Young Girl Shocked While Riding Indiana Beach Roller Coaster
A 12-year-old girl, identified by her family as Sage, was reportedly shocked from “her hand all the way to her feet” while riding a roller coaster at Indiana Beach.
According to the Lafayette Journal & Courier, the young girl’s aunts – Kris Bowers and Jessica Harris – explained to the outlet that she rode Hoosier Hurricane at Indiana Beach located in Monticello, Indiana, on June 30. Bowers explained the family owns a lake home near Indiana Beach and have been frequent guests at the amusement park for generations.
Hoosier Hurricane was the same roller coaster ride a 12-year-old boy, Brayden Cooper-Douglas, rode right before dying just two days prior. According to multiple media outlets, the roller coaster was not blamed for the boy’s death, as he was believed to have passed away due to a pre-existing medical condition. Both White County Sheriff Bill Brooks and coroner Anthony Deibel confirmed the ride did not cause the child’s death.
“My niece’s ride was fine until the very end. When she went to lift the safety restraint, she says she felt a strong shock from her hand all the way to her feet. It was so strong, she said she felt pinned and couldn’t move her arm. Once the shock ended, she ran to her dad and was hysterical,” Harris explained to the media outlet.
Sage’s father took his daughter to a first aid station before taking her home. According to Harris, her niece was rushed to the hospital when she started to experience pain and began to have trouble breathing. Doctors confirmed Sage did suffer from an electric shock with an EKG and blood testing.
Homeland Security officials report rider says she was shocked on the Hoosier Hurricane, an Indiana Beach roller coaster where a 12-year-old died last week https://t.co/rckQwCEpsr
— Journal & Courier (@jconline) July 3, 2019
According to Bowers, her niece suffered from an intense headache, blurred vision, and cramping. By Wednesday, she reported her niece was feeling better.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) inspected the ride on June 27 to perform a full inspection, as well as six test runs before opening the ride to the public.
“This situation will be closely monitored for any future concerns,” the IDHS statement reads.
A 12-year-old girl reported being shocked as she got off a roller-coaster at Indiana Beach just two days after a 12-year-old boy riding it suffered a medical condition and died. https://t.co/jOubMoIht3
— WRTV Indianapolis (@wrtv) July 5, 2019
Sage’s family did reach out to Brayden’s family to discuss what happened to their niece after riding the roller coaster.
Bowers and Harris assured media outlets they were not after anything. Their only agenda was to go through the proper channels of making people aware of the potential problem before the ride hurts anyone else.
“We couldn’t stand thinking that if another child was hurt and we hadn’t spoken up, we couldn’t live with ourselves,” Harris explained.
