West Mifflin, Pa. ? Thousands of children on end-of-school outings were ready for amusement park rides Friday when a killer storm barreled through this Pittsburgh suburb.

It appeared that a series of lightning bolts had passed, and the sun had even poked through the clouds. Children were in line for the roller coasters when the winds hit, roaring to 80 mph as they tore across Kennywood Park.

The roof of The Whip, a ride at Kennywood Park in suburban Pittsburgh, is seen after its collapse during a wind storm. One person was killed and at least 45 others were injured in the Friday evening storm.

Parents sheltered screaming youngsters with their bodies as one ride’s roof collapsed, crushing a woman and sending debris flying through the crowds as they tried to seek shelter. By the time the winds calmed, more than 45 people were hurt and the woman was dead.

“It started hailing, and we just got missed by a tree,” said Kaci Harshey, 16. The teen-ager and a friend had been running for shelter when the tree fell. “It would have hit us if we were going slower,” she said.

Most of those injured were hurt by hail or flying debris during the storm, which lasted about 30 minutes, authorities said.

Twelve children, most with neck and head injuries, were admitted to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, said hospital spokeswoman Melanie Finnigan. Dr. Richard N. Townsend, a trauma unit physician at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, said most of the injuries he had seen were among parents.

“They were actually shielding their children,” Townsend said.

Shortly before 7 p.m., a wooden building covering a ride called The Whip, one of the oldest rides in the park just outside Pittsburgh, collapsed, crushing and killing Stephanie Wilkerson, 30, of Monroeville, authorities said. The structure was ripped from its foundation by the storm and thrown 20 feet, pinning Wilkerson.

The storm tore down tree branches across the region, but it was not a tornado, the National Weather Service said.