Nearly three dozen eighth-graders from Gowanda Middle School represented the district during an educational and unforgettable weekend field trip to Washington.
reporter: hackemer recently returned from walter reed with a new set of prosthetic legs. she added he was assisted on the ride and was doing what he wanted to do. we are currently investigating the situation with our safety experts and local authorities. meanwhile, the attract and the surrounding area is closed pending the investigation. reporter: later the amusement park released a further statement saying we are all broken hearted by this tragic accident and will continue our support of both the family and the investigation. hackemer s aunt say it was tragic he survived the war in iraq only to die in an amusement park. of course, thomas, the investigation by both the park and the authorities into this young plan s tragic death continues. thomas? it is so sad. kevin tibbles, thanks so much. still ahead, the duke and duchess of cambridge get the hollywood star treatmentment before they leave california they ll be paying a visit to skid row. and what once might have been a
but when 29-year-old sergeant james hackemer came home in 2008, he lost both his legs in roadside bomb attack. this chance to come home has been a miracle. reporter: he had been working to rebuild his life as a son, husband and father of two. his family was profiled by nbc s buffalo affiliate wgrz shortly after he was injured. he loved life. he really loved his family. reporter: following years of rehabilitation, hammer went friday to the dereon lake amusement park about 30 miles outside buffalo with friends and family. he wanted to try the ride of steel and climbed into the front seat. the roller coaster reaches a feet of 208 feet and speeds topping 70 miles per hour. after coming off one of the steep, sharp hills, hack merp was thrown from the ride. as far as we know there was nothing mechanicalwise that would have caused the accident.