DARIEN CENTER (WENY) – The family of U.S. Army Sgt. James Hackemer is suing Darien Lake Theme Park, after last month’s freak accident on the Ride of Steel roller coaster.
29-year-old Hackemer of Gowanda was killed July 8, when he fell from the ride.
He lost both of his legs in Iraq in 2008, and he boarded the ride without his prosthetics.
Hackemer’s family members previously had said they didn’t hold the park responsible for his death.
Since then, the state department of labor ruled Hackemer’s death was the result of operator error, and issued two violations for operators who weren’t properly trained on the ride’s safety restrictions.