You’re standing in line for The Beast, the humid Ohio air sticking to your skin, and you hear that rhythmic clack-clack-clack of the chain lift. It’s the sound of summer. But for a few families over the last fifty years, that sound preceded a nightmare.
Honestly, Kings Island is one of the safest parks in the world. Statistically, you’re more likely to get hurt driving to Mason, Ohio, than you are on any of its rides. But "safe" isn't "perfect." When things go wrong at a park this size, they go wrong in ways that stick in the local memory for decades. We're talking about events so bizarre they feel like urban legends.
Except they aren't.
The Horror of Black Sunday
June 9, 1991. If you grew up in the tri-state area, you know it as "Black Sunday." It’s the kind of day that sounds like a bad horror movie script. Three people died in the park within about an hour of each other in two completely unrelated incidents.
It started at the pond near the Viking Fury and the Oktoberfest beer garden. Around 8:30 p.m., a 22-year-old named Timothy Binning reached into the water. He was just trying to splash a friend. But a submerged aerator pump had a short. The water was live.
Binning was hit with a massive electrical current and collapsed into the shallow water. His friend, William Haithcoat, jumped in to save him. Then a park security guard, 20-year-old Darrell Robertson, rushed in to help both of them.
The water didn't care about their intentions.
Haithcoat and Robertson were both electrocuted and died. Binning, the first man in, somehow survived. It’s a gut-wrenching irony—the rescuers died while the person they tried to save lived. Investigators later found that the park hadn't installed a $10 safety device called a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). That tiny piece of hardware would have cut the power instantly.
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The Flight Commander Incident
While medics were still scrambling at the pond, something else happened just a few hundred yards away.
Candy Taylor, 32, was riding Flight Commander. This was an Intamin "Flight Trainer" ride where you sat in a pod and used a joystick to flip yourself upside down. Taylor was riding alone. Reports later showed she had a blood-alcohol level of .30, which is nearly four times the legal driving limit.
She passed out.
Because she was alone in the pod, there was no one to hold her upright. As the ride spun and tilted, her limp body slid right through the restraints. She fell 60 feet and died on impact.
For years, people blamed her intoxication. And sure, that played a part. But the Ohio Department of Agriculture eventually ruled that the design of the restraints was flawed. They shouldn't have allowed a person—conscious or not—to slide out. The ride eventually reopened with new "skirt" attachments on the seats to prevent sliding, but the damage to its reputation was done. It was dismantled a few years later.
The Rise and Violent Fall of Son of Beast
If you want to talk about Kings Island amusement park accidents, you have to talk about the wooden giant that loomed over Action Zone for a decade. Son of Beast was supposed to be a world-beater. It was the tallest and fastest wooden coaster on Earth, and it had a loop. A wooden coaster with a loop! It was madness.
It was also a maintenance nightmare.
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The most famous incident happened on July 9, 2006. A structural timber cracked under the weight of a train. This created a "dip" in the track. When the train hit that spot, it was like a car hitting a massive pothole at 70 mph.
Twenty-seven people were injured.
Most were treated for neck and back pain, but one woman suffered a broken hip and sued the park. The park tried to fix it. They removed the iconic loop to allow for lighter trains, hoping to reduce the stress on the wood. It didn't work. In 2009, another woman claimed she suffered a burst blood vessel in her brain after riding it.
The park didn't wait for a third strike. They shuttered the ride that day. For years, it sat there like a ghost, rotting in the sun, until they finally tore it down in 2012. Today, Banshee stands where the "Son" once stood.
Recent Tragedies and the Human Element
Sometimes the "accident" isn't a mechanical failure. It's human nature.
In June 2024, a 38-year-old man named Arntanaro Nelson was struck by the Banshee roller coaster. He had reportedly lost his keys on the ride and went into a restricted, fenced-off area to find them.
He didn't make it out.
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The ride was traveling at nearly 68 mph when it hit him. People on the train described hearing a loud thud, like they had hit a deer. It’s a sobering reminder that those "Danger: Do Not Enter" signs aren't there for decoration.
Is Kings Island Safe?
Yes. Sorta. Mostly.
Actually, it is incredibly safe. Think about the millions of "cycles" these rides complete every year. Since 1972, the number of fatal accidents caused by mechanical failure is remarkably low.
Ohio has some of the strictest ride inspection laws in the country, managed by the Department of Agriculture. Every morning before you enter the gates, teams are out there with flashlights and torque wrenches.
What You Should Actually Do
If you’re worried about safety next time you visit, don't focus on the coaster flying off the tracks. Focus on the stuff you can control:
- Hydrate. Most "accidents" in the park are actually heatstroke and fainting spells.
- Secure your stuff. If you lose your phone or keys, let it go. Talk to Guest Services. They have a team that sweeps the tracks every night after the park closes. No iPhone is worth your life.
- Listen to your body. If you have a history of high blood pressure or neck issues, Son of Beast proved that high-G forces are no joke.
- Follow the rules. If the ride op tells you to keep your hands in, keep them in.
Kings Island remains a crown jewel of the Midwest. The history of Kings Island amusement park accidents is a dark one, but it's a small part of a much larger story of joy. Just remember that these machines are powerful. Treat them with respect, stay out of the restricted zones, and you'll have a great time.
If you’re heading to the park soon, check the official Kings Island app for real-time safety updates and ride closures. Always report any loose bolts or unusual ride behavior to a ride op immediately—they actually want to hear it.