'Healthy' 12-year-old dies while riding roller coaster in Indiana Beach, devastated parents sue amusement park
MONTICELLO, INDIANA: Medical experts have failed to determine the cause of death of a 12-year-old boy who died on the Hoosier Hurricane roller coaster at Indiana Beach, located along Monticello’s Lake Shafer, on the afternoon of Thursday, June 27.
The parents of Brayden Cooper-Douglas are still looking for answers as to why their "healthy" son passed away.
Cooper-Douglas had to be attended by emergency personnel after he passed out on the amusement ride, resulting in his eventual death a day later, Tony Deibel, White County coroner and White County Sheriff Bill Brooks told the Journal and Courier. They added that the boy did not die from any medical emergency that was caused by Indiana Beach or the ride.
On Wednesday, August 7, after his autopsy reports were released, Diebel told the outlet that Cooper-Douglas had “a recent upper respiratory infection,” but that “his past medical history is otherwise unremarkable.”
Furthermore, they also ruled out the possibility of the boy passing away from a condition of myocarditis—an inflammation of the heart muscle commonly caused by viral infections.
Although the particular condition has previously been linked to sudden deaths, an examination of Cooper-Douglas' heart showed “no diagnosis of myocarditis.”
The report also “revealed no trauma, injury, congenital abnormalities or toxins” in the boy's system.
The authorities were eagerly waiting for the coroner's report after receiving information from a family member of another 12-year-old who was electrocuted while getting off the same roller coaster two days after Cooper-Douglas' death.
However, the autopsy report did not yield the result that investigators were hoping for.
“Based on all information known to me at this time, I have no determination as to the cause of death of Brayden Cooper,” Deibel said, shrouding the 12-year-old's death in mystery.
Meanwhile, Cooper-Douglas's parents, Shaeley Cooper and Matthew Douglas, are suing the amusement park's owners, Apex Parks Group.
According to the lawsuit, "negligence of the defendant was the proximate cause of the fatal injuries."
The boy's parents believed that Apex Parks Group had an obligation "to use ordinary care and diligence to keep and maintain premises in a condition reasonably safe for its intended uses."
They are seeking an unspecified amount of damages from the company, Daily Mail reported.
Apex Parks Group is yet to comment on the lawsuit or on the release of Cooper-Douglas's autopsy.
A GoFundMe page was set up for the 12-year-old's family and raised $6,395.