A Homestead woman is suing Kennywood Amusement Park for negligence, claiming a ride on the Thunderbolt roller coaster left her injured.

On July 23, 2022, Sabrina Williams and her son visited Kennywood and rode the roller coaster.

According to the lawsuit, Williams said she had rode the Thunderbolt several times in past years.

She put on her seat belt and the ride’s security bar came down across her lap.

When the ride started, Williams said she was violently thrown to the side of the cart she was riding in, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, says that she immediately felt pains in her chest and on the left side of her ribs that continued throughout the duration of the ride. She experienced difficulty breathing, according to the suit.

When the ride ended Williams said she alerted the operator that she had been injured due to an error with the seat belt or restraining bar. The operator called for a wheelchair brought her to an in-house medical facility on Kennywood’s grounds.

Williams alleges she suffered a range of injuries such as lower back and spine injury, nerve root irritations, loss of motion an mental stress.

Williams has undergone ongoing medical treatments for her injuries and alleges that the Thunderbolt was not properly maintained. She claims Kennywood staff failed to check whether the seat belt was properly secure and would restrict injurious movements, according to the complaint.

The Thunderbolt, formerly called, The Pippin, celebrated 50 years in 2018 after originally opening in 1924. The ride was then remodeled in 1968 and goes up to 55 mph with a maximum height of 70 feet. In June of 2022, the ride was temporarily closed for repair and reopened shortly a month later.

A message left for a Kennywood spokeswoman was not immediately returned.

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