Bird ‘Explodes’ Against Roller Coaster Rider’s Face
Published at(NEW YORK) — A 12-year-old boy is lucky to have his sight after a freak accident on a New Jersey roller coaster Thursday evening.
Shane Matus was riding in the front seat of the 456-foot-tall Kingda Ka — the world’s tallest coaster — when he was struck in the face by what was believed to be a pigeon.
“I was like, ‘What the…did somebody throw a ball or something?'” Matus recalled to WCAU-TV. “They say the bird exploded,” he said, commenting, “It hurt a lot for like three seconds. People behind us had feathers and blood all over them.”
The Six Flags ride, capable of a 128 mile-per-hour top speed, was shut for 30 minutes after the incident.
Matus says he’s just glad he was distracted by a blaring car alarm, which made him turn his head moments before impact, otherwise, the bird would have hit him right in the eyes.
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