Teen Loses Feet In Six Flags Accident

Officials at a Louisville amusement park say both of a teenage girl's legs were severed above the ankle while on a thrill ride at the park.

Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom spokeswoman Wendy Goldberg says the accident happened around 4:45 p.m. Thursday on the Superman Tower of Power.

The girl's name and hometown have not been released because she is a minor.

A broken cable could be seen sticking out from the side of the tower.

Chris Williams, who witnessed the event, told CBS affiliate WLKY that riders saw the cable break as it got to the top on the right-hand side.

Treva Smith said it snapped again as the ride descended.

"The people on the ride just came and hit the ground," Smith said.

Next, Williams said he saw the teen maimed.

"As the ride came down, the wire swung left, struck the young lady on the back side of my children," Williams said.

Williams' daughter had traded seats with the 13-year-old, and was sitting on the other side of the ride.

Smith told WLKY she raced to the ride to find members of her group who had been on it.

"When I got up there, the lady, she was just sitting there and she didn't have no legs," Smith said. "She didn't have no legs at all. She was just calm, probably in shock from everything."

Goldberg says it's unclear at what point during the ride the 13-year-old girl was injured. She was taken to University Hospital. There was no word on her condition.

"My son's over there tripping out man," Williams said. "You want to come to a park and feel safe you know. We've got season passes. We're not coming back for sure."

The ride lifts passengers 177 feet straight up, then drops 154 feet, reaching a speed of 54 miles per hour according to the park's Web site. It opened in 1995, then known as "the Hellevator," reports the Louisville Courier-Journal.

The ride has been shut down indefinitely while park officials investigate what caused the accident. The rest of the park remained open.