A 38-year-old man was critically injured at a Mason, Ohio, amusement park Wednesday night after being hit by a roller coaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man had entered a restricted, fenced area of the Kings Island theme park near the Banshee roller coaster “and is believed to have been struck by the ride” around 8 p.m., a spokesperson for the park said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The park’s safety and first aid workers responded at the scene, and the man was transported to the hospital.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n As of Thursday morning, police said the man remained in critical condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A witness said the man told a park employee he had lost something on the ride and needed to go back to get it, according to Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The employee reportedly said he would not be able to do anything until the ride closed, but the man continued to wander in the ride’s vicinity and eventually passed through a restricted gate, WCPO reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The witness told WCPO the man had been dressed in clothing similar to park staff, so some had thought he was an employee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Banshee roller coaster will remain closed while officials investigate the incident, the park spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Kings Island\u2019s focus continues to be on the welfare of the guest and his family,” they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n