Very Sad...Death at Six Flags today

[snorri]

I love riding motorcycles on twisty roads and flying my buddy's Citabria when I get the chance but I dislike roller coasters and most amusement park rides. A shrink would probably have a field day with that revelation.

[The Annoyed Man]

I love riding motorcycles on twisty roads and flying my buddy's Citabria when I get the chance but I hate roller coasters. A shrink would probably have a field day with that revelation.

On both the bike and in the Citabria, YOU have control. That's the difference. I love bikes too. I don't fly a plane, but if I were younger and wealthier, I'd likely want to take it up. Like I said, when I was on the racetrack, I had full control over the throttle and the brakes, how fast I was going, etc., and I could always leave the track if I wanted to. Try leaving the parachute half way down from the airplane........

[gthaustex]

My heart goes out to the family. My older daughter LOVES roller coasters of all types. She and my wife have to pull my teeth to get me on most any coaster, except for the kiddie coasters with my younger daughter. Our younger girl is 7 and she can't ride many coaster due to height requirements, so I get to watch her while the others go. Pretty soon, I won't have an excuse, other than I don't enjoy coasters at all....

[trentwhite778]

as an update, they released the woman's identity and picture. Middle aged heavy woman with ample padding up top. The article says that the bar only clicked once. I'm guessing that's because that's as far as she could get it down. I'm betting that the restraint didn't fail, but that she just wasn't held in securely enough because it couldn't go down over her lap.

Still very sad, but I feel a little better that this may be a case of "she shouldn't have been on the ride" rather than an equipment malfunction.

[bauer]

If it was a case of her restraint not being able to fully restrain her due to weight issues that puts the park in a precarious position. If she rides there is a chance this incident occurs (as it did) and they face a lawsuit, if the park does not allow her to ride due to safety concerns they still potentially face a lawsuit due to "discrimination".

Sad story and my heart goes out to the family.

[Blindref757]

I rode this ride when it was less than a month old (after the refurb). I weigh about 300 lbs and the bar was very tight across my waist. It might have only "clicked" once and on the initial drop, I was terrified that I was putting too much pressure on it!

I say all of that to say this...I've ridden many roller coasters and I enjoy it immensely. Most of todays high speed attractions have a special seat that is designed for bigger passengers, and they have redundant safety systems. They have the shoulder cams that lock like ratchets, and safety belts that snap in as a backup. I believe that this should be the minimum requirement for all rides of this nature. Systems do fail from time to time. My dad is 62 and still flies in hang gliders--and for the past 35 years, he has always used 2 caribeaners, two 1" nylon webbed hang straps and a parachute. Why? Because there are no re-do's at 8000 ft!

This death was 100% avoidable. I don't know if it was because of improperly trained staff, inattentive staff, or an arrogant engineer that refused to believe that his system wasnt foolproof, but whatever it was, human error was the reason this woman died.

[SQLGeek]

Hopefully some hard lessons are learned from this. At work we have the authority to stop work if we are concerned about safety. This is something taken very seriously and work will stop until the concern is addressed. Roller coaster operators need to have similar training. It also drives home a point that we are responsible for our own personal safety. If that lady had put her foot down and said "No, this does not feel right, let me off" the outcome would have been different. Easy to say I understand but your own life is worth being assertive over.

The thing that disgusts me is that some are using this as another example of how Texas' lack of regulations kill people. Texas is one of many states that has no amusement park oversight agency but guess what, neither does the Federal government. Anything to make a political point I guess.

[Tic Tac]

If a mechanical part failed it's an accident if regular maintenance and inspections were done. Hoewever, if she was too large or too heavy and they let her ride anyway, wouldn't that rise to the level of negligence?

[RottenApple]

If a mechanical part failed it's an accident if regular maintenance and inspections were done. Hoewever, if she was too large or too heavy and they let her ride anyway, wouldn't that rise to the level of negligence?

Maybe. But if she was too large or too heavy and they didn't let her ride, that would be discrimination.

[VMI77]

The thing that disgusts me is that some are using this as another example of how Texas' lack of regulations kill people. Texas is one of many states that has no amusement park oversight agency but guess what, neither does the Federal government. Anything to make a political point I guess.

Actually, I think it does, it's called fear of a lawsuit, and it is applied by banks and insurance companies who don't want to lose money. No insurance, no financing. No safety standards, no insurance. I think a case can be made that a lot of government regulation actually means less safety because it mitigates liability risk and diverts resources into compliance with government regulations. Also, government inspectors usually develop more of a collegial relationship with whoever they're regulating, since they have nothing to lose when they screw up, whereas an insurance inspector is more likely to have a adversarial relationship because money is at stake.

[03Lightningrocks]

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22889634/ ... exas-giant

"We are deeply saddened to share that earlier this evening an adult woman died in the park while on the Texas Giant. Park medical staff and local paramedics responded immediately. Since the safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority, the ride has been closed pending further investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends during this difficult time."

I read a follow-up somewhere that she may have been there with her son. My wife and son were there just last weekend. This really shook me. My heart goes out to her family.

Is that a video of her falling??? I don't want to see that if it is. I don't care that it is posted, I just don't want that visual stuck in my head. Just asking for a warning if it is of her falling. Other wise I will watch it. Thanks...

[Dave2]

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22889634/ ... exas-giant

"We are deeply saddened to share that earlier this evening an adult woman died in the park while on the Texas Giant. Park medical staff and local paramedics responded immediately. Since the safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority, the ride has been closed pending further investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends during this difficult time."

I read a follow-up somewhere that she may have been there with her son. My wife and son were there just last weekend. This really shook me. My heart goes out to her family.

Is that a video of her falling??? I don't want to see that if it is. I don't care that it is posted, I just don't want that visual stuck in my head. Just asking for a warning if it is of her falling. Other wise I will watch it. Thanks...

No. At least not when I looked at it (just now).

I don't think any video of the incident, if it exists, has been released.

[03Lightningrocks]

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22889634/ ... exas-giant

"We are deeply saddened to share that earlier this evening an adult woman died in the park while on the Texas Giant. Park medical staff and local paramedics responded immediately. Since the safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority, the ride has been closed pending further investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends during this difficult time."

I read a follow-up somewhere that she may have been there with her son. My wife and son were there just last weekend. This really shook me. My heart goes out to her family.

Is that a video of her falling??? I don't want to see that if it is. I don't care that it is posted, I just don't want that visual stuck in my head. Just asking for a warning if it is of her falling. Other wise I will watch it. Thanks...

No. At least not when I looked at it (just now).

I don't think any video of the incident, if it exists, has been released.

Cool... I'll check it out. I love rollar coasters and seeing that would ruin the fun!