Alaina Urquhart

With the exception of an accidental drowning at the water park in 1989, Great America managed to avoid any catastrophes for almost two decades.

Wow.

Until a bizarre accident put them back in the spotlight in 1998.

Okay.

Now, around 2.30 p.m.

on September 7th, 25-year-old Hector Mendoza, his wife of two months and his brother-in-law, rode the Top Gun roller coaster, now called Flight Deck.

During this experience, Hector's baseball cap was blown off his head and landed somewhere on the ground below.

After getting off the ride, the three decided to retrieve the hat.

So they either climbed or otherwise got past the security fence around the perimeter of the ride, either ignoring or possibly not understanding the sign, ordering visitors to stay out.

The area would have been dangerous regardless of the model of the ride, but as an inverted roller coaster and where like passengers hang from the rail and the seats, the danger was much greater here.

It didn't take long for Hector to find his hat, but just as he went to pick it up, the coaster came around the corner and Hector was struck in the head by the dangling foot of a passenger.

The force of the blow killed Hector.

And it also broke the passenger's leg.

Oh, my God.

Holy shit.

The day after the incident, park inspectors tested the ride and determined that Top Gun, quote, in no way malfunctioned or experienced any other problems.

A spokesperson, Tim Shenod, told reporters this was a case of somebody that had entered an area off limits to park guests.

We aren't entirely sure how Mr. Mendoza got into the area, but he went through a clearly marked gate and over a six foot locked fence marked with bright red warning signs.

That's according to them.

Now, although the situation seems straightforward, Hector's family described things differently.