MSNBC.com, "Teen girl's feet severed while on thrill ride; Limbs cut above ankles at Kentucky Six Flags amusement park, officials say"

          Six Flags has shut down four thrill rides at parks around the country after a gruesome accident at an amusement park in Louisville. A 13-year-old girl's feet were severed just above the ankles Thursday as she rode the Superman Tower of Power ride, park officials said. The ride lifts passengers 177 feet straight up, then drops 154 feet, reaching a speed of 54 mph, according to the park's Web site.
          Investigators from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, which inspects amusement park rides, returned to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom on Friday to examine the ride, said Bill Clary, a spokesman for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. The accident happened around 4:45 p.m., Six Flags spokeswoman Wendy Goldberg said. It was unclear at what point during the ride the girl was injured, Goldberg said.
          The girl was taken to a hospital, but her name was not released and her condition was unavailable Friday morning. Six Flags has shut down similar rides at parks in St. Louis; Gurnee, Ill.; and near Washington, D.C., as a safety precaution, Goldberg said. Six Flags Over Texas, near Dallas, also has a Superman Tower of Power ride, but it is not the same ride, Goldberg said. There were no reports of injuries on the ride before Thursday, Goldberg said.