38-Year-Old Man Hospitalized After Being ‘Struck’ by Roller Coaster in Ohio: 'We Hit Something'

The incident happened at the Kings Island amusement park at around 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday, June 19

An Ohio man is in the hospital after he ventured into a restricted area of an amusement park and was hit by a roller coaster.

The 38-year-old man, who has not been identified, entered a restricted, fenced area near the Banshee roller coaster at Kings Island amusement park located in Mason, Ohio, at around 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday, June 19, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, WLWT and WCPO.

Once inside, it was believed that he had been “struck" by the 4,124 foot long inverted roller coaster, which can reach speeds of 68 mph, according to the King’s Island website.

The Mason Police Department told WLWT that the man was taken to the University of Cincinnati West Chester in critical condition before being flown out to UC Medical Center to receive care. A first responder shared in a radio call obtained by the outlet that the man reportedly had “massive head trauma" as a result of being hit by the ride.

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Police said that the man entered the restricted zone in order to find his keys, which he had dropped while he had been riding the Banshee roller coaster.

Kings Island said, per WCPO, that the roller coaster will remain closed as the park and local officials investigate what happened.

Kings Island and the Mason Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the incident.

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A witness told WCPO that the 38-year-old man had informed workers on the Banshee roller coaster that he needed to enter the area to retrieve something, but staff had informed him that they couldn’t do anything until the ride closed.

The witness said the man wandered around near the ride for some time before entering a restricted gate. They noted that the man had been dressed similarly to Kings Island employees, which led bystanders to believe he worked at the park.

Related: Teen 'Thought We Were Going to Die' While Stuck Upside Down for 20 Minutes on Amusement Ride

An employee told WKRC that people on the ride believed that they had hit an animal at the time.

“They said, ‘We hit something!’ And we were like, ‘What did you hit?’ They said, ‘We think it’s an animal… Maybe a deer or something,’ ” he recalled.

The employee also said that people on the ride sustained injuries as well, adding that some riders had a “bunch of cuts and scrapes on their legs” and one person had “blood on his face.”

The Ohio Department of Agriculture's Division of Amusement Ride Safety & Fairs (ODA) was contacted about the incident and conducted “a full re-inspection for the ride” on Thursday, June 20, in order to “ensure” it “was operating within Ohio's laws and rules,” according to a WCPO report.

The ODA said it did not have a timeline for when its investigation would be completed, per the outlet. 

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