Police: Workers recall Six Flags coaster glitches
Nov 8, 2013, 2:34 AM
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Workers operating a Six Flags Over Texas roller coaster from which a woman fell to her death in July recalled glitches with the safety features on the cars, according to police report.
Rosa Ayala-Goana died when she was ejected from the Texas Giant roller coaster July 19. One employee told police in the aftermath that the safety restraint on the car from which the Dallas woman fell 75 feet to the ground was “a little high, or not as tight as it should be,” The Dallas Morning News (
http://bit.ly/1gvdptC) reported Thursday.
The worker checked a safety light, determined the lap bar was secure on the woman and allowed the coaster train to leave, according to the police report, which the newspaper obtained.
Another employee reported the train had problems in the days previous, including “a trouble light” the week before, the police report says. “The sensors were not working properly and they had to have Maintenance come out and fix it,” the police report stated.
The death has been ruled an accident by police, but the woman’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Six Flags and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH, the German company that made the roller coaster train. Gerstlauer and Six Flags have both filed court papers denying any wrongdoing or liability.
In a statement to the Morning News on Thursday, Sig Flags officials renewed their condolences to the woman’s family and repeated that “safety is our highest priority and at the heart of everything we do.”
The roller coaster was closed for two months before it was reopened with redesigned lap bar pads and seat belts.
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Information from: The Dallas Morning News,
http://www.dallasnews.com
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
