A fundraiser has been started for a Lake County family after a 21-year-old man, who was from Lindenhurst, was killed in a fall from a 450-foot amusement ride in Florida.
Jacob David Kaminsky, 21, died on Monday after a 50-60 foot fall from Starflyer attraction in Orlando, Florida.
The Orange County Fire Rescue said that Kaminsky was working on the ride and fell approximately 50-60 feet to an elevated platform.
Paramedics performed CPR on him and transported Kaminsky to a trauma center where he was pronounced dead later the same morning.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the incident.
Cheryl Wessely, who is a family friend of Kaminsky, said that Kaminsky was born a roller coaster enthusiast and would spend hours in his basement constructing complex coasters with K’Nex.
“It was only natural that he landed a job in the field of building them. Unfortunately he fell from one on Monday,” Wessely said.
“My family is heartbroken at the loss of this young man from their lives, but it certainly can’t compare to the devastation his immediate family is experiencing. He was his sister’s best friend,” Wessely added.
Kaminsky’s family traveled to Florida and arranged bringing the man back to Lake County. He grew up in Lindenhurst, Wessely told Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
A visitation will be held from 3-8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22 at Ringa Funeral Home, 122 S. Milwaukee Ave in Lake Villa. A funeral will be privately held on Wednesday, September 23.
A GoFundMe started by Wessely has raised over $11,000 as of Saturday evening.