Американские горки "Полет стального человека" и трагедия на "Ride of Steel"

Steel roller coaster

Superman – Ride of Steel are steel roller coasters located at two different Six Flags parks in the United States, including Six Flags America in Woodmore, Maryland, and Six Flags Darien Lake in Corfu, New York. At Six Flags Darien Lake, the coaster was renamed Ride of Steel in 2007, dropping Superman from the name. Both hypercoasters, manufactured by Intamin, are mirror image and opened a year apart, beginning with the Darien Lake installation in May 1999 followed by Six Flags America in May 2000. They are 208 feet (63 m) tall, feature a drop length of 205 feet (62 m), and reach a maximum speed of A roller coaster with a similar name, Superman The Ride, opened at Six Flags New England in 2000 but features a significantly different layout.

On March 3, 2016, Six Flags announced that the ride would be one of several rides at various Six Flags parks to feature a VR system. Riders have the option of wearing a Samsung Gear VR headset, powered by Oculus to create a 360 degree, 3D experience while riding. It is themed to Superman saving a city from Lex Luthor's Lex Bots who are causing chaos with an anti gravity ray. This theming was also added to Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Superman The Ride at Six Flags New England.

Once the train has been dispatched from the station it makes a winding, 180 degree turn. The train ascends 208 feet (63 m) up the lift hill and then drops 205 feet (62 m) at an angle of 68 degrees. The train reaches the maximum speed of before entering a sharp turn and the first airtime hill. A 540 degree helix follows, in addition to another smaller airtime hill. The finale involves a 500 degree helix and several more airtime hills before reaching the brake run and returning to the station.

On May 16, 1999, a passenger was thrown from the train at the Darien Lake installment on one of the final hills and suffered minor injuries. On July 8, 2011, disabled Iraq War veteran James Hackemer fell to his death while riding in the front seat of the Darien Lake installment. State investigators faulted operator error as the cause of the accident and the ride was re opened on July 22, 2011. Although it was first reported that Hackemer was told he could ride all of the rides by a park employee, it was later revealed that Hackemer never checked with an employee whether or not it would be safe for him to go on the ride. He was offered a safety brochure for disabled patrons at the park entrance but refused it, claiming that he had already received one. The ride’s restraints are designed to hold passengers into the vehicle at both the hips and the shins. Signage at the ride entrance states that riders must have 2 functioning legs to ride in addition to meeting the height requirements, though it is unclear whether this information is given at the accessible entrance through which Hackemer accessed the ride. There were no employees checking height restrictions at this accessible entrance. Despite the fact that all three of the ride’s operators that day noticed that he did not have two functioning legs, none of the staff intervened to stop him from boarding. As a result, he was ejected from the ride after his hat flew off and he attempted to reach for it. He suffered blunt force trauma to the head and was killed instantly.