Nearing the top of Kentucky Kingdom's Superman Tower of Power ride last summer, 13-year-old Blair Johnson wrestled with a cable that had snapped and screamed for the ride to be shut off before it descended and severed the feet of her friend Kaitlyn Lasitter, she told lawyers involved in the case.
Although Blair Johnson's cuts and bruises have healed, the recent Noe Middle School graduate has faced post-traumatic stress disorder, elevator phobias and mental replays of the accident, according to her deposition in the case.
"I still have like really bad flashbacks," she said.
Blair and Arin Valsted, another friend who was sitting with Kaitlyn during the June 21, 2007, accident, asked a Jefferson Circuit Court judge yesterday to let them join the Lasitter family's civil suit against Kentucky Kingdom.
The teens' attorney said they suffered cuts and bruises and have required ongoing psychological counseling.
"Both girls were severely traumatized by what happened," said Jennifer Barbour, whose firm is representing the families and the Lasitters.
The two girls and their parents are seeking unspecified damages for medical expenses, emotional trauma, pain and lost wages. Circuit Judge Barry Willett took the motion under consideration but did not say when he would rule.
Michael Valenti, Kentucky Kingdom's attorney, argued in yesterday's hearing against some of the claims, including the parents' rights for certain damages.
He said the company has already paid about $3,100 for medical expenses and counseling for Blair, and $6,059 for the same for Arin.
Barbour said both girls and their families should be allowed to seek damages for their injuries, as well as the time and money spent traveling to see Kaitlyn while she was hospitalized in Nashville, Tenn., and lost wages for time taken off from work.
"There will be ongoing psychological care for both of these girls," Barbour said. "Whether Kentucky Kingdom will continue to pay for that, I do not know that. These girls visited Kaitlyn in Nashville as often as possible to make sure she was going to survive."
The families of the two girls declined to comment to The Courier-Journal.
A year after the accident, Kaitlyn, now 14, continues to recover after doctors reattached her right foot. They could not save her left foot.
In Washington, D.C., last month, Kaitlyn said the accident profoundly changed her life. She is now being home-schooled, has trouble sleeping and struggles with headaches and leg pain.
Her parents, Randall and Monique, filed suit last year against the theme park, claiming it failed to maintain the equipment and ensure riders' safety. Their attorney, Larry Franklin, said yesterday that settlement negotiations have been disappointing and predicted the case may soon be set for trial.
State officials recently released a report blaming a faulty cable and slow response by an ride operator in the accident, but they said it was impossible to know exactly why the cable snapped.
Carolyn McLean, a park spokeswoman, said it has audited safety procedures, stepped up inspections and improved ride-operator training.
The Superman Tower of Power ride has been dismantled, but McLean would not say whether attendance has declined since the accident.
Blair said she was a friend of Kaitlyn's from summer camp. When they happened to meet last June, they decided to go to Kentucky Kingdom with Arin.
They first went to the Superman ride, which had no line and was a favorite. Their first time up, nothing seemed amiss. The second time, a jolt came 15 feet up, and at 20 feet the cable began "whipping around cutting us," Blair told lawyers in her deposition.
The girls worked to push the cable off their legs, thighs, hands and heads as they "started screaming." At the top, Blair said, she pulled part of the cable off her neck just before the ride dropped.
"We all thought we were going to die," she said. When they reached the bottom, "I looked over at Kaitlyn and, of course, her feet were gone."
At the bottom, everyone was screaming. Kaitlyn leaned one leg on Blair, and it was unclear if she realized what had happened. When paramedics arrived, Blair was covered in grease and bleeding from cuts.
In its aftermath, Blair was told by her psychologist that she had post-traumatic stress disorder, she said in her depositions.
She mentioned there had been hurtful jokes that went around Kaitlyn's school about the accident. Blair said she was considering attending a youth excursion to King's Island but was nervous about amusement parks.
Asked if she ever planned to return to Kentucky Kingdom, she replied, "Nope."
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