A 38-year-old man was taken to the hospital after officials at the Ohio amusement park Kings Island said the man was believed to have been hit by the Banshee roller coaster Wednesday night.
Mason, Ohio, police said the man was critically injured.
In a statement, Kings Island said the man entered a restricted area at the Banshee around 8 p.m. A witness said the man told a greeter at the Banshee ride that he needed to get back on the ride because he lost something. The worker told the individual there was nothing they could do until the ride closed.
According to the witness, the man continued to wander near the ride and eventually went through a restricted gate. The man was dressed similarly to Kings Island employees so some assumed he was a manager or worker, the witness said.
"If you lose an item on a ride, we will search for the article as soon as possible. In order to keep the ride in operation an immediate search may not be possible,' Kings Island policy states.
An individual riding the Banshee seated in the front row said it sounded like they hit a deer at the time of the accident.
The person hit was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
"Kings Island’s focus continues to be on the welfare of the guest and his family," the park said
Kings Island says the inverted roller coaster reaches a speed of 68 mph and a height of 167 feet.
Kings Island said the ride will remain closed as park personnel and local officials conduct an investigation.
This article was originally written by Chloe Franklin and Taylor Weiter for Scripps News Cincinnati.
