'He gets on fine and then gets off as a quadriplegic:' Wooden rollercoaster paralyzes man, lawsuit claims

Kul Sannyashi suffered paralysis following a ride on the Swamp Fox rollercoaster at the Family Kingdom park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a lawsuit claims. (Google Maps)

It was supposed to be a joyride on a historic South Carolina rollercoaster but it turned out to be anything but fun for a North Carolina man and his wife after he reportedly became a quadriplegic.

Now the man and his wife are suing the Family Kingdom amusement park in Myrtle Beach. Gangia Adhikari and her husband Kul Sannyashi filed separate lawsuits Thursday in the Court of Common Pleas 15th Judicial Circuit.

The lawsuit says the plaintiffs were at the theme park on July 23, 2021, when Sannyashi bought a ticket to ride the Swamp Fox Coaster. Lawyers for the couple say Sannyashi “suffered an acute injury to his spinal cord which caused quadriplegia.” They say the injury was the “result of the negligence, carelessness, recklessness, willfulness and wantonness” on behalf of the park.

The Swamp Fox is “significantly more dangerous than a typical roller coaster” and “unsafe with a significant potential to cause serious injuries to its users,” the lawsuit claims. Family Kingdom is negligent in the upkeep of the coaster and failed to test or correct any deficiencies on the track.

Attorney Morgan Martin told The Sun News that there’s been numerous reports over the years about the roughness of the ride.

“The allegation is that he gets on fine and then gets off as a quadriplegic,” Martin told the newspaper. “It’s such as sad, sad day for that young man, who is just in horrible condition.”

Sannyashi has reportedly undergone several medical procedures and needs 24-hour care.

Local CBS affiliate WBTW reported another person filed a lawsuit against the theme park after she suffered a back injury while riding the Swamp Fox. It does not properly warn riders of its bumpiness, the lawsuit claims.

According to Family Kingdom’s website , the Swamp Fox opened in 1966 and is 72 feet tall with a track length of 2,400 feet. It’s one of the few wooden rollercoasters remaining in the US and the city of Myrtle Beach recognized it as a historic structure in 2017. It has been refurbished over the years.

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