Veteran thrown from roller coaster dies

DARIEN -- A U.S. Army veteran who lost both legs in Iraq and had been trying to rebuild his life was killed after he was thrown from a roller coaster at an upstate amusement park.

Teams of inspectors on Saturday were examining the Ride of Steel coaster at the Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, about 30 miles east of Buffalo.

Sgt. James Thomas Hackemer, 29, was ejected from the 208-foot-tall ride early Friday evening during an outing with family and friends. Authorities and a park spokeswoman declined to say at what point in the ride the accident occurred.

The veteran was missing all of his left leg and most of his right one, as well as part of a hip, and had only recently returned for good to his parents' home in Gowanda after years in and out of rehabilitation at hospitals around the northeast.

It wasn't immediately clear whether attendants at the theme park had given any thought to barring Hackemer from the ride because of his missing limbs.

People without legs are barred from at least one other coaster at the park, the Predator. Rules posted on the resort's website for the Ride of Steel say that guests must be 54 inches or taller, but add that people with "certain body proportions" may not be able to ride.

Park spokeswoman Cassandra Okon declined to answer questions about the accident on Saturday, citing the ongoing investigation. Both the state's labor department, which has regulatory authority over amusement park rides, and investigators from the Genesee County sheriff's department were on the scene.

A labor department spokesman confirmed that the agency is investigating the accident.

The park's website describes the Ride of Steel as one of the tallest coasters east of the Mississippi River, climbing more than 200 feet and reaching speeds in excess of 70 mph.

The roller coaster and surrounding area were closed after the death. Other areas of the park remained open.

Hackemer was severely wounded in 2008 by an armor-penetrating warhead. In an interview with The Buffalo News this year, he described the attack's aftermath, a hazy period in which he lost tremendous amounts of blood, had two strokes and was in a coma for six weeks at a series of hospitals.

The blood loss caused brain damage. Afterward, he had to relearn to eat and speak. "I had to learn all my basic skills again," he said.

After he finally went home, he said, his parents had constructed ramps around the house and were trying to make him comfortable. Hackemer said he would never feel normal again, but after all his hard work felt like he was "pretty close."