Iraq War Veteran Killed in New York Amusement Park Accident

Batavia, NYAn Iraq War veteran was killed in a recent amusement park accident in New York after he reportedly fell from a steep roller coaster, reports The Associated Press.

According to the news source, authorities are saying that Sergeant James Hackemer, a double-amputee, never should have been allowed to ride the roller coaster, as signs at the Darien Lake Theme Park & Resort state that riders need to have two legs.

Hackemer reportedly died when he was thrown from the second-highest of three hills on the roller coaster, falling approximately 150 feet onto a grassy section of the park, the news source said.

"He didn't have the physical attributes to hold him in," said Genesee County Sheriff Gary Maha, who added that park operators violated their own regulations when they allowed the man to board the ride.

Still, despite the fact that Maha says the operators violated their own policies, they will reportedly not face any criminal charges, investigators said. Maha did say, however, that a lawsuit, if filed, could ultimately determine civil liability in the case. He added that the state's labor department is still in the process of examining the mechanics of the ride, but it appeared as though the roller coaster was properly functioning. The ride is reportedly closed pending the probe by the labor department.

Hackemer, a father of two, was reportedly with his family when the accident occurred. While on the ride, he was not wearing prosthetic limbs, according to the news source. He was reportedly injured by a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq in 2008, the news source said.

In another recent amusement park accident in the eastern part of the country, a 6-year-old boy jumped into a pool at a Pennsylvania theme park and did not resurface, later dying of his injuries. There were reportedly no signs of head injuries.

According to a previous Associated Press article, George S. Roberts III of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was found dead on the afternoon of July 6 at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg.

Locust Township police chief Allen L. Breach said that lifeguards attempted to resuscitate the child, but he later died at a local hospital.

"The lifeguards gave him CPR and had him breathing on his own. Unfortunately, there was too much damage done," wrote the boy's stepfather, Daniel Howey, on his Facebook page.