Magic Mountain Employee Fatally Hit by ‘Scream’ Ride

An employee at Six Flags Magic Mountain was struck and killed by the Scream roller coaster shortly before the park opened Friday, park officials said.

Magic Mountain officials said Bantita Rackchamroon, a 21-year-old ride operator, was on the tracks near the roller coaster’s terminal when she was hit by one of a string of cars during a test run.

“We don’t know why she was there,” said Sue Carpenter, a spokeswoman for the park.

No one was on the roller coaster, and it was not immediately clear whether anyone witnessed the accident. Carpenter said the cars always make a test run without passengers shortly before the park opens at 10 a.m.

The accident is under investigation by the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

The Scream, which opened a year ago, features “floorless” cars that let passengers’ feet dangle in space during a twisting, high-speed ride.

The Valencia amusement park opened as usual Friday, but Carpenter said the Scream would remain closed until the state investigation is completed.

It was the second death of an employee in the park’s 33-year-history.

In 1996, a 25-year-old attendant for the Revolution roller coaster was killed when she stepped in front of its moving cars.

Park officials said Cherie La Motte of Valencia stepped onto the tracks while switching positions with co-workers.

The accident occurred in full view of the train’s riders and a line of waiting passengers.

In 2001, a 28-year-old Fontana woman riding the park’s Goliath roller coaster died after suffering hemorrhaging around her brain stem and a ruptured aneurysm of a cerebral artery, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said.

Coroner’s deputies said the aneurysm may have been a preexisting condition.

Two park patrons were killed on roller coasters in 1978.