Guest decapitated by Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Over Georgia after hopping fence

[steamboatpete]

wasn't a mistake was a decision he didn't fall through those fences he climbed them.

Just because a mistake isn't an innocent mistake does not make it something else. It was a mistake. Just because it involved bad judgment, whatever, still a mistake. And once he made the bad decision, he subjected himself to a terrible accident. But it's still an accident.

Why are people so taken aback by someone using words like mistake and accident to describe this kid getting killed?

[Aura of Foreboding]

wasn't a mistake was a decision he didn't fall through those fences he climbed them.

We can't say for sure what motivated him but the jumping at the cars seems to be the most likly one and if that's the case then he clearly wasn't respecting the riders of the vehicle as he could've injured them.

Even with the hat arguement you could argue he wasn't being respectful since he valued it over the people waiting in line or the risk to his own life.

Granted I can't attest for his whole life but to ignore all of those warnings besides the obvious danger is just beyond retarded.

I can understand feeling sorry that he died but I can also understand why some would make jokes. Doesn't make anyone better or worse then anyone else, people just process things differently which feeds into how they respond.

Most people here seem to at least feel sorry for the riders for having to witness such a thing (which has got to be tough to live with) and his parents for their loss.

But as far as the kid goes he HAD to know what he was risking by doing this. Granted we arn't all super risk adversive in our teenage years but really at that age you really should know better, I knew better at 12.

It's just sad really and humor is one way to offset the frustration that arrises when you hear this kind of news. Honestly if people will ignore warnings and two fences how do you stop them from doing something so blatantly dangerous? I'm honestly getting tired of laws and regulations being put into place to make things more and more obvious. Does the fence need to be razerwire?

Maybe yoru right and the media coverage is bad. Maybe they should've just tryed to keep it quite and not publish much. Fix up the ride build up the fence and keep on operating because honestly the ride as a memorial isn't even a good testiment for the kid either (can only imagine guests muttering about the idiot that did something retarded to keep them from their ride for the day)

Since when are decisions not mistakes? I have made many a decision that has turned out to be a mistake.

Anyway, whether he was disrespecting the riders or not, (I tend to think he just didn't think about how his actions would affect the riders at all.) it doesn't mean people who don't even know him should disrespect him or his memory.

In my opinion, someone who hears of a tragic death and makes light of it isn't processing clearly or needs to re-think how they respond to situations, because it just looks bad to others around them. I mean, would you make a joke about a beheading in front of his parents? I don't think so. If you wouldn't do it in front of them, you shouldn't do it at all. Call me "old school," but that just isn't how polite society deals with these issues.

I think he had a sense of invincibility, and thus he didn't think of the risks. If he thought he would die, I doubt he would've done it. He didn't really think his decision through, and I believe that was the cause of this tragedy. It really pains me to have to analyze his situation like this. I don't like doing it, but I feel that others should be aware of the possible circumstances so that they don't continue with this trend of insensitivity.

Believe me, I am also tired of sue-happy America and the ridiculous regulations we have to deal with today. I don't think half of them should be required. They really aren't put in place because people die though. They're put in place because people sue. Most are put in place to avoid lawsuits from people who get injured because the monorail was too close to the wall (for example). There is a lack of common sense, but there is also a lack of regulation of lawsuits, and that's where the real problem lies. That's a completely different debate though.

I don't think the media is at fault at all. They report the facts. My problem is how people treat those facts and the named deceased. It's not the fault of the media for publishing a news event. From my perspective, a rational human being would read the article or hear the report, think of how tragic it was, and move on with his life without cracking a joke or passing judgment on the poor kid. Perhaps I have too high of standards for my fellow Americans, but I don't think so.

[Aura of Foreboding]

Just because a mistake isn't an innocent mistake does not make it something else. It was a mistake. Just because it involved bad judgment, whatever, still a mistake. And once he made the bad decision, he subjected himself to a terrible accident. But it's still an accident.

Why are people so taken aback by someone using words like mistake and accident to describe this kid getting killed?

Why are people so taken aback by someone who is speaking and defending a moral truth?! That's my question.

[Rayangelo]

For every person that dies due to a stupid decision, there is another person that has to cope with it.
Making jokes about someone's death is simply rude, and disrespectful. Saying he deserved to die is as well. Who are we to say someone deserved to die..
No matter how stupid the decision was, whether you believe it's an 'accident' or 'mistake' or not, making jokes is still disrespectful..
This is truly a tragic situation. My heart goes out to his family, and the people on the ride who witnessed it.

[techskip]

We could split hairs over morals and respect. Bottom line the individual ignored the rules, hopped at least one fence, possibly two, and managed to mortally wound himself... the argument would be it could have been worse as others could possibly have been seriously injured as well... Someone mentioned defining moments, and I strongly believe in them. I believe it is the choices we make that define who we are as a person. He could be an absolute angel, but his decision cost him his life and put the lives of many others at serious risk... and that... is what people will remember.

[Aura of Foreboding]

We could split hairs over morals and respect. Bottom line the individual ignored the rules, hopped at least one fence, possibly two, and managed to mortally wound himself... the argument would be it could have been worse as others could possibly have been seriously injured as well... Someone mentioned defining moments, and I strongly believe in them. I believe it is the choices we make that define who we are as a person. He could be an absolute angel, but his decision cost him his life and put the lives of many others at serious risk... and that... is what people will remember.

And that I find to be the true atrocity, even though I know it's the truth.

[CupcakeTerror]

Having emotional detachment doesn't mean detaching oneself from humanity and respect, as some seem to have done here.

Having respect for a person since deceased in a violent manner that puts others at risk and has no ties to anyone on the board can be hard to do. His actions put others at risk of injury and possible death as well... makes it hard to respect the memory of said person regardless of age and circumstance. The point of the thread was to share what had happened and comment, not to make moral judgments on those that decided to comment (this goes both ways as well).

It's all opinion and everyone here has one, as we well know. It may seem cold, disrespectful or mean to you, but to me it's just another person who made a bad decision. Life happens... while this is no tragedy it's certainly not pretty and very sad for the family that survives him.

[Aura of Foreboding]

Having respect for a person since deceased in a violent manner that puts others at risk and has no ties to anyone on the board can be hard to do. His actions put others at risk of injury and possible death as well... makes it hard to respect the memory of said person regardless of age and circumstance. The point of the thread was to share what had happened and comment, not to make moral judgments on those that decided to comment (this goes both ways as well).

It's all opinion and everyone here has one, as we well know. It may seem cold, disrespectful or mean to you, but to me it's just another person who made a bad decision. Life happens... while this is no tragedy it's certainly not pretty and very sad for the family that survives him.

I have not, in my own mind or heart, judged any one person based on what they have said here. Shocking, isn't it? Because, I would not want to be judged on one or two of my posts, I refuse to judge people here based on one or two or even numerous amounts of their posts. One event should not define a person, one post should not cause others to form a judgment about another human being, one decision should not formulate how a person sees another person for the rest of their life or even after they are dead.

[techskip]

In reference to "tragic accident" here is my thought.

If a certified scuba diver dives to a shipwreck on a dive site that is deemed "experts only" and dies... that is a tragic accident. The diver in that case was trained, and was authorized to be in that location. If a certified pilot, or an instructor pilot with student, hits bad weather, crashes, and dies... that is tragic accident. Again the individual was properly trained and authorized to be in the plane. If a ride mechanic is working on a rollercoaster and there is a malfunction that launches the coaster and kills him while he is out in the ride path, that is a tragic accident. The mechanic is certified to be out on the track in that area.

In this specific case we are talking about an individual who for whatever reason chose to ignore signs stating not to enter and authorized personal only. Per the reports this individual was not impaired by drugs, alcohol, or mental issues. Depending on which report you read he scaled either one, or two fences. The fence height being 6ft, which means he put effort into getting over and did not just "step over" the fence. He had no business being in that location, he was not trained, or authorized to be there, and he placed himself in that area. It is tragic, be it is not an accident it is an incident because it was done of his own free will and he knew he should not have been there.

[PleaseRemainSeated]

I have not, in my own mind or heart, judged any one person based on what they have said here. Shocking, isn't it? Because, I would not want to be judged on one or two of my posts, I refuse to judge people here based on one or two or even numerous amounts of their posts. One event should not define a person, one post should not cause others to form a judgment about another human being, one decision should not formulate how a person sees another person for the rest of their life or even after they are dead.

Judging someone and making a judgment about them are not exactly the same thing. The only way we have any picture of what other individuals are like is in observing the way they choose to present themselves to the world. By posting on this forum and saying "this is my opinion", that's what people will know about you. Likewise, by doing something foolhardy, that's what people will know about you. Finding how people behave in different situations is how we learn who they are.

And I have to disagree with the last part of your post. I agree with techskip and others that there is such a thing as a defining event - moments where one choice shows what we're made of at the core. Sometimes they're acts of heroism, sometimes cowardice, sometimes foolishness. But sometimes they do either change or define the direction of a person's life.

I am not saying I'm positive that this was one of those moments - if for no other reasons than youth and inexperience - but sometimes one choice we make does define what sort of person we are.

By the token that one event isn't definitive (taken to the extreme), a murderer shouldn't be punished for only killing one person. A spouse isn't unfaithful if they only cheat one time.

Some things are once-and-for-all.


Yeah, I know, TL;DR. I'll stop.

[Aura of Foreboding]

Judging someone and making a judgment about them are not exactly the same thing. The only way we have any picture of what other individuals are like is in observing the way they choose to present themselves to the world. By posting on this forum and saying "this is my opinion", that's what people will know about you. Likewise, by doing something foolhardy, that's what people will know about you. Finding how people behave in different situations is how we learn who they are.

And I have to disagree with the last part of your post. I agree with techskip and others that there is such a thing as a defining event - moments where one choice shows what we're made of at the core. Sometimes they're acts of heroism, sometimes cowardice, sometimes foolishness. But sometimes they do either change or define the direction of a person's life.

I am not saying I'm positive that this was one of those moments - if for no other reasons than youth and inexperience - but sometimes one choice we make does define what sort of person we are.

By the token that one event isn't definitive (taken to the extreme), a murderer shouldn't be punished for only killing one person. A spouse isn't unfaithful if they only cheat one time.

Some things are once-and-for-all.


Yeah, I know, TL;DR. I'll stop.

I have neither judged nor made judgements about anyone in this thread. Honestly, I can't do that with people on the Internet, because I can't see the full individual, and in order to either judge or make a judgment, I would have to, because a judgment is only substantiated by a preponderance of all the evidence that I can have, and I don't have all the evidence I need with people on the Internet. You are right that I make observations, but those observations neither lead to a judgment or having someone be judged by me.

I think we all know what I was talking about here when I said we cannot base the entirety of this human being on this event. This was clearly his worst decision ever. It cost him his life. Thank God that it didn't cost any other lives. It was stupid of him to do, but I can't judge him or make a judgment about him based on this one event, because like people on the Internet, I don't even know him, and I don't have all the evidence I need in order to look at his life and see if he lived it in a responsible and caring manner. I would not want one stupid decision I made, one mistake I made, to become my defining moment, and I don't think this should be his, because any human being that thinks like a human being wants what is best for himself and for those around him. I don't have evidence that he was being malicious here. This is not like someone that decided to go out and shoot somebody. This is a guy who hopped an amusement park fence. I don't know his reasons, and because I don't know him as a person or his reasons, I can't make a judgment about him. I don't have sufficient evidence before me to do that. No one here does.

[SoCal]

Ok everybody - calm down now... no need to lose your head here!

[Barbaraann]

I should have stuck to my original instinct to stay out of this thread. The minute I give in to my curiosity, I am hit, square in the eyes, by a cruel joke.

It really saddens me that this event has gotten so much attention. I am also very disappointed that this incident was not mentioned once but twice in this week's roundup.

[lazyboy97O]

Well, if anybody is interested, the coaster is back open to the public. A security guard is watching the second half of the ride from the queue. The portion of the ride, towards the end, nearest the security guard seems to be the portion closest to the ground. The guard still will not be able to do anything but yell and wait if a train has already left the lift.

[AE_Fan]

Well here's fine proof money runs this world.

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - The lawyer representing the family of a teen who was decapitated by a roller coaster in Georgia is looking to find out if they can file a lawsuit against Six Flags Theme Park.
According to the lawyer's investigation it's been discovered that the teenager isn't the first person to be killed by the same roller coaster.

The death of 17-year-old Asia Leeshawn Ferguson has been ruled as an accident.

Police in Georgia are ruling out reports that Ferguson had been trying to retrieve a hat inside a restricted area near the Batman Ride at Six Flags.

They say Ferguson may have been trying to take the shortest route to get to the ride.

Attorney Lamar Flatt thinks warning signs and fences placed near the ride weren't enough to prevent this tragic death, citing the death of a maintenance worker who was killed by the same ride in 2002.

The ride was closed after he was killed. Investigators say the coaster will stay closed until the Georgia Department of Labor inspects it.

http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=8583003

Well there goes some of my sympathy for the family, I know it's a tragic event but putting down a lawsuit for their son's foolish accident is downright silly.