Rider thrown 10 feet from mountain roller coaster onto tracks, Tennessee officials say
.jpg "A rider on the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster was injured after being thrown from a cart.")
The Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster was temporarily closed Monday after a rider was thrown 10 feet from a cart onto the tracks, according to Tennessee officials.
The rider was taken to a hospital after suffering wrist, ankle and head injuries, an accident report shows.
It’s unclear how badly the rider was hurt, but a letter sent Tuesday from state officials to the mountain coaster’s owner, Joe Ogle, claims “serious physical injury.”
According to a report, the rider “flew out of cart while entering the curve just past the Kodak camera.”
Following a brief shutdown, a third-party inspector determined the ride was safe, and state officials gave the green light to resume operations.
Still, a compliance officer with the Amusement Device Division is being sent to the popular Gatlinburg tourist destination “to gather additional information on the incident,” Tennessee officials said in a statement.
A similar incident occurred in 2016, when a 44-year-old woman was thrown from her cart and suffered fractured bones and head trauma, the Sevier News Messenger reported.
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 12:55 PM with the headline "Rider thrown 10 feet from mountain roller coaster onto tracks, Tennessee officials say."