MASON, Ohio — A man reportedly struck last week by a roller coaster at Kings Island while in a restricted area has died of his injuries, reports say.
WLWT Channel 5 reports the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office says Arntanaro Nelson, 38, of Wilmington, Ohio, died Friday at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The coroner’s office listed Nelson’s cause of death as a “suspected accident,” the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Nelson reportedly was struck by the Banshee roller coaster on Wednesday. Authorities say he had entered a restricted area in an attempt to retrieve keys that had fallen from his pocket when he was on the ride earlier.
The coaster reportedly was going nearly 70 mph when it hit the victim, reports say.
Inspectors with the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Amusement Ride Safety & Fairs are investigating the incident. The ride was closed temporarily but reopened last weekend.
According to the Kings Island website, the Banshee is the world’s longest steel, inverted roller coaster, at 4,124 feet. It has a 167-foot top hill, seven inversions and reaches speeds of 68 mph.