Teen working as zombie in corn maze killed in accident

KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho -- A worker dressed as a zombie was crushed and killed as he played his role, scaring patrons of the Incredible Corn Maze in Kootenai County in northern Idaho, according to investigators at the sheriff's office.

The deadly accident happened last Friday night as patrons rode the Zombie Slayer Paintball Bus. In this part of the attraction, authorities say people can shoot workers dressed as zombies with paintball guns mounted at the bus windows. The Kootenai Sheriff's Office describes the ride as a modified school bus, and says that workers come out of the maze and pretend to attack the bus.

It was during this kind of role-playing that the worker, 18-year-old Jeremy T. McSpadden Jr., was killed. Dressed as zombie, he moved toward the bus and was caught under the back passenger side of the vehicle.

"Many of the patrons believed it was just part of the ride. It was not until the bus had traveled away from the victim's location and the role players began to reset for the next bus to come along that anyone realized something was wrong," the sheriff's office said in statement released on its Facebook page.

The bus was not going fast, but McSpadden was killed instantly. An autopsy is pending.