Slush Pile: Iraq war veteran takes flying lesso

2011 Slush Pile

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Iraq war veteran takes flying lesso

2011 Reader Submission
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An Iraq War veteran who lost both legs and a hip to a roadside bomb south of Baghdad in March 2008 fell to his death late Friday afternoon from the 208-foot Ride of Steel roller coaster at Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, the soldier's family confirmed.

James T. Hackemer, 29, a double amputee who spent three years of rehabilitation before his March 18 release from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, was visiting Darien Lake for the first time since he was wounded, accompanied by his daughters, sisters and family.

"It's going to help a little bit that he was happy," Nancy Hackemer, the victim's mother, said late Friday from the family's Gowanda-area home. "We shouldn't have had him for these last three years and four months."

"After he was hit by the IED, he died once in the field and once on the operating table."

Mrs. Hackemer said her son, the youngest of six children that included two boys and four girls, was with his own daughters -- Addison, 3, and Kaelynn, 4 -- who live in Newport News, Va. James Hackemer and his daughters headed out earlier Friday to Darien Lake for the weekend with two of the veteran's sisters and their children, she said.

Mrs. Hackemer said she was unsure of the name of the ride her son was on but was told that he went onto the attraction with his nephew, Ashton, a sophomore at the University at Buffalo.

"He was assisted onto the ride," she said. "He was doing what he wanted to do."

Park officials said the incident occurred at about 5:30 p.m.

"An adult male guest came out of the Ride of Steel roller coaster, and we are saddened to report that the guest has passed," the park said in a statement. "We are currently investigating the situation with our safety experts and local authorities."

Sources close to the park told The News that the victim was "thrown from the coaster" and "fell a great height."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of the guest," park officials said.

Hackemer's mother said family members are planning a "Celebration of Life" for her son. She said the family in recent weeks had returned from Walter Reed, where Hackemer got "a new set of legs."

Hackemer, despite his challenges, had a love of life and stayed active after returning home this spring following the three-year road to rehabilitation. He and a neighbor powered through a daily three-mile bicycle ride. Hackemer used hand pedals to propel his bike.

Hackemer told The News he was soaking up the joys of Western New York life in the days following his return home. There was pizza and chicken wings with friends, movies, days spent with Ashton at UB, the Sabres and Yankees on television and plans to hunt deer and turkey from a four-wheeler later this year.

"He was so happy to be home," Mrs. Hackemer said Friday.

Park officials said late Friday that the attraction and surrounding area remain closed pending an investigation by Genesee County sheriff's officials and theme park safety crews.

This isn't the first serious accident reported on the Ride of Steel that, when first launched as a $12 million improvement to the park in 1999, was billed as the tallest roller coaster east of the Mississippi. It has since been eclipsed by several others that have opened since 2000.

Shortly after its grand opening, Mike Dwaileebe, then 37, of Olean, fell out of his seat 10 feet to the ground as the ride was braking on its final approach near the station house.

Dwaileebe suffered multiple rib fractures and internal injuries in the May 16, 1999, accident. Six Flags, the operator of the park then, had argued that the injuries resulted because Dwaileebe -- who weighed more than 300 pounds Ô was too large for the seat's lap-restraint bar to engage. Park officials later added safety belts.

A Cattaraugus County jury, however, found the park fully liable and awarded a $4 million verdict to Dwaileebe following a six-week trial. The case, brought by Cellino & Barnes, eventually settled for $2.85 million, the law firm said.

Submitted on 07/11/2011

Submitted by: Nicole Streich
Reference: Buffalonews.com july 9, 2001

>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Definitely Toss: Repeat
Thanks, Nicole, but we've already received this story a few times.

Candi said:
Definitely Toss: Repeat
What Bruce said.

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2011 Slush Pile

Iraq war veteran takes flying lesso

2011 Reader Submission Pending Acceptance

2011 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance