(AP) -- A military funeral at the historic Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia is being held for the double-amputee Iraq war veteran who was thrown to his death from a western New York roller coaster.
Sgt. James Hackemer of the western New York town of Gowanda will be buried Monday morning. The 29-year-old father of two, who had lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq, died July 8 when he was flung from his seat on the Ride of Steel coaster at Darien Lake Theme Park.
Hackemer wasn't wearing his prosthetic legs when he shifted from his wheelchair to a front seat of the ride. The state Labor Department blamed operator error for the accident.
A wrongful death suit filed by Hackemer's family against Darien Lake is pending.
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