but that may be too much to ask in this age of over the top sensationalistic reporting. We'll see...