Teenager Decapitated at Six Flags

I'm not even sure that I could count how many times I've been to Six Flags over Georgia. The first time I went was with my sister's band group. I forget how I got lucky enough to go on that trip. My mother must have gone as a chaperon. I can definitely tell you that I remember how exhilarating it was that first time. The Wheelie was the first ride I ever rode, and it was terrifying yet exciting at the same time. I was hooked.

I went back many many times over the years. Band trips. Chorus trips. Family trips. Trips with friends. I went to other Six Flags parks as well. Kentucky Kingdom and one in or near St. Louis I think. Maybe one other, but I can't remember for sure. I love Six Flags. Sure, I haven't been in years, but I think that's because the older I get, the more roller coasters and such start to make me a bit nauseated, whether I like it or not.

My memories of Six Flags are almost all of happiness and fun times with my friends. Unfortunately, last weekend, Six Flags became a trip filled with regret, fear, sadness, confusion, and mourning. A teenage boy who was on a trip with his church was decapitated after he climbed two fences to gain access to a restricted part of the park, underneath the Batman ride.

Why the hell was he down there to begin with? The stories I read all said that no one was sure why he wanted to get down there. My guess was that maybe he had just gotten off the ride and dropped his hat or something and was hoping to retrieve it. Maybe he was just trying to do something he thought was funny... breaking the rules can be so amusing when you're a teenager. Whatever he was doing, he paid a very high price for it.

I cannot imagine what his parents and church leaders and friends are feeling or thinking right now. How stupid! I bet that's what some people are thinking. He probably wasn't a stupid person, but that was a very stupid action. When you see signs that say DANGER and DO NOT ENTER in a place like that, you just don't enter. And how did he not see the ride coming closer to him? It's not like it scrapes against the ground. People's feet actually hang off the end. Surely he would have heard it coming closer to him and he could have laid down quickly or jumped out of the way. Did he want to die?

Maybe we will never know. All I can do this morning is say a little prayer for his family and friends who are grieving. What a terrible and sad thing.