Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Operator error led to the death of James Hackemer, an Iraq war veteran and an amputee, who was was thrown of the Ride of Steel at Darien Lake two weeks ago. The New York State Labor Department cited Darien Lake for failing to properly train roller coaster operators, and having operators that didn't know the safety requirements, which include not letting anyone without both legs on the roller coaster. The Labor Department determined that those violations were not intentional, so Darien Lake won't have to pay any fines. The Ride of Steel had been closed since the accident, but reopened Friday.

A veteran from Gowanda who lost both of his legs in the Iraq War three years ago died Friday evening when he fell off a roller coaster at Darien Lake. Sgt. James Hackemer came out of the Ride of Steel roller coaster and died at around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, according to a statement from Darien Lake. The theme park is investigating, but believes all safety precautions were taken. The Ride of Steel will be closed until the investigation is complete, according to Darien Lake’s website.