In 2008, United States Army Sergeant James T. Hackemer's vehicle triggered a roadside bomb outside Baghdad. The bomb blew off both of his legs and Hackemer spent the next three years recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He came home to Gowanda last March and got busy enjoying life again, despite the challenge of his multiple amputations.
On July 8, 2011, Hackemer went to New York's Darien Lake Theme Park Resort where he and his nephew decided to go on the Ride of Steel roller coaster. Although the ride's restraints are limited to a crossbar and seatbelts - there are no shoulder harnesses - Hackemer, who was not wearing prosthetic legs, was allowed to board. Attendants made routine safety checks and started the ride.
According to the final Sheriff's Office report of the amusement park accident: "When the ride returned, passengers were screaming that a rider had fallen from one of the cars ... Witnesses on the ride all described seeing Hackemer's hat fly off his head and him reaching for it before seeing his body fly from his seat."
Sgt. Hackemer died after being thrown from the car and falling 150 feet to the ground. He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on August 16.
No Criminal Charges; Family Sues Park
The rules for the Ride of Steel were "visibly posted at the entrance and exit" according to the New York State Department of Labor, and "require that riders have both legs." The agency slapped the park with multiple violations for improperly trained operators who were unfamiliar with the ride's safety requirements, although the Genesee County Sheriff indicated that no one would face criminal charges. The ride and the restraints were working properly, he noted, but "[Hackemer] didn't have the physical attributes to hold him in."
Sgt. Hackemer's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Darien Lake in Buffalo federal court. A wrongful death lawsuit is a civil suit which claims that another person (or company) is liable for a death and seeks compensation for the support the deceased would have otherwise provided the family.
Filing the lawsuit was a difficult decision because Hackemer's family is trying to stay focused on his remarkable life.
"It's going to help a little bit that he was happy," his mother told reporters. "He was doing what he wanted to do."
