LANGLEY -- A man was killed Saturday when his long hair got caught in the amusement park ride he owned, pulling him up as high as 40 feet before he fell, back-first, onto a fence.

Doug McKay, 40, was the co-owner of Paradise Amusements, based in Post Falls, Idaho. He was spraying lubricant on the tracks of the Super Loop 2, a roller coaster-type ride at the Island County Fair on Whidbey Island.

The ride was in progress at the time, and McKay's hair got caught on a car full of fairgoers, said sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Smith. He was pulled between 25 and 40 feet into the air.

"It basically scalped him, and he fell and landed on the fence," Smith said.

Hundreds of people witnessed the accident, Smith said, and grief counselors were on hand. It was unclear whether anyone on the ride might have tried to reach McKay.

Paradise Amusements had set up rides at the Island County Fair for the past three years, Smith said.

She said the fair continued after the incident.