Fun and Thrills Turned to Death

It was her first visit to Knott’s Berry Farm, and Gafudji Mekanisi, 25, was excited. She loved thrill rides, said her older brother, Zemba.

But when their second ride of the day stopped, the once jubilant woman sat silent and slouched behind the safety bars.

“She just sat there like a log,” said Zemba, 27, of Corona, who was beside his sister during the ride. “I knew there was something wrong.”

Park officials said Mekanisi appeared to have suffered a seizure Friday after she rode the popular Montezooma’s Revenge roller coaster, a ride that accelerates from zero to 60 mph in three seconds and shoots twice around a loop seven stories high. She was rushed to West Anaheim Medical Center, then transferred to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, where she died Saturday.

On Monday, her family and their attorney criticized the park’s role in Mekanisi’s death.

“People don’t go dying at amusement parks when they’re in good health and spirits,” said Aime Katambwe, the family’s attorney. “The family just want answers and to have some sense of closure.”

Zemba Mekanisi added: “We just need to go legally, because we believe the park has some responsibility about what happened.”

Katambwe said he is looking into whether the ride may have caused a brain hemorrhage. The possibility of a link between hemorrhages and high-speed amusement rides is being studied by a national research firm.

“These rides are being built bigger, higher, faster and more dangerous,” Katambwe said. “They’re pushing the envelope. There’s no way for people to know if they’re fit for the ride.”

The coroner’s office Monday had yet to release conclusions about the cause of death. Additional tests are needed, and results could take several weeks, coroner’s officials said.

Jack Falfas, the park’s general manager of West Coast operations, said the ride is safe, but it remained closed Monday as officials from the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health continued their investigation.

“We know that there’s nothing wrong with the ride,” Falfas said. “But without all the information and blessings from OSHA, there’s nothing we can do.”

State officials did not return calls for comment Monday.

Mekanisi, who was born in Zaire, was attending English classes in Corona. She sang in a choir and wanted to become a model, family members said.