Police identify man hit by roller coaster at Kings Island

Mason police have released the name of the man who was struck by a roller coaster at Kings Island earlier this week. It happened Wednesday night. According to a Kings Island spokesperson, the guest entered a cordoned-off, fenced-off area around the Banshee roller coaster around 8 p.m. The 4,124-foot-long, inverted roller coaster reaches a top speed of 68 mph. The spokesperson said the guest was believed to have been struck by the roller coaster, prompting a large deployment by several first responders. The man was identified by police as 38-year-old Arntanaro Nelson of Wilmington, Ohio. He was taken to the University of Cincinnati West Chester and then flown to UC Medical Center. Police said the man suffered life-threatening injuries. Mason police said Nelson lost his keys while riding the Banshee and went into a cordoned-off area to retrieve the keys when he was struck. “It was very threatening and they thought, ‘Oh my God. What’s going on? What happened?’ “People agreed it was such a loud noise,” said a ride operator at the park. The Banshee ride remains closed while authorities and park staff investigate the incident.