DARIEN, N.Y. (AP) — Teams of inspectors have been examining a 208-foot-tall upstate New York amusement park roller coaster after a U.S. Army veteran who lost his legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq was thrown from it to his death.
Sgt. James Thomas Hackemer was ejected Friday from the Ride of Steel coaster at Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, 30 miles east of Buffalo.
Safety authorities and an amusement park spokeswoman won't say when in the roller coaster ride his accident occurred. It's unclear whether attendants at the park had given any thought to barring him from the ride because of his missing limbs.
The state's Department of Labor is investigating.
The roller coaster was closed after the accident. Other areas of the park remained open. There was no word on whether the roller coaster would resume running by Sunday.
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