Ohio man hospitalized after being struck by roller coaster: police

Coaster remains closed as officials investigate what happened, says park spokesperson

Ohio man hit by roller coaster at amusement park

A 38-year-old man was struck by a roller coaster at Kings Landing in Mason, Ohio, on June 19. (WXIX)

An Ohio man was "critically injured" after he was struck by a fast-moving roller coaster at Kings Island amusement park in Mason, police said.

According to the Mason Police Department, a 38-year-old unidentified man suffered a critical injury after he was hit by the Banshee roller coaster at the park located roughly 30 minutes north of Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Police were called to a report of "a subject down on the ground in one of the restricted areas" by the 4,124-foot inverted roller coaster, which tops out at 68 mph.

Law enforcement said the male victim allegedly dropped his keys while riding on the coaster and entered the fenced-in restricted area to retrieve them.

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A 38-year-old man was taken to the hospital after he was struck by the Banshee roller coaster on Wednesday night.

A 38-year-old man was taken to the hospital after he was struck by the Banshee roller coaster on Wednesday night. (Kings Island Amusement Park)

The man was "believed to have been struck by the ride" while he was in the restricted area, police said.

He was determined to have suffered a critical injury. 

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He was transported to a local hospital and then flown to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for treatment.

It was not immediately clear the extent of the man's injuries.

Kings Island entrance

The 364-acre park is located off Interstate 71 in Mason, Ohio, and is owned by Cedar Fair. (Liz Dufour/The Enquirer/USA TODAY NETWORK)

Park guests on Reddit claimed to have seen the man before and after the incident, sharing their experience on the social media site.

"We were in the front row and towards the end of the ride, there was a man’s body lying face down on the grass below the coaster," a person wrote. "We don’t know if he was alive."

"This was my first year here, and I thought it was a prop to go along the Haunted Hill section of the amusement park," another wrote. "Does the banshee (sic) ride low enough to hit someone if they jumped the fence?"

Kings Island picture

Kings Island amusement and water park in Mason, Ohio. (Liz Dufour/The Enquirer via Imagn Content Services LLC)

The Banshee roller coaster will remain closed while officials investigate the incident, a park spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital.

"Kings Island’s focus continues to be on the welfare of the guest and his family," they said.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. 

She is a native of Massachusetts and is based in Orlando, Florida.

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Authored by Sarah Rumpf-Whitten via FoxNews June 20th 2024