Horrific Accident at 6 Flags Kentucky.

[Hannathy]

All I know is Disney better hire away from 6 flags some of those "media muffling" people!!!! They are doing an excellent job. The day after this happened-so the first chance to be in print media- this story was buried on page 6 of the second section of our newspaper. When Tigger SUPPOSEDLY slapped that punk it was on the FRONT page! and stayed in the paper and on the news for days. I have heard nothing more on this story since the day it happened and that was very minimal and my DH has a news channel on TV or radio almost continuously through the day and evening. I hope the girl is doing OK.

 

[lindalinda]

new info

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=6713031

By Mark Schnyder

LOUISVILLE (WAVE) -- We are hearing for the first time from the family of a girl who had both feet severed while on a ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. WAVE 3's Mark Schnyder has the latest.

Today (June 26th) the parents of Kaitlyn Lasitter released a statement through Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville thanking everyone across the country who have been supporting their daughter with many positive thoughts and prayers.

Statement From Vanderbilt University Medical Center Regarding Kaitlyn Lasitter:

"The parents of Kaitlyn Lasitter would like to acknowledge everyone across the country that have been supporting their daughter with many positive thoughts and prayers over the last six days.

"At this time Kaitlyn remains in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

"Kaitlyn's parents would like to state for the record that despite claims in the media by representatives from Kentucky Kingdom Theme Park, at no time has any representative of the theme park been in touch with members of the family.

"Until further notice Kaitlyn's parents ask members of the news media to please respect their wishes for privacy during this difficult time.

Following the release of the above statement, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom PR Manager Carolyn McLean emailed us the following response:

"Representatives from Kentucky Kingdom traveled to the hospital immediately following the accident and were there for some time before the family requested that they leave.

"We are deeply saddened by this incident and of course have genuine concern for the well-being of the entire family. We stand ready to be of any assistance we possibly can."

 

[ducklite]

"We are deeply saddened by this incident and of course have genuine concern for the well-being of the entire family. We stand ready to be of any assistance we possibly can."

Genuine concern for their stock is probably more like it.

Anne

 

[Deb in IA]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3318672

This story also added this:

Authorities and the hospital have declined to say whether her feet were reattached. The statement included a plea for privacy for the girl's family, and the family has instructed the hospital not to comment further.

 

[sweetspicy]

From CNN. (Kind of interesting how the family and the park management are disagreeing. Will it add to their lawsuit?)

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) -- A 13-year-old girl whose feet were severed in an accident on an amusement park ride is in stable condition in a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital, her family said in a written statement Tuesday.

Kaitlyn Lasitter, whose name had not previously been released by officials, was riding the Superman Tower of Power ride Thursday at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville when a cable broke loose on the ride, cutting off the girl's feet above the ankles, authorities said.

State officials were investigating the incident.

"The parents of Kaitlyn Lasitter would like to acknowledge everyone across the country that have been supporting their daughter with many positive thoughts and prayers over the last six days," according to the statement, which was issued through Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Authorities and the hospital have declined to say whether her feet were reattached. The statement included a plea for privacy for the girl's family, and the family has instructed the hospital not to comment further.

The family's statement said no one from the theme park had contacted them since the accident, as park representatives had told reporters.

"At no time has any representative of the theme park been in touch with members of the family," the statement said.

A spokeswoman for Six Flags in New York disputed that account, saying two representatives from Kentucky Kingdom accompanied Lasitter's family to the hospital and stayed for "some time" before the family asked that they leave.

"We are deeply saddened by this incident and of course have genuine concern for the well-being of the entire family. We stand ready to be of any assistance we possibly can," said Kentucky Kingdom spokeswoman Carolyn McClean.

The ride passed inspection in each of the past four years, according to records. The ride lifts passengers 177 feet straight up, then drops them nearly the same distance at speeds reaching 54 miles per hour.

Six Flags shut down similar rides at parks in St. Louis; Gurnee, Illinois; and near Washington as a safety precaution, Goldberg said. Those rides remained closed Tuesday, and were to undergo safety inspections.

Six Flags Over Texas, near Dallas, also has a Superman Tower of Power, but it is not the same ride, Goldberg said.

Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. of Sandusky, Ohio, also shut down drop tower rides at five of its amusement parks for inspection after the accident.

 

[lindalinda]

new info

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706280451

Louisville teen injured on ride will 'overcome,' friends say

By Charlie White
cwhite@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal



Friends and former coaches yesterday described Kaitlyn Lasitter, the teen whose feet were severed on a ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, as a popular, friendly girl and the "type of person who will overcome."

As 13-year-old Kaitlyn, known as Katie to many of her friends, continued to recover at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee, she wasn't far from the minds of her former softball teammates.

Playing in their Germantown division championship, "the girls decided, `Let's win it for Katie,'" pitching coach Karen Just said. Last night, the Sluggers did just that, defeating the Slammers 18-11 in the finals at St. Xavier High School.

After the team's photo was taken, an emotional Sluggers head coach Jimmy Just, Karen Just's brother-in-law, told the players they had an extra trophy for Katie, who played catcher and outfielder last year.

"Keep her in your prayers, that things go well and she recovers quickly," Jimmy Just said.

The trophy, along with a card signed by the current and some former Sluggers, will be sent to Katie, the coach said.

By the first game on Tuesday of the two-out-of-three series for the championship, all current Sluggers players had learned Katie was the girl whose feet were severed just above the ankle last Thursday when a cable broke loose on the Superman Tower of Power ride.

"In this age of text messaging and cell phones, it spread quickly," Karen Just said.

One of Katie's former teammates, Mercedes Zimmerman, said she could not help but think of Katie.

"I think she's too young to get hurt like that. She's got her whole life ahead of her," said Mercedes, 14.

Katie, with her beautiful blue eyes, always had a story to tell, Karen Just said.

"We know she is the type of person who will overcome," Jimmy Just said.

 

[lindalinda]

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070703/NEWS01/70703049

UPDATED: 5:40 PM
Doctors have reattached one of injured girl's feet
By Charlie White and Jessie Halladay
The Courier-Journal





Doctors were able to reattach one of the feet of the 13-year-old Louisville girl who had both feet severed on a ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom on June 21, according to a statement from the family released late this afternoon.

Kaitlyn Lasitter, known as Katie to her friends and family, remains in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.

“We have successfully reattached Katie’s right lower extremity,” said Dr. Douglas Weikert, assistant professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation at Vanderbilt. “We were not able to reattach the left lower extremity due to the severity of the injury. Things are progressing as expected over this first ten days.”

Kaitlyn's feet were torn when a cable broke loose from the Superman Tower of Power Ride. State investigators said yesterday it could be several weeks before they determine what caused a cable to break.

Kaitlyn's parents, Randy and Monique, echoed their earlier statement that no employee of Kentucky Kingdom has yet to have any contact with any family member.

Previously, Six Flags has denied that, saying that staff from the park went to the hospital in Louisville immediately after the accident and were asked to leave by family. A spokeswoman for the park did not return a call yesterday.

In today's statement, released through Vanderbilt, the Lasitter family expressed their gratitude in today’s statement for all of the support they have received from Louisville and across the country.

They also thanked the medical professionals at Vanderbilt.

“We would like to thank the entire team of doctors, nurses and other staff who have helped care for Katie and made her feel like family and not a patient,” her mother Monique said in the release. “We would not want her to be at any other hospital during this difficult time.”

“We look forward to Kaitlyn’s recovery and getting back to some sort of normalcy in our lives in Louisville,” he father Randy said in the release. “Without the support of our close friends this could have been a much more difficult situation to handle.”

A trust fund has been established in Kaitlyn Lasitter’s name at Class Act Federal Credit Union, 3620 Fern Valley Road, Louisville, Ky., 40219

 

[KelNottAt]

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070703/NEWS01/70703049

A trust fund has been established in Kaitlyn Lasitter’s name at Class Act Federal Credit Union, 3620 Fern Valley Road, Louisville, Ky., 40219

Thanks for the update.

I'm ashamed to say that the first time I read the trust fund sentence I thought it said "Class ACTION FCU."

 

[Caradana]

Tastelessness alert:

The over-under bet on our trading floor in NYC is $150M on the lawsuit $.

Kaitlyn has lost her foot and will never regain it. But she is about to become one of the richest teenagers in Kentucky.

 

[lindalinda]

Update

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070712/NEWS01/70712040

Girl with severed feet sues Kentucky Kingdom
By Jason Riley
jriley@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal





The parents of a 13-year-old Louisville girl whose feet were severed by a Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom ride sued the theme park today claiming it failed to maintain the equipment and ensure riders’ safety.

The lawsuit was filed in Jefferson Circuit Court by Randall and Monique Lasitter on behalf of their daughter Kaitlyn.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

It also asks that a judge issue a temporary injunction to stop the park from altering or destroying the Superman Tower of Power ride or the cable it says broke and tore off both of the girls’ feet above the ankles.

Carolyn McLean, a spokeswoman for the theme park, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Kaitlyn, a Highland Middle School student, is in good condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Centerin Nashville. Doctors there reattached the right foot, but couldn’t save the left because of the severity of the injury.

Investigators have said it might be weeks before they find out what caused the June 21 malfunction.

The lawsuit alleges Kentucky Kingdom was negligent in inspecting, testing, maintaining and operating the Superman Tower of Power ride, which is also known as the Hellavator.

Kaitlyn, according to the lawsuit, has suffered permanent injury, severe emotional pain and her ability to earn money has been impaired. The lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount of punitive and compensatory damages as well as a jury trial.

Claims made in filing a lawsuit give only one side of the case.

Reporter Jason Riley can be reached at (502) 582-4727.

 

[ducklite]

It doesn't surprise me that a lawsuit has been filed, nor do I think it's frivolous.

Anne

 

[lindalinda]

Tastelessness alert:

The over-under bet on our trading floor in NYC is $150M on the lawsuit $.

Kaitlyn has lost her foot and will never regain it. But she is about to become one of the richest teenagers in Kentucky.

I imagine so, but I bet she would rather have her feet back.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I imagine so, but I bet she would rather have her feet back.

Well foot, they were able to reattach her right foot.


I have to say I'm not feeling bad about this lawsuit. I would have filed as well.

 

[Deb in IA]

I'm not a big fan of lawsuits in general, but this one makes a lot more sense than the $56 million pants case . . .

 

[lillygator]

thanks for the update...and wow, that is pretty bad if the company had no contact really tasteless.

 

[rparmfamily]

Thanks for the update. I think this lawsuit is a no-brainer.

Do we hear about lawsuits w/Disney or does Disney settle/pay them off before they even file?

 

[KelNottAt]

Not frivolous at all.

 

[boomhauer]

Absolutely not frivoulous.

 

[Deb in IA]

I think Six Flags had better pony up a lot of $$$$$$$$ and settle out of court.


If this case goes to trial, I don't think there is any way Six Flags can defend this - plus, I think the jury will be very, very sympathetic to Kaitlyn and her family.

 

[SandrainNC]

Thanks for the updates! I have been wondering how the teenage girl (now I know her name is Katie) was doing after all of this.

I would be in total shock if Six Flags had not tried to reach the parents. I would think they would be running to talk to them ASAP. So if they did not, that was not a very smart move. The lawsuit would happen no matter what, but if they haven't contacted them, that would just make the parents more angry.

I hate all of the frivolous lawsuits as well (the pants), but this is not one of them.

Sandra