Important News from Your Texas Accident Lawyer

Wounded Iraq Veteran Killed in Accident on Roller Coaster

Posted on Jul 16, 2011

The recovery of an Iraq War veteran from losing both legs in an enemy attack was cut tragically short this weekend, when 29-year-old James Thomas Hackemer died after falling from a roller coaster.

Hackemer was ejected from the 208-foot-tall Ride of Steel roller coaster Friday evening during an outing with family and friends at the Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, which lies about 30 miles outside of Buffalo, NY.

Hackemer was missing all of his left leg and most of his right one, along with part of his hip, after being severely wounded by an armor-piercing warhead while serving his country in 2008.

Hackemer was living with his parents after years of intense therapy, before the roller coaster tragedy ended his life prematurely. An investigation into the crash is still ongoing, but it is unclear whether ride attendants thought about banning Hackemer from the ride, which restrains passengers with a bar across their legs.

"We are all brokenhearted by this tragic accident and will continue our support of both the family and the investigation," the amusement park's general manager, Chris Thorpe, said in a statement.

We expect this story to be far from over, as a wrongful death case could very well follow. We hope this case brings justice to the friends and family of the deceased.