Man dies after being struck by roller coaster at Ohio amusement park

The man was hit by the Banshee at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio.

01:47 25/06/2024

A 38-year-old man has died days after he was hit by a roller coaster at an Ohio amusement park, officials confirmed on Monday.

Arntanaro Nelson, of Wilmington, Ohio, suffered a "traumatic injury" Wednesday night at the Kings Island theme park in Mason, according to a Mason Police Department incident report.

Nelson had entered a restricted, fenced area near the Banshee roller coaster "and is believed to have been struck by the ride" around 8 p.m., a spokesperson for the park said in a statement.

The park's safety and first aid workers responded at the scene, and the man was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

He died on Friday, according to Justin Weber, the chief investigator for the Hamilton County Coroner's Office. A cause of death is pending investigation, with the final autopsy results expected to take eight to 10 weeks, he said.

The Banshee rollercoaster is seen at Kings Island, June 19, 2024, in Mason, Ohio.

A witness said Nelson told a park employee he had lost something on the ride and needed to go back to get it, according to Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO.

The employee reportedly said he would not be able to do anything until the ride closed, but the man continued to wander in the ride's vicinity and eventually passed through a restricted gate, WCPO reported.

The witness told WCPO the man had been dressed in clothing similar to park staff, so some had thought he was an employee.

The Banshee roller coaster temporarily closed while officials investigated the incident, the park spokesperson said. The ride reopened on Saturday, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.