A night of fright and fun at a Halloween attraction at an Idaho corn maze turned tragic Friday, when a teenager acting the role of a zombie was run over and killed by a bus carrying paintball-gun-wielding passengers, authorities said.
Jeremy T. McSpadden, 18, of Washington state, tripped and fell under the rear wheels of the “Zombie Slayer Paintball Bus” as it slowly rolled through the “Incredible Corn Maze” in Hauser, Idaho, at around 10:30 p.m., Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger said in statement. The bus was travelling so slowly no speed registered on the speedometer, and the uneven terrain and bumpy ride meant people on the bus didn’t initially realize anyone was struck, the sheriff’s office said.
“Many of the patrons believed it was just part of the ride,” Wolfinger said.
The attraction costs $15 per person and each is given 100 paintballs to shoot at the actors, according to the company’s website. A telephone recording said, “We are sad to announce that all of the attractions, including the free drive in movie, will be cancelled for the remainder of the weekend.” A message to the company was not immediately returned.
Hauser is a town of less than 700 people near the Washington state border, about 15 miles from Spokane Valley, where McSpadden lived.