What Really Happened on Batman the Ride at Six Flags over Georgia June 28th 2008?

On June 28th 2008 Batman the Ride at Six Flags over Georgia was operating normally. Little did anyone one the scene know that in a few moments they would bear witness to one of the most infamous accidents in amusement ride history. I have used a hard to find report to expose more details on this accident, dispelling some misconceptions in the process.
Accident Report:
drive.google.c...
Sources:
rcdb.com/421.htm
Videos Used:
• Official Batman The Ri...
• Batman the Ride
• Batman: The Ride, Six ...
• Six Flags Over Georgia...
• Six Flags Over Georgia...
• 2017 Batman: The Ride ...
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Music used under license from Epidemic Sound, songs listed in order:
Cold War Games - Gabriel Lewis
Chromatic People - Max Anson
Ad Infinitum - Oh the City

[@queencancerous5332]

This accident was that guy’s own fault, Six Flags is entirely blameless here

[@ricky-sanchez]

By creating an easy to access, poorly labeled danger zone, six flags is completely blame free.🤦

[@joshuah1968]

@@ricky-sanchez they had fences, the kids climbed over the fences, they had signs, kids ignored them. The park is not at fault. Darwinism is a real thing.

[@cloppin]

@@ricky-sanchez the kid was 17 you dunce. He clearly understood not to do something like that

[@queencancerous5332]

@@ricky-sanchez I think a fence is enough of an indication to let you know to keep out. If you need more than that then you’re honestly an idiot.

[@cookie80088]

idk why anyone would walk under a rollercoaster and expect everything to be ok😭😭 esp a 17 yr old! id understand a toddler but cmon…

[@mime_exe]

The idiocy of guests is the problem 99% of the time

[@UwePieper]

Can confirm. Can‘t recall any signs like that from European parks and no barbed wire, as well. What‘s wrong with people outside the US. I think even Coster Studios was amazed that some rides in Europe have no fencing at all but only a small ledge or some water to separate the ride.

[@jackbrennan4185]

@@UwePieper no offense but you have to be pretty thick in the head to walk under an active ride. I think European parks trust their guests to do the right thing. You never hear about people getting struck in Europe.

[@djsugarc1075]

i mean.. not in this case but in a lot of coaster accident cases( ride ops should have a little responsibility, esp when it comes to like amputees getting on a ride or oversized piggies. who would actually want to ride a death machine if you dont fit in the absolute only thing keeping you alive, suppose your right… people R idiotic.

[@UwePieper]

@@djsugarc1075 For sure. That's really bad for a ride op and at some point just tend to give in to end the discussion / fight. There should be no discussion to begin with. Even if you lost both your legs fighting for your country. This thing is designed for two legs to keep you safe.

[@BrownEyePinch]

Morons

[@hishouha]

After working with customer service for over 2 years, I have learned that some humans are, indeed, capable of completely ignoring every sign in their way telling them to NOT do something. Someone WILL do it, believe it or not. There's always someone to do it. We had to stop alarms multiple times because guests would open the emergency door of the entrance, despite the 5 huge red signs saying no to open it. Even without reading you should know that multiple red signs on a door means don't open it.

[@lauramoore8823]

Even though I know the alarm doesn't go off unless it's armed (like at the end of the day) and it's 3 doors shorter to go out the emergency exit at my office and everyone else does it, it still feels so wrong to do it.

[@realwiggles]

I feel like it’s a self fulfilling prophecy type of thing. So many people have never had to face any real consequences for their actions, and so they go through life assuming someone will always be there to make sure nothing happens to them when they make bad decisions. They don’t expect to face any consequences for their actions and eventually they develop this idea that nothing bad could ever be allowed to actually happen to them. Unfortunately for this kid (because it is unfortunate, a fact which the edge-lords or legitimate psychopaths in this thread can’t seem to understand as they seem unable to realize that situations can be multiple things at once; they can be both an example of extreme carelessness and stupidity resulting in death as well as being a tragic and unfortunate accident. No sense in unnecessarily shitting on someone who was a real living human being with friends and family who unfortunately made a very serious and preventable mistake), the consequences he faced were so severe that he didn’t have the opportunity to learn from his mistakes.

[@globalwarmhugs7741]

I'll believe anything Americans will be "clever" enough to do. Absolutely anything.

[@kamicokrolock]

Not the same thing; but after working retail I learned that a huge portion of the population can't be bothered to read signs (and other paperwork). We'd take the extra steps to place sale signs right below an item on sale and place those items at eye level and I'd still have people on the daily insisting that sign was for something else. I'd have angry customers stomp back to my department and demand I show them the sign so I COULD SEE I was wrong and they were right. The customer was never right.

[@belindapaul9828]

💯💯💯 We have huge, aggressive saltwater crocs where I live & there are signs everywhere - some of them even have little icons of a crocodile with a person in its mouth. The situation could not be clearer. People still go in the water though. It’s hard to understand tbh.

[@oliverpyke9590]

I feel bad for the people who struck the kid. That's a traumatising moment and I send my condolences to everyone involved

[@joeylamuel5828]

Well, I would be sad, but not guilt ridden. You can't fix stupid sometimes.

[@rylantapp1178]

I don’t think it could’ve been a person hitting him. It’s more likely the train hit him because the train extends further past the bodies of the riders and it would have to be hard enough with enough force to decapitate someone

[@Ericairline]

​@@rylantapp1178the witness statements say he was struck by an actual rider. But who knows it probably happened so fast and was hard to see.

[@Faykengai]

I was actually in the park when this happened. There was an event going on where youth groups from various churches were at the park and had the pavillions rented out for them. The kid who died was with one of these youth groups without his parents knowledge. My group was in line for the superman ride when they shut down that section of the park and the rumor spread very quickly about what happened. Wild stuff.

[@ZombieNinjas666]

I love how the statement is phrased "I saw a man run from the building (Batman) towards the fence." possibly implying it was Batman.

[@jeremylawson6648]

I thought that too lol.

[@discipleoftheLordJesusChrist]

technically the word that he placed the word "batman" after, was the word: building. the word "man," was much earlier in the sentence. In english, whatever is mentioned in these symbols ( ) refers to the word that it is after. So the statement was clearly referencing the building being the batman ride / attraction.

[@Zeke2p9]

Batman: Tresspasser! (Ass whooping commences)

[@CHUCKSCHUMACHER]

@@discipleoftheLordJesusChrist in English: when some one says they think about something it means that while they may recognize the standard rules of reality, for the time being, they may choose to suspend such rules in order to freely brainstorm funny (or intriguing) ideas.

[@jay-1800]

Instantly “Na na na na na na na na Batman” went off in my head

[@andrewtaylor940]

One minor detail that sometimes gets overlooked. The reason there wasn’t any barbed wire on the fence to begin with is it violated local codes. The park could not put it up until the state/county told them to. I think the codes were quickly and quietly modified to make it easier to get permission for such things.

[@SleepyKwee]

Even without the barbed wire though, it should be common sense not to go near an active roller-coaster. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@VestedUTuber]

@@SleepyKwee I mean, it is common sense. Problem is that common sense is a misnomer, because it's not really so common.

[@SleepyKwee]

@@VestedUTuber it's really not, sadly. 😂

[@andrewtaylor940]

@@VestedUTuber Teenage boys are not particularly known for Common Sense. And sadly the local teens in the communities around Six Flags over Georgia seem to hold the very concept of common sense in sharp disdain.

[@belindapaul9828]

Thanks for sharing that.

[@wendyjaa]

What's so sad is that this scenario has happened so many times at many different parks. I don't understand why anyone would ever think it's okay to climb a fence to get anywhere, especially when large, fast, potentially unstoppable machines are present.

[@awtumn]

A lot of people just act without thinking rationally about the deadly consequences. This case, unfortunate as it is, proves that.

[@BrookeKatherine.]

I think they didn’t realize that the ride would even be able to touch them, that’s my only guess. I wonder why they split up though. I know the one took off running after being the other was hit, but from the reports it doesn’t sound like they were side by side.

[@theTruthSeekerishere]

I don't know if this is the same incident or not, but there was one where a boy lost his hat when he was on the ride and he hopped the fence to get it afterward and was also killed.

[@awtumn]

@@theTruthSeekerishere That's the same incident.

[@chdn]

The same happens with pump jacks (the big seesaw looking machines that pump crude oil). They put huge fences and tons of signs on them warning people to stay away because they start and stop randomly without notice and have a massive swinging counterweight but people still hop the fences and climb on top of them for pictures. Some people just don't realize how dangerous large machinery is. Even if it's moving slowly, the force required to make something that big move at all is lethal and even if you know where the Estop button is, it still takes time for heavy machines to stop moving.

[@katherynedarrah4245]

What I love about this series is how you do away with the speculation where you can. You use the report, then, where there's few or no confirmed details, you use wording like "no one's sure what happened" or "what is thought to have happened is XYZ" rather than "This is what happened next" Though what really irks me is the lack of adult supervision on these sorts of trips. As a ride operator, the number of times I've had to correct groups like this with no adult present is INSANE. If you're planning a large group trip, ensure that you have enough MATURE adults to properly supervise the participants, if they aren't mature enough themselves to know not to do stuff like this. Ideally, this means 1 adult for every 6-8 participants. Doesn't matter the age, don't let groups break off unless they're well behaved and if they're not, require supervision. Every year at BGW we have BSA groups come in, can easily be 100+ kids. I've never seen any of them do stuff like this, and we routinely allow them to wander the park without their scout leaders because they're the most polite and well behaved kids we know! They might get rambunctious and run around, but they wait patiently in line, don't go where they aren't allowed, and are polite. Honestly, if you can't teach your kids how to behave at an amusement park, don't let them go, things like this happen.

[@ralphvarela2457]

Due to a surge of misbehaving (and sometimes violent) teenagers, Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA now REQUIRES an adult to be with a group of minors AT ALL TIMES, and there has to be a 4:1 ratio of minor to adult. If a minor separates from the adult, they risk being removed from the park. I think ALL amusement parks should follow this policy.

[@katherynedarrah4245]

@@ralphvarela2457 And how often do they actually ENFORCE this policy, and what do they classify as "separating" from an adult. This policy is not what I'd prefer, there are numerous reasons someone might HAVE to separate. Maybe there's a minor injury that needs the first aid station, and then the child laying down (i.e. they have a headache and just need some time laying down) should the other children be FORCED to wait in the station for the other child? What about a child having to sit out a ride for whatever reason. I, personally, cannot go on roller coasters (particularly those that go more than maybe 50 MPH, but as a general rule they're all outlawed for me) so I have to sit those out. Not all parks let the non-riders of a group wait in the station. When I went to six flags over maryland in 2012ish with a school trip, me and the other girl who couldn't/wouldn't go on coasters just waited by a ride, sitting either on a bench or the ground out of the way. Should I have been kicked out of the park for being UNABLE, due to a heart condition, to ride certain ride types and not being allowed to wait in the station? What about times when a ride fills up with only part of a group? Outside of the obvious argument I know you're gonna say of "the park should train staff better on not breaking up groups" it's not that simple. I will occassionally call for a single rider if I have one seat, but i'm not gonna ask for 2, 3, 4, or more riders because "you can't break up a group" that just pisses people off and makes them yell about allowing people to cut in line. But I digress, should the child(ren) who's left in line be kicked out of the park because the rest of the group's waiting near the ride, but not right at the exit (a safety hazard) for them? What about a kid who has special dietary concerns and thus must go to a specific restaurant/eatery in the park, after everyone else is eating (this also happened on our trip) should they be kicked out? You see how this policy is a HORRIBLE idea?

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

Having been to both BGW and SFOG many many time throughout my life I can tell you from long experience that the clientele at BGW is most definitely a cut above what you will find at SFOG. This especially evident in the under 18 age group where SFOG seems to be viewed as a daycare center for all of the greater Atlanta area. The difference between the two parks in maintenance, ride ops, cleanliness, theming and guest is so remarkable that I was shocked by first trip to SFOG at the age of 22 and then was shocked again when I went back to BGW when I was closer to 30. So if you feel like the minors at BGW are unruly or disruptive I can tell you that it is infinitely worse at SFOG.

[@katherynedarrah4245]

@@ashleighelizabeth5916 Understood. My point being, though, WHERE WERE THE ADULTS! These kids were obviously immature, to put it nicely. They didn't know that "a big fence" generally means "do not go here" so they apparently needed an adult to supervise them. Yet no adult was around. Likely because these were teenagers and everyone always assumes they can handle themselves. They can't.

[@cailin5309]

@@katherynedarrah4245 What do you think about just banning group trips, period. Go with your own parents or wait till you’re 18. Maybe a radical view.. but especially given how immature & driven to fight authority teens are nowadays, as opposed to even my own generation (born 1990), you just can’t trust them at all.

[@Packerm87]

I was working at Medusa at six flags in new jersey and I was the operator at the time. the operators booth was open and you can pretty much see the entire ride with the exception of the break up because the maintenance shed was blocking it. I will never forget the one day, it was about 3pm ish in the afternoon, queue was full, I had a train JUST dispatched from the station, was now supervising the train coming in, I look over my shoulder and see park guest in a fenced in area, with a train climbing the lift. (if you look at pictures, the guest was walking under the break run after the cobra roll), I immediately press the RIDE STOP (that was wrong, and ill explain why), that stopped the train on the lift AS WELL as the train returning to the station which was not necessary, just the LIFT STOP was needed. Immediately call security and sup under procedures and guest was escorted out and my sup was proud but did inform of my error but understand why I did it. After leaving for the night, the office all gave me high fives because I prevented what could have potential been the same result. Because these situations happen, MOST parks now install cameras through ride areas to monitor and record activity where ride crews can not see.

[@kenzielater1378]

Unfortunately seeing in this situation wouldn’t have helped if you watched the video until the end. The e-stop couldn’t do anything because it was a free run section. There was no break available in that section. Cameras wouldn’t have made a difference.

[@aetank_yyteawu3436]

It’s a damn shame that you have to babysit people who refuse to follow safety rules and try to enter restricted areas.

[@entrapta8049]

Even though that person who jumped the fence was stupid, you saved their life, and yourself and the guests from a potentially traumatic tragedy.

[@PabloCruz_Iamawesomeandmexican]

I worked at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and one of the rides I operated was Goliath. I’m so glad it is one of the Batman clones to have a more open station. I was an attendant at that ride one day and caught someone within the ‘danger zone’ of the ride attempt to retrieve a wallet. The Flash Pass attendant and I caught him and yelled at him to leave the area. The man in the danger zone ran away like hell. Luckily we hadn’t dispatched the ride yet. Had we dispatched the ride, an incident similar to the one discussed in this video would have happened! Also due to the openness of the station and the position of my safe zone, I was able to spot the man and report it to park security. I hope he gets banned from going to six flags to say the least! People are crazy!

[@ButchJoestar]

It’s pretty crazy how so many of us have heard this story, just slightly edited or changed in reasoning. But the facts of the case of this happening on a Batman ride and the boy being decapitated have remained clear over time. I can only imagine how that friend group feels…can you imagine? You and your friends are goofing off and now your friend’s fate is an infamous rumor uttered amongst the lines of so many roller coasters. Not to mention the poor witnesses and riders who got blood on them. Great video as always. The reports were very interesting.🖤

[@triple7marc]

"You and your friends are goofing off" inside a restricted area. FTFY.

[@ButchJoestar]

@@triple7marc Dawg I didn’t know what else to call it. Yeah it was a restricted area and yeah they were stupid teens very much in the wrong but I’m pretty sure they didn’t deserve nor were they looking to see their friend’s head annihilated by a moving coaster.

[@triple7marc]

@@ButchJoestar I mean, they didn’t “””deserve””” to see it, but they knowingly jumped into the restricted area of a roller coaster while it was running. It’s natural selection at work.

[@iluvyurbles]

@@triple7marc tradgic that it happened truly, and entirely preventable if they had just waited

[@citizensnips3850]

@@ButchJoestar He didn't deserve to die but he put himself in a ludicrous amount of danger for no reason. Hard to feel sorry for him.

[@prestonestes1388]

I have a coworker who was in line with her daughter when it happened. They were in the flash pass line and witnessed the incident. Her daughter is still scarred. They tried to ride it again a few years later, but the daughter had a panic attack when she saw the red grease on the coaster and could only see blood. They never went back.

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

THAT is the real tragedy to me. Innocent people that had done nothing wrong have to deal with trauma that impacts them for years because of the stupidity of somebody they don't even know.

[@danwolfe238]

bruh

[@ANTH0NY.VII.]

@danwolfe238 dude trauma is a real thing, sounds, smells, certain items, etc can all bring back vivid memories of an incident. Making you relive the event.

[@DevoGaming93]

@@ANTH0NY.VII. trauma is very real but also can be overcome. Let me hear those stories, not your trauma.

[@kerrysmiles]

@@DevoGaming93 well it's clear you have no idea what trauma is actually like.

[@zeldagamelover24]

So this is the one where they kept saying a boy went to pick up a hat he lost, and its really he wanted to get ahead of the line. Also love these accident videos, knowing the details and truth behind them.

[@ayanadixon4763]

Raptor at Cedar Point had an incident where a man was killed trying to retrieve either a hat or cellphone several years ago. He also scaled fencing and ignored all the danger signs.

[@WickedlyMe328]

@@ayanadixon4763 this kid was also said to have done this

[@southwest.air.luvflyer]

@@WickedlyMe328 this is the one that I thought it was going to be about but I didn't know about that half

[@dextermorgan1]

Typical to gloss over(or outright lie) in order to cover up someone's stupidity.

[@WickedlyMe328]

@@southwest.air.luvflyer and yet everywhere you look that is the one that comes up…from 2008. 2002 there was a similar incident

[@Princess.Kathleen26]

I was at Six Flags Over Georgia the day this happened. We were walking by the Gotham area when we noticed it was being blocked off by security and trash cans. One our group went to ask what happened and we just heard someone had died on the Batman coaster. We weren’t sure of anything else. I’ve heard this story a lot since and this video has been the best explanation of what happened. Great video! Love your channel!

[@FRBlitz117]

Yea I remember going years later when I was old enough and my cousin told me about it when I first went to the park. Sent chills down my spine.

[@realcareeryoungmoney954]

I was also at the ride that day. Saw the church group leaders crying. Later on the radio that day I heard it was a dude trying to get a hat. Glad I finally heard the full story.

[@bluhoneymoon]

Something similar recently happened at the Melbourne royal show, idiot dropped her phone jumped the fence to get it and got struck. The ride ops told her to wait 20 minutes and they’d grab it for her safely, but she didn’t listen and is now suffering in hospital

[@natesface]

Have friends who were there that day. Awful accident. Feel so bad for her family and the witnesses there that day.

[@draculastraphouse7863]

She couldn't wait 20 minutes because she needed her phone asap, now she can suffer for the next 20 damn years..🤡

[@MonnieGoCrazy]

@@natesface why would you feel bad about someone else’s stupidity, I would feel bad for the ppl who had to witness that stupidity that day

[@natesface]

@@MonnieGoCrazy you have poor reading comprehension.

[@ddarkenedlight]

@@MonnieGoCrazy I would feel bad for your stupidity, but according to you, why would I? You feel bad for the person, not for how dumb they are. I would say I feel bad for you, but that would be lying 😂

[@bretton_woods]

Love your channel dude. I know it's morbid...but the accident vids are my favourite. They are notable BECAUSE they are so rare. Amusement parks are still incredibly safe SO LONG as you don't f*ck around and all staff are properly trained. Yet some see these videos and are scared off rides forever - but they will drive a car, despite 1000's of accidents every day.

[@JavaCake]

Yep

[@julieboolie4070]

Exactly cars are a 1000 times worse.

[@endiecutie06]

To be fair, in the modern day you HAVE to ride in a car at some point, especially depending on where you live.

[@barriuto]

ok but there are more cars in the world than rides

[@JaeLCR13]

I remember my parents telling me about this when it happened. Except they left out most of the details, just saying "someone got decapitated on the batman ride at six flags" Naturally this freaked me out; the Batman ride at Great America has been one of my favorites, and the idea it could kill me so easily nearly drove me away from roller coasters for good Fortunately I found out the rest of the details and realized "oh this wasn't a cable snapping off or something. Someone just made a poor decision"

[@XiaoFury]

I heard about this gruesome event. Walking underneath a roller coaster is just as careless as playing on train tracks. Some mistakes can't be repented of.

[@hypnoticdemon]

I really love this series, it's so interesting to learn about how these accidents occur (and most of the time due to human error rather than mechanical failure) and what the actual story is alongside learning the different mechanics and safety mechanisms that make these rides so safe.

[@CCD_106]

The story locally in GA (where I live) was that the kid was trying to retrieve a hat. This is the first time I ever heard about jumping the line which seems harder to believe because, as one who has been on that ride, you could see that feat would be impossible from the fence!

[@CoasterCollege]

The information I provided comes directly from the official accident report. The hat story was made up by local news.

[@jeanaatkins8083]

I was there that day, and I also heard there was a youth group and one kid went to retrieve his hat. This is the first I'm hearing this story.

[@willowwickertop7152]

Pretty upset with some of these comments, calling the kid a dumbass or that he *deserved* it. It was a dumb decision sure, but obviously he didn’t fully realize the danger to himself. He wasn’t old enough to be trusted to drink, smoke, or vote and y’all are saying he deserved to die over this? The park wasn’t at fault but you don’t have to talk shit about a dead kid you didn’t know. I would’ve assumed that no part of the coaster would get 6ft or closer to the ground, I’m pretty surprised to hear otherwise. It was a tragic mistake with irreversible consequences so please be gentle.

[@aetank_yyteawu3436]

It was a Darwin award winning decision to ignore the fence and restricted signs. Only a brilliant mind would think to jump over the fence and get close to the roller coaster. Foolish minds die to remind others not be foolish.

[@willowwickertop7152]

@@aetank_yyteawu3436 he was a kid with a lapse in judgement. It’s crazy it goes that low. Most no trespassing signs don’t mean you’ll die if you’re in the area. I think it makes people feel better to blame him, but it’s still a senseless tragic loss of life. Also social darwinism is a disgusting excuse. I’m sure you’ve made equally stupid decisions. I know I have.

[@catrillion]

Georgian here!! Just wanted to let everyone know that back in the day, the wait for Batman the Ride was always an hour plus, usually closer to 2 hours, but ever since this accident the ride is basically a walk-on. Edit: According to the replies, the line does still get long nowadays. It seems I have what they in the business call "good luck" and have just personally avoided the long lines haha

[@ciaragilbert9643]

The lines still get long since then

[@catrillion]

@@ciaragilbert9643 oh wow, really? I guess I always just get lucky hahaha

[@bobjohnson6514]

Yea I’ve waited 2 hours before to ride Batman prob like 6 or 7 years ago. Went the other day actually it and still got up to an hour wait

[@TheAmazingBlackStar]

I always think about this story when I see the Batman ride at Six Flags Over Texas (even tho it happened in Georgia). I really appreciate you focusing on the truth instead of sensationalizing. For some reason I had always heard he was trying to retrieve a hat/lost item. I wonder where that story started.

[@CoasterCollege]

I believe the hat story was started by a local news station at the time and spread around since. Would be interesting to find the original source. I believed that story up until reading the report.

[@triple7marc]

@@CoasterCollege In a way, the fact that he wasn't trying to retrieve a hat actually makes it less acceptable for him to have been there in the first place. Not that it was acceptable to begin with, but with this story, he seemingly had no reason to be there at all.

[@ZachAttackIsBack]

@@CoasterCollege I read the news articles from the time of the accident, and it looks like the lost hat story was something witnesses told the police during their investigation, which was relayed to an AP reporter and thus spread across most news sources. June 28, 2008 article from NBC News via the AP. "Authorities were investigating reports from witnesses who said the teenager jumped the fences to retrieve a hat he lost while riding the Batman roller coaster, said Cobb County police Sgt. Dana Pierce."

[@Katinahat293]

@@ZachAttackIsBack dang great detective work, good to know

[@jeanaatkins8083]

I was there that day, and several people said it was to retreive his hat. I have teenagers, and as a youth leader at my church I've witnessed (and got on to) the teen boys jumping lines just for fun, I would imagine there was some sort of dare or something, teenagers do some crazy things. I was only 19 when this happened.

[@pinkdarkboy7127]

I always wonder what his friend was doing. Surely the point of them going in pairs was so they could be lookouts for eachother in the dangerous areas. I heard Batman gets up to 50 mph, which isn't super fast when you consider it has a set path of travel that you can avoid and they were 2 almost adults. Whatever happened, to try to save 115 minutes, the kid lost an entire lifetime's worth of time in an incredibly avoidable way. All rollercoaster accidents are sad, but this is one of the few ones that just makes me go, "Wow he was kinda stupid."

[@Lauragreat913]

The 50 mph isn’t bad when you compare it to rides like Goliath, which gets up to 70 mph, but Batman twists so much and so tightly that it seems a lot faster. Ya know? The footprint of the entire track is pretty small because of it. It also gets pretty close to the ground (obviously). It’s always been one of my favorite rides.

[@mothiiee]

He was stupid, but at 17 so is everyone else. Its kinda disturbing to see so many ppl act like he deserved it or that it wasnt tragic (not you but its a common theme in other comments) but like. I dont think stupid should make the death more or less acceptable or okay.

[@gilbertnatal855]

@@mothiieehave you ever been THAT stupid tho?

[@mothiiee]

@@gilbertnatal855 ngl i dont know. I did do quite a bit of stupid shit, but i dont actually think i ever knew if there was a decapitation risk, which i think is likely the same for this kid. Probably though it was the same danger level as jaywalking or some shit when it really wasnt

[@Jake-yf9ky]

The kid was going to get a hat that someone had lost earlier while riding the ride. Nothing flashy or dramatic, just a kid who wanted a free hat.

[@esteemedmortal5917]

Damn, that must of been traumatizing to every single person involved. When you’re young, you’re a lot more prone to recklessness. Usually the outcome isn’t so catastrophic 😢

[@ashleyannie6756]

Imagine being the poor guy who hit him. I'd have nightmares for the rest of my life.

[@sean_2455]

I heard the person had their leg shattered from the incident

[@ashleyannie6756]

@@sean_2455 God, that makes it even worse.

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

@@sean_2455 that was what I was wondering that wasn't mentioned in the video. If somebody got hit so hard it decapitated him what about the poor bastard that hit him?

[@realmadera]

I'm sure it's worst on the friend who came out with the idea.

[@cfrankbii9613]

I worked at this ride when I was in high school for two years (99-00, 00-01) until I went to college. Back then I frequently visited the park, even interviewed for a more professional position after I graduated. I'm 6'4" and when I heard about the accident the first thing I said was, "How did they get over those fences?" One fence was a "gothic" style spiked fence that circled the ride and the other was your standard chain fence and they were more on the back side/parking lot side of the coaster. I remember them being much taller than me. We used to do track walks for lost items after closing. It's interesting hearing these reports, especially the witness ones. I heard the "how and why" differently, but in the end the story is the same. A teen in the backside of the ride layout was struck by a train. The one thing I loved about working at batman, was besides the regularly nauseated guest 🤢(lol) or crowd control situation from waiting in a 2hr+ line with no a/c (guest on guest high tension) we never had any issues like safety or anything. Unfortunate accident. Another thing that people don't talk about when this happens are the employees. Especially at a ride like this. Like the video states all BTR clones are sectioned off because of the theming. The entire station and brakes are enclosed. And if it was open that back section is so far away from the station you wouldn't have seen anybody back there anyways, and if you did if the train left the lift already there would be nothing you could do to stop it. I can't imagine how helpless they must have felt.

[@iluvyurbles]

Sucks people don’t just follow the rules

[@aetank_yyteawu3436]

Especially rules placed for their own safety.

[@kamaniaray]

So sad, I remember the incident as an Atlanta resident - but this is EXACTLY why for WEEKS our schools, the news, everyone kept telling us how dangerous it is to go places we do not belong. It was drilled in my head very well as I was near the age of the child who came to rest at the time.

[@couch2558]

Thank you for actually using the factual information and doing proper research. There's been a new channel recently called Disturbing, and theyve not included nearly the amount of information about the actual circumstances involving accidents in some videos, and even providing misinformation blatantly in 2 videos.

[@syntheticnightshade]

I've always been curious about the specificities of this accident. Amazing you got your hands on this report.

[@chapelmontoya7232]

I lived at Ga at the time and this story stuck out to me because I was working as a dispatcher and this story was played over and over again in our office. The initial story was about kids trying to get into the park because they didn’t want wast time on walking to the front of the park and they decided to sneak in. Story changed to they were leaving and the wind blew the victims hat into the ride and he tried to retrieve it, another story the victims family tried suing the park because the fence didn’t keep their kids from gaining access, the true victim of this story though was the girl’s foot, she literally kicked the kids head off but almost lost her foot in the process too. Thanks for sharing the link, I’m going to check it now.

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

That girl is the one I truly feel sorry for. Burns me up when the family tries to blame the park for their own child's rank stupidity. They should be forced to pay the legal fees that Six Flags incurs defending themselves against such a bullshit lawsuit.

[@LauraElizabethArt]

I live in GA and went there a few days later when it was still closed. It blows my mind that we all heard he dropped his hat on the ride. Until today I still thought it was because he dropped his hat. Wild.

[@AmusementParkLife]

I love your channel and learning about these tragic accidents can be interesting. One tragic accident that you could cover (if you ever don’t know what to make your next video about) could be the Black Sunday accident at Kings Island on June 9th, 1991. There is also the Tower Johnny accident that happened at Kings Island on May 13th, 1983. Thank you for your awesome videos!

[@rosesdrawings]

Imagine the horror the people on the roller coaster had when they hit him

[@thesaucyslurp]

i love how the only ever fatal accidents by b&m coasters were by idiots going where they shouldnt be like on raptor too. minus the landscaper he was a proper accident.

[@bocahdongo7769]

2 Batman, Afterburn/Top Gun (twice, gladly one of them still alive), Raptor, Katun We should started calling B&M invert a "Face Smasher" or "Decapitator"

[@Ellie-rx3jt]

@@bocahdongo7769 Honestly I'm slightly surprised that they didn't retrofit a front row foot protector/decapitation preventer given that at least two of those incidents resulted in decapitation (and one in an injury to a passenger's foot irrc). Like, I'm not saying it would prevent death, but "he died from head trauma" is far less dramatic sounding than "he was decapitated", and probably better for PR.

[@bocahdongo7769]

@@Ellie-rx3jt there's no point of that anyway It's already the level of mortal Kombat 's finishing move at this point

[@d.krolmann5456]

There occurred a similar accident on Katun which is located at Mirabilandia in Italy. As far as I can remember they even have some sort of accident report on one of the coasters signs.

[@thomasdahm1175]

That is so sad.😭😭 His poor parents. The accident isnt the fault of Six flags or B&M. This is a good example that the most accidents happen because guests dont think. At Katun in Mirarbilandia in Italy too.

[@NoahGragsonFan629]

I always love when a "What really happened" video is posted. Love this channel and keep up the great work. :)

[@gnnascarfan2410]

I think an important lesson to take away from this is that theme park amusement accidents should not be focused on assigning blame, it should be focused on making the entire industry safer. That's the same mentality that the NTSB has when investigating plane crashes, and I'm happy this was the mentality Six Flags Over Georgia had too.

[@spiralrose]

Very well said The NTSB also operates that way under the assumption that if no blame is a signed, then everybody involved in the incident will be forthcoming so that the said incident can definitely be prevented. You are smart to bring that up… That’s a model that should be followed by many people

[@redwall1521]

Assign blame in private. Have parents punish kids for doing stupid shit like this. If you don't provide consequences for poor choices people are going to think poor choices have no consequences.

[@VinceHere98]

Unfortunately, similar incidents happened on other Inverted coasters as well. Raptor at Cedar Point experienced an incident similar to this in 2015. Flight Deck (then Top Gun) at California’s Great America also had this incident in 1998.

[@bocahdongo7769]

Flight deck happened TWICE, like WTF? And also Katun on Mirabilandia, another Invert. Why aren't coaster enthusiasts not started calling B&M Invert a "Face smasher" or "Decapitator" yet

[@Sir1188]

​@@bocahdongo7769 because old school SLC's took that title a long time ago... At least they feel like it.

[@UwePieper]

@@Sir1188 Face smasher? SLC for sure!

[@the1barbarian781]

And a person was hit by a non suspended coaster just recently and currently in hospital

[@VinceHere98]

@@the1barbarian781 oh good lord. Name of ride?

[@judgeroyscream7457]

Thank you so much for these videos. It's good that there are people like you who actually put in the time to spread correct information.

[@SaturnSenshi3105]

Yes people zooming at the speed of a car towards a still person will most likely kill them. It’s like thinking “let me just jump in front of the cars in the highway on I-75. I just need to get something.”

[@MusicLeeSarah]

I'm so impressed by your ability to find all those interviews and reports!

[@princesskristan]

This was the first coaster accident that I heard about, and this is why I love your channel. You clear everything up, and explain everything in great detail

[@birbloom]

Reading those witness/employee statements in the reports is absolutely wild

[@copperblossom730]

As someone who frequented this park in my youth, I remember my dad telling me how a man lost a hat in the danger zone, jumped the fence to retrieve it, and was struck. Entirely different track segment and entirely different story. It's interesting how twisted the story has gotten over the years

[@jeanaatkins8083]

I was there this day, I was 19, and many witnesses said that was the reason he was inside the fence. The story is still going around about the hat.

[@Rainybee17]

Growing up this was like the local horror story no matter what county you were in. It changed so many times- I remember hearing in 5th grade that the ride came back with his head on it while someone else told me a passenger kicked his head on accident and their leg broke off 😂😂 I was so gullible

[@justinscrazyworldTV]

I love how you instantly turned into a sleeveless mullet Nascar guy when you started reading the witness statement. Lol

[@CoasterCollege]

That was the voice of a friend who could be described as "a sleeveless mullet Nascar guy" lol

[@NotAJosh]

I’m surprised they don’t post camera up around the fences or in the fenced in perimeter for security to keep an eye on it or put up monitors in the station for attendants and operators can see

[@Jadentheman]

I am guessing Six Flags did the bare minimum of what the state and their insurance mandated.

[@bocahdongo7769]

It's a big and wide ride They only supposedly install the camera to check on the track if the train prematurely stop on the middle of the track (Remember Smiler Accident). Even if that's the case, you can't just stop the train prematurely anyway TLDR you can't please idiot people

[@NotAJosh]

@@Jadentheman true. I know at Darien lake has cameras in some of the coaster stations. I know superman has cameras in the station building.

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

I'm guessing that has changed since this happened...

[@sympathyforthedevil1553]

I've been on this ride...once Batman really gets going, he can't be stopped. Very true.

[@WhatAG23]

I dropped my hat down a high section of the queue for Men In Black at Universal once and made the wise decision of not jumping over the fence to get it I got it back eventually, my dad told someone who worked there about it and we got it later that day

[@the1barbarian781]

Glad you are returning. Would it go against any work agreements to cover the similar accident at cedar point?

[@walter_248]

So yes, the kid was a fool doing such thing, but hey, almost everyone is a rebel and a fool in that age, so I think it's fair to pay respects to him and his family

[@funnylittlecreature]

Exactly. The lack of compassion in this comment section scares me. Maybe this is why society nowadays is so individualistic... There's no sympathy for people who are seen as less than or "stupid".

[@walter_248]

@@funnylittlecreature Agreed

[@triplej755]

Coaster College, I may have seen you at Cedar Point on June 22nd! I was between Gemini and Dragster heading east and you were heading west. It seemed like you were going somewhere so I decided not to bother you. You did a great job with this video. This is the importance of not entering restricted areas at parks.

[@roberthanna1692]

Its crazy, I was watching these videos yesterday thinking they should do one on this accident! being from Georgia and a fan of six flags, this was MASSIVE news

[@buttamob]

I remember being so excited for that ride. No doubt was the longest I ever stood in a line for a ride. Never knew this happened though.

[@kashenialoveleverett2748]

That story wasn't as bad as some of the other horrific ride disaster death stories that I've seen!!! The accident wasn't caused by a fault of the ride it was the fault of the person trespassing & getting caught & hit by the ride!!! May the deceased rest peacefully & I'm sorry that this happened to them!!!

[@Spaghatee]

I used to visit this same six flags growing up as a kid, and I remember when this happened. I knew which spot on the ride the accident had to have happened at before they even released that information.

[@marioolverajr1192]

I remember hearing a rumor back in the day. The teen that died was trying to get a hat that was on the floor. I'm not sure if it was true or not, but that's a nasty way to go.

[@ErzengelDesLichtes]

One unfortunate thing is the warning signs might look like part of the theming for something like Batman, making it easier to ignore.

[@mrhead6856]

Sometimes you shouldn't climb a fence that says danger do not enter ...just a thought 🤔

[@kaylawhipple7570]

I don't mind being given new clothes but yikes this is not the way I'd want to have that happen.

[@jamesestelle7260]

I live in NJ, OR as most people know it as, the most dangerous place to go for coasters. Six Flags Great Adventure has had several incidents over the years including the deadliest event in any theme park and the most injuries caused by any singular ride (Haunted House and Lighning Loop. Action Park was another catastrophe of a place as well. In fact there has been 4 theme parks around here that have had some of the biggest issues when it comes to Amusement Parks safety. I love coasters, but every time I get on a coaster I always think it could be my last ride. It makes it that much more exciting! Just a couple of years ago the bar released as the ride was going and there was a kid hanging off of it when they stopped it. There was an electrical malfunction. He survived but boy that's going to be a lifetime of trust issues and fear.

[@Nitephall]

The satellite image with the X markings was very helpful. Thanks!

[@The.That.One.356]

YO SO GLAD THIS IS BACK!

[@marquesterry3585]

I remember hearing about this when I was a kid. The story was that he was trying to retrieve his hat after getting off the ride. I remember years later it changed to him seeing a hat fall off someone's head and went to get it. Now I watched this video with documents stating it was a group of young men involved. Interesting to say the least

[@lolnaw3411]

There was a similar incident at a different park involving a man retrieving a hat. The story is he did not speak english, but it should be obvious that climbing a tall fence to get under a roller coaster is a terrible idea

[@presidentfrog4683]

As a Georgia resident, the southern accent over the eye witness accounts made me chuckle.

[@jacksonfromplanet4706]

I remember like it was yesterday. I didn’t see it of course I just remember the entire Gotham area being blocked off for that day. Crazy stuff.

[@orangehasdied]

Oh my god. I live in GA and have gone to Six Flags every once in a while over the past few years and most recently a few months ago- in order to get into the park, you have to walk past The Batman and the new Riddler ride. I always wondered why there was barbed wire over the fence.

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

There is no new Riddler ride at SFOG. There is a coaster there named Mindbender that has been rethemed and renamed to The Riddler Mindbender but that coaster has been in the park since the mid 70s.

[@DINILE_1]

I haven't watched you since July and you still are awsome if not better!!! ^^

[@Boom12]

Welcome back and it's amazing the work you do in sharing these astounding thrill ride stories.

[@Coastoons]

so close to 100k

[@xri0tt]

hi coastoons

[@CoasterCollege]

Thanks! Never imagined this channel would ever get close to that.

[@SpottinPlanesForLife]

I'm so glad your back!

[@ChiSportsNut18]

I guess nobody ever told this kid that this is no way to get a head in life.

[@80rae]

I remember this all too well, I was actually there that day. I didn't see anything though, the park is massive. It still freaks me out when I go on that ride and go past the area where that happened.

[@heathermcnally7686]

I was going into high school when this happened. idk if it's true or not (or maybe from a different park accident) but everyone was saying that the person who was riding the coaster whose leg/foot hit the kid broke his leg from the impact too

[@GrubbyPigeon]

It happened at six flags over Georgia. I remember when it happened. His poor family misses him.

[@hudsonpaterson9027]

Yooo somehow I missed this, glad you're back!

[@iangilldjsuperdude]

I only go to the que line to get on any roller coaster and I understand that all Amusement Parks including Six Flags are very strict about ride safety and keeping up with the mechanical checkups and running a few ride tests to make sure there’s no issue with the train or the track pieces or other mechanical problems hence the modernization of the Mind Bender now known as the Riddler Mind Bender. Thanks for sharing this!

[@misrupt5226]

We had a (similar I think) ride at Six Flags in Denver or Elitches, that was closed before I ever got to ride it, I heard horror stories about someone dying in this exact same way and thats why but it could have just been related to this. Although now that I try to remember it (its hard since I never rode it on account to being too young) it could have been a superman ride that had you laying stomach down almost like superman flying. To be honest it could have just been a rumor because of this incident happening that was going around and the ride could have been closed for completely normal reasons but im not sure.

[@CELJAMstudios]

You’re back!!!

[@BiggestGal]

I remember on a road trip my dad and I took from North Carolina to San Diego in 2012 we stopped at Six Flags Over Georgia where he told me this story, or at least the version he knew. Looking back on it I'm realizing that what he told me accidentally combined elements from the Superman: Tower of Power incident. According to my dad, there was a little girl on the ride who lost her legs somehow (I don't remember what he said, if anything regarding how) and that her severed legs flew back with enough force to kick the head off of a rider behind her.

[@princeoftheazuresky]

To the people commenting that he was trying to retrieve a hat: Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that story was real, but not about this rollercoaster, that happened on Ninja at Magic Mountain about one month later that same year and I guess the stories got crossed somehow? Please keep in mind I can't find the accident report for the incident on Ninja so I don't know if this is the case but that is my best guess.

[@litz13]

There were actually two people killed that summer at SFOG, both people who encroached into restricted areas under coasters.

[@oceanthresher6184]

Incidents like these have caused me to have paranoia over riding in the front row of coasters where your feet dangle.

[@FaxturessKING]

Just happened on banshee, i guess no one really knows what can happen when you go under a ride

[@EnchantedBlox]

Bro lost his mind to completly go there then actually actually lost his mind.

[@leesullivan1916]

You got to feel for the riders on the front row of the train in Question. 😱😡

[@ricky-sanchez]

Front row seats to the main attraction.

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

Especially the poor girl that hit him.

[@richiebell]

Glad to see you back!

[@jeovs123]

Glad you’re uploading again

[@Connor-kz5tx]

I worked on a B&M invert in the U.K. the amount of times people jumped the fence to get their phones or hats back during operation is crazy. I remember one time a guy was inches from being struck by the train (could actually see on cctv) imagine that being another story for your channel if he got hit.! People are just so stupid

[@tayachting6345]

No shock there, I mean, this is the country that craves lockdowns and claps and bangs pots and pans for tyranny.

[@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan]

While it is terrible that guests lose their lives like this, you can't argue that the idiocy of those boys were the problem. You can't just jump the queue through a restricted area and ensure that you can get through the line faster. That's just common sense, and you put yourself in real danger. Even if you lose items in the restricted area, go to guest services and tell them what happened to ensure that they can do their best to get that item out of that area as safely as possible. I mean look at what happened on Raptor at Cedar Point when a person tried to get an item in the restricted ride area, and got hit by one of the trains, resulting in their death. The parks are not to blame at all for those kinds of accidents, and instead the people being idiots themselves are the ones to blame, regardless if it leads to their death. You just can't be sympathetic in that type of situation really.

[@BrownEyePinch]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

This exact same thing happened to Raptor at Cedar Point in 2015. It's weird that both times the incident occurred, it was the same type of coaster and the same reason behind it.

[@triple7marc]

It also happened to Flight Deck at California's Great America lol

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

@@triple7marc You'd think people would learn. When a sign specifically says "Do Not Enter" you do not enter that area!

[@lauravturner]

I can't imagine finding out that my clothes had blood on them because someone got instantly decapitated near me. I'd be unnerved for weeks at least.

[@getsmarter5412]

After working concerts for 4 decades, I’ve learned that where one idiot ventures, other idiots are sure to follow.

[@thomasmufc100]

I guess the guy did get 'a head' of the queue in the end

[@lows6427]

It must have been to much of a “pain in the neck” to wait in those lines any longer

[@joannewilson1162]

No other accidents at 6 flags but in 2015, a similar incident happened at cedar point when a guest jumped the fence on the raptor to get his cell phone. The raptor and the Batman are very similar in design and that man was decapitated too.😢I am sorry that these people passed away but it wasn’t the parks fault in either case. Those fences are there for a reason and when you forego those safety precautions, bad things happen.😢