‘Heartbreaking;’ Neighbors mourn loss of man hit by Kings Island roller coaster

WILMINGTON — A community is mourning the Wilmington man who died last week after being hit by a roller coaster at Kings Island.

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Arntanaro Nelson, 38, died on Friday, two days after he entered a restricted area to try and retrieve his keys and was hit by the Banshee.

As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, what happened to Nelson hadn’t spread around the neighborhood. Upon learning of his death Terry Hunter, Nelson’s neighbor, called his death “unbelievable” and “heartbreaking.”

“When you know that it’s someone close by it’s different when you hear about it,” Hunter said.

She said knowing what happened to her neighbor will change how she looks at the house and family across the street.

“I’m going to be thinking about it and I’m going to be thinking about how painful it is to that family,” Hunter said. “And it’s going to be more heart-wrenching.”

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When the time is right, Hunter said she plans on checking in on Nelson’s family.

“I will say something, but I would give them time because it’s too fresh for them and I don’t want to stir up their emotions,” she said.

News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott also spoke to Nelson’s brother on the phone on Tuesday. He said the family plans on releasing a statement in the near future on his death.

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