Iraq War veteran dies from roller coaster accident at Darien Lake

by Joel Bullock on

Buffalo-area theme park Darien Lake was the site of a tragedy on Friday when a man, former Iraq war vet Sgt. James Hackemer, died after falling from a roller coaster. Hackemer was a double leg amputee after losing his legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq three years ago.

The accident happened on the twenty story tall roller coaster called Ride of Steel. It has large hills, banked curves, and speeds in excess of 70 mph. The roller coaster’s trains use a lap bar restraints (pictured here).

Hackemer’s nephew Ashton Luffred, who rode with him, shared his account of the horrible accident in a New York Post article. According to Luffred, Hackemer asked guest services which rides were safe for him to ride and he was told that he could ride all of them. Hackemer was ejected on one of the smaller camel back-shaped hills on the trip back to the station.

In statements to the press and on Darien Lake’s home page, the park says that they are investigating the accident with the local authorities and safety experts. The Ride of Steel roller coaster will remained closed until the investigation is complete while the rest of the park will be open.

[Photo Credit – Flickr User OliverN5]

Herschend to manage Elitch Gardens and Darien Lake

by Joel Bullock on

Herschend Family Entertainment has announced a new management deal with two amusement parks. Denver’s Elitch Gardens and Buffalo’s Darien Lake will now be managed by the Atlanta-based amusement park and entertainment attraction operator.

Herschend is the nation’s largest family-owned theme park corporation. It currently owns and operates Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN, Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO, and Wild Adventures in Valdosta, GA. The company also operates a wide range of other attractions from water parks to aquariums to Georgia’s Stone Mountain park. While Herschend did not purchase the two parks from current owner CNL Properties, under the agreement Herschend will assume the day-to-day management of both parks.

This is probably good news as I found the guest experience at Dollywood top notch. The staff was very friendly and the ride operation seemed pretty efficient. I’ve been to Darien Lake a few times and I found it to be a decent park overall. However, the roller coaster operation left a bit to be desired. The park’s wooden coaster, Predator, delivered one of the most rough and punishing rides of my life. Hopefully, under Herschend’s management both parks will get a boost in an all around improved guest experience.