Accidents
Phantasialand: Man is hit by a roller coaster and dies
A Phantasialand employee was hit by a roller coaster and died (symbolic image). photo
© Jonas Walzberg/dpa
A theme park employee was apparently doing maintenance work when a roller coaster hit him and seriously injured his head. The 43-year-old died shortly afterwards at the scene of the accident.
Shortly before the start of the season, a 43-year-old employee of the amusement park was in Phantasialand in Brühl in North Rhine-Westphalia on Monday afternoon Was hit by a roller coaster and died.
According to initial findings, the employee of the park’s technical department was involved in maintenance work when he was seriously injured in the head, as the Cologne district government, the authority responsible for occupational safety, announced. The employee died a short time later at the scene of the accident. The experts’ investigations were still ongoing. They said they were in close contact with Phantasialand and the police to clarify the circumstances of the accident.
The police reported for the first time about the fatal accident at work on the “Taron” roller coaster on Monday evening. According to a spokeswoman, the investigation into the accident is continuing today. Traces were secured on site on Monday and interviews with witnesses were ongoing. Visitors were therefore not present at the accident: There is still a winter break in the amusement park, but according to the plan it is supposed to end on Maundy Thursday (March 28th).
According to the park operator’s homepage, the steel roller coaster with its particularly fast and winding route is one of the special attractions in Phantasialand. Phantasialand in Brühl near Cologne is one of the largest theme parks in Europe.