Kaitlyn Lassiter and Amusement Park Accidents

Last year, Kaitlyn Lassiter was on a amusement park ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom when her feet were severed due to a malfunction of the ride. According to Courier-Journal, Kaitlyn Lassiter spoke publicly about the accident and is trying to help draw attention to a loophole that allows large theme parks to be free from federal regulation. Lassiter and her family have filled a suit against Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Kaitlyn Lassiter is using the tragedy that happened to her to try and help other people.

Living in Southern California when I was a teenager my friends and I spent a lot of time at amusement parks. When I was 16, I was at a six flags park with friends when one of them was seriously injured. Fortunately for my friend he had no lasting side effects. The situation was scary and is something I will never forget.

The day started out like any other. We never expected that anything bad was going to happen. We waited in line for Goliath for over two hours, we were hot and thirsty and I am sure that didn't help the situation. When we got to the front of the line we boarded Goliath. The ride started out fun and we were all enjoying ourselves, then as we went though the last turn then started going down the last hill I noticed my friend next to me was not moving and he was holding his head at a strange angle. I tried to ask him if he was okay but he wasn't responding, I tried yelling to my other two friends but they couldn't hear me. I was terrified at what could be happening, but there was nothing I could do until the ride stopped.

When the ride stopped and we pulled into the ride queue, I was yelling for help. My friend was slowing becoming aware, but he did not understand what was going on. The employees let us out of the ride, but insisted that my friend stay seated, and that they would call the EMTs. The medical help got there quickly and the assessed the situation. The EMT checked to see if my friend had a neck injury. The EMT explained that he thought my fried must have blacked out when we were in the turns, he said that he would take them to the medical center.

Obviously our fun day at the amusement park was ruined because of the accident. My friend was transported to a local hospital, and was throughly checked over. Fortunately my friend did not have any permanent damage. The doctors explained that because of the G-force on the ride some people are susceptible to blacking out while on the ride.

After this accident, I have heard many stories of people that have blacked out while on Goliath. Since my friends accident I have always been more careful about going on rides at amusement parks. I think it is very scary that large theme parks are not under any federal regulation. I think it is very scary things like these happen quite often, but the only time you hear about them is when they become very serious or fatal. I think people need to be very careful when the ride on amusement park rides, they need to remember that these rides can be very dangerous. I still ride all the amusement park rides, but I always try to be aware of my surroundings and everything that is going on.