The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Hamilton County  coroner to probe  coaster death

A Toledo-area man died Saturday about an hour after riding KI’s flying Firehawk.

Submitted Kings Island is one of many area attractions local residents may choose to visit for a day trip or "staycation." Pictured here is Kings Island's Firehawk, a flying coaster that propels riders 115 feet in the air, through five inversions at more than 50 miles an hour, all while facing the ground.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Ohio's smoking rates may be on the rise
11/22/09
Kings Island using social media to fight proposed taxes
11/22/09
Area cities see evidence of economic decline
11/22/09
Census numbers paint bleak picture in Xenia
11/22/09
Thanks, WWII vets
11/22/09
> More headlines

By Tony Black 4:02 PM Sunday, August 9, 2009

MASON — The Hamilton County coroner in Cincinnati is to determine what killed a man who died about an hour after he had ridden a roller coaster at the Kings Island amusement park.

Kings Island is located in Warren County, within the city of Mason. Mason emergency medical technicians took Homer Shields III, 38, to Bethesda North Hospital in Hamilton County, where he was pronounced dead, so the Hamilton County coroner’s office has investigative responsibility for the death.

Shields, who is from the Toledo area, appeared to be having trouble breathing as he completed a ride on Kings Island’s Firehawk roller coaster at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, according to operators of the ride.

Mason police provided the victim’s name. Kings Island spokesman Don Helbig declined to identify him, but said he was pronounced dead at Bethesda North Hospital in suburban Cincinnati at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

“Obviously, we are deeply saddened,” Helbig said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time.”

Helbig said there was no indication that the ride had contributed to the man’s death.

A spokesman at the office of the Hamilton County coroner, Dr. O’dell Owens, said Sunday that the office would have no comment on the matter without Owens’ authorization. Owens was not available.

Betsy Slone, a spokeswoman for Bethesda North Hospital, confirmed Shields’ death at the hospital. Slone declined to provide any details of the death, citing federal privacy law.

The Firehawk roller coaster has operated since 2007 without incident, Helbig said. Kings Island restarted the ride at midday Sunday after a state ride safety inspector determined that the coaster was operating according to the specifications of the manufacturer, Vekoma International.

Firehawk subjects its riders to speeds of up to 51 mph, including flips and sharp turns, during a two and one-half minute run along steel tracks that reach 115 feet high. The track length is 3,340 feet, more than half a mile. Each train accommodates 24 passengers, according to Kings Island’s Web site.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDaily

News.com.

Share this article