Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG) Discussion Thread

[Captain Jack]

from ajc.com article:

"He didn't do anything wrong," Ferguson said. "He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

 

 

[SFAfan#1]

That was a dumb idea. I dont really feel bad for the kid, I feel bad for his family. Who the hell jumps over two 6ft tall fences to do whatever he was planning on doing in there. He should of ducted when he saw the coaster coming by. I saw on screamscape, that it was 2 boys, one ducted and the other got hit and slammed into the support. They were talking about he wanted to take a short-cut back into the park. CAN YOU SAY DUMBASS!

sorry if someone already stated these facts.

[coasterdude5]

^ And you'd think they would have enough common sense to wait until a train passed to dart under it...(if they were trying to get back into the park) But if they were trying to grab the legs of riders then that's another story. Though all of this is only speculation so it doesn't matter at this point.

[downunder]

I have to note though that you can be decapitated for extra marital sex in some countries, though not by inverted coaster.

[TheArchfiend]

You know, I wonder how many people saw these kids doing this and feel like crap for not yelling at them for being buffoons or make any attempt to try and stop them. I mean, I'm sure allot of people saw them hopping the fences as a park like that is hella packed on any Saturday in the summer. Or maybe not depending where they hopped over.

 

I know if I saw some teens doing this I would have atleast said something to the effect of; "Hey, (insert random expletives) get the (more expletives) back over to this side of the fence and stop acting like you own the place you little (...expletives)!"

 

Of course, hind sight is always 20/20.

 

Hopefully the news will reveal that someone atleast saw them and yelled at them and not that there were hundreds of eyewitnesses that just "lol'd" watching some teens hop fences.

[HerBlackWings]

This was just an unusual (and sad) incident where a teen wanted to make himself Superman by whatever means possible.

 

He should of ducted when he saw the coaster coming by. I saw on screamscape, that it was 2 boys, one ducted and the other got hit and slammed into the support.

 

...because we ALL know that BATMAN would've ducted an oncoming train.

[PURE]

I know there's still a lot to this story to be released, but this is such a random event with so many questions, I can't help but try to create a situation to explain what the heck was going on from the time they thought about hopping the fence, right up to when the kid got hit.

 

1. If they were going to get something in the track area:

 

a. Why did they both have to go?

 

b. Why didn't they wait for the train to finish cycling before going into the areas where the track was close to the ground? Batman's ride cycle is what, 45 seconds? With a 2 minute dispatch interval, and only 2 or 3 sections of the ride that are actually close to the ground, you're chances have to be pretty lousy to be in the way of the train coming. Not to mention completely ignoring the thunderous B&M roar coming your way.

 

If that's not it, it leads me to believe they were hanging out in the track area for more than a couple minutes, and knew what they were doing was wrong. If this is the case:

 

1. Did they really think they could get away with grabbing someones feet on the train?

 

2. If you're going to break into the park, or shortcut the entrance by hopping into restricted areas, atleast stay the hell away from the ride! Its not hard to look, see the train, and move away for a 30 seconds until it passes.

 

This kind of reminds me of situations where people try to beat the train at railroad crossings. It doesn't seem like it when you're sitting there watching it, but that train is coming alot faster than it looks. You might think you have time to get out of the way to beat it, and by the time you've made the decision to cross, its too late to look back.

 

I'm surprised nobody saw the dipsh*ts and pulled out their camera phones to coincidently record some video of the event.

 

Either way, the friend that survived has A LOT of explaining to do with investigators. He's probably the only one that knows exactly what was going on from planning on hopping the fences, all the way up to the collision. It will be interesting to hear the story unfold.

[DBru]

It is clearly the person's fault, but the parents will be so blind with rage and or anger that they will sue the park anyways, and rather than spending legal fees up the ying yang, they will probably just pay them off.

 

Obviously you didn't read the article that was posted the page before...

 

There is bound to be someone with a video of the event taking place (though I for one do NOT want to see it...). Isn't the ride surrounded by paths full of onlookers? (One outside the park, the other inside.)

 

I don't understand the "shortcut" story. From the overview, it looks like after you have crossed the park perimeter fence, you're right under the ride. But the article states that they crossed 2 fences... Where is that other fence?

[TheHulk]

Wonder what it was like for the people on the train.

 

But anyway, what would you get out of grabbing someone's feet who's on a moving coaster? Surley it isn't going to pick you up and make you fly without taking an arm at least.

[PURE]

Latest update:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080630/ap_on_re_us/six_flags_death

 

"We're not clear on what happened," he (Father of the victim, Asia Ferguson III) said. "All we know is that we don't blame anybody."

 

Sounds like the family isn't going to be pressing charges, God bless them. What a horrible disaster, I can't even begin to imagine what the parents, family, and friends are going through.

 

Autopsy is supposed to be happening today. Maybe it'll clear up some questions.

[Erik Johnson]

Here is a picture of what the first outside fence looks like. I should say that this was taken in 2005.

THis is the border fence around Mindbender and Batman.

[ParkTrips]

^ Seriously, its not an easy fence to hop to begin with!

 

I'm glad it sounds like the parents are being reasonable in not blaming anyone.

[ChrisCrowder]

This is a nasty accident, and you can't blame anybody else apart from the kid who ran under the train. Everybody is saying that the parents are going to sue, etc, but just because a lot of people would sue in a situation like this doesn't mean the parents aren't going to sue. I would hope that they think rationally without any body else's persuasion and realise that it was their sons fault and nobody else's. And hopefully not sue anybody. Surely anybody who was involved in the incident would be sorry enough for the family, without money being involved.

 

Then again, in the UK, a child fell down three stairs in a school playground, hit his head and unfortunatly died. His parents sued the school, the headmaster of the school was locked up, and the primary school was shut down. The school was in a village, and all the children had to be split up and sent to other schools further away. And do you really think that all that could "repay" for the loss of their son? I doubt it.

[TheArchfiend]

This is a nasty accident, and you can't blame anybody else apart from the kid who ran under the train. Everybody is saying that the parents are going to sue, etc, but just because a lot of people would sue in a situation like this doesn't mean the parents aren't going to sue. I would hope that they think rationally without any body else's persuasion and realise that it was their sons fault and nobody else's. And hopefully not sue anybody. Surely anybody who was involved in the incident would be sorry enough for the family, without money being involved.

 

Then again, in the UK, a child fell down three stairs in a school playground, hit his head and unfortunatly died. His parents sued the school, the headmaster of the school was locked up, and the primary school was shut down. The school was in a village, and all the children had to be split up and sent to other schools further away. And do you really think that all that could "repay" for the loss of their son? I doubt it.

 

I hope the parents don't sue either but lawyers have their magic way of getting in someones ear and convincing a person that it is someone elses fault. Especially when a big coorporation is at hand. But so far these parents sound pretty straight up and understand that the park was not negligent in this incident.

 

I'm just hoping that governing safety boards within a state like Georgia and elsewhere don't decide that perimeter security must be WAY MORE strict just because of one idiot. safety boards could say that standards regarding; physical structures, CCTV monitoring, and personnel all have to change. They could all of a sudden mandate change like that and tell Six Flags, tough toogies, pick up the tab and get it done. That is not exactly a minor expenditure for the park to incur at this point.

 

I hope it doesn't come to that because so far the perimeter system in place has been working pretty good aside from this one tragic incident.

[haux]

I don't understand the "shortcut" story. From the overview, it looks like after you have crossed the park perimeter fence, you're right under the ride. But the article states that they crossed 2 fences... Where is that other fence?

They hopped the park perimeter fence. The second fence they hopped was in a low zone at Batman. It's one of the fences surrounding the area where the track gets low to the ground.

[dammie16@vt.edu]

IMO as long as the fence can keep out those who would wander in without knowledge of the danger, 5-6 and under, mentally handicapped, etc., then the fence is fine.

 

Unless you put up Jail style barbed wire (circular) then you won't keep out a stupid person that wants in. Electric is out of the question because if a random kid (again 5-6 and under) or a person hits it on accident then the park might get sued anyway for their electric fence.

[gk]

No matter how strict the make the security, if someone is intent on breaking the rules in place to keep them alive, they'll find a way.

 

It is tragic that this kid was killed. I feel bad for his family & those who witnessed it. However, it was his own abject stupidity that caused it. I'm just glad that he somehow didn't manage to hurt anyone else in the process.

[bigstevet07]

My thoughts go out to the family. What a tragedy that could have easily been avoided.

 

Its good to see that his dad isn't losing his head and suing Six Flags though.

[BuddyChrist]

I don't understand the "shortcut" story. From the overview, it looks like after you have crossed the park perimeter fence, you're right under the ride. But the article states that they crossed 2 fences... Where is that other fence?

They hopped the park perimeter fence. The second fence they hopped was in a low zone at Batman. It's one of the fences surrounding the area where the track gets low to the ground.

 

I went and looked on RCDB at the placement of Batman at SFOG, it would seem that he probably hopped over the fence in this area and got hit at that low point to the left, I'm not sure though, because Batman has a few more low points in its layout.

[tkkyj]

I'm not familiar with SFOG... so for curiosity's sake...

 

Is there only one entrance to the park? Or is there another near Batman?

 

is the parking lot by Batman an overflow lot?

What is the normal way to get to the entrance from this lot--by tram?

 

 

So are parks with multiple entrances inherently safer?

 

Maybe the park will add a new entrance in the back of the park. "Keep aHEAD of the rush by using the Ferguson Entrance Gate"

[Capitalize]

If you really think about it, this really wasn't that much more stupid than having pre-marital sex, smoking a joint, or even speeding, for all have their risks that are pretty well known. Teens just want that adrenaline high and will do stupid thing. This was just an unusual (and sad) incident where a teen wanted to make himself Superman by whatever means possible.

 

I have to disagree quite a bit. I would say placing yourself in the path of a multi ton roller coaster train traveling at speeds in excess of 50 MPH is far more idiotic then all those things you said and is far more dangerous. There really isn't any competition when you get down to it.

[palmerleeberry]

Oh boy Oh Boy Oh Boy!

 

This is just like the TOP GUN incident at Great America at San Jose when a woman loses her hat on that ride, so her husband jumps the restricting fences to try and retrieve it, and gets nailed by a passing train. The hat remains unhurt.

 

(laughing)

 

I heard other stories that this kid was trying to reenter the park as a short-cut rather from the entrance (and, Oh Boy, did he get a short cut on himself).

 

(laughing even harder)

 

What more can I add to this subject? Restricted mean restricted: you break the rules and the rules may break you.

[Dino_Martini]

I heard the kid was trying to retrieve his hat.

[AllenA07]

The hard part to believe with that is that is you'd think if you were going to walk around a coaster you'd watch the train and at least make a real honest attempt at not getting hit.

[tkkyj]

Seeing those pictures of the ride and the overheads of the park, I can totally see the desire to find a shortcut. Like i said earlier, I am unfamiliar with SFoG, but it appears as though they were coming from the overflow lot, and that there is no entrance gate near that side of the park. If they missed the tram, they might look for a way to avoid waiting for the next one (is there a tram?).

 

And that one part of the coaster looks like it would be confusing to tell where the train would go next if you were underneath it and heard it coming. It seems like he may have been thrown from the inside curve toward one of the supports of the outer curve?