CBS/AP/ July 21, 2013, 9:39 PM

[teko]

CBS/AP/ July 21, 2013, 9:39 PM
German roller coaster maker inspecting Six Flags ride where woman died

ARLINGTON, TEXAS A German roller coaster maker is sending officials to a North Texas amusement park to inspect a ride after a woman fell to her death.

Tobias Lindnar, a project manager for Gerstlauer Amusement Rides in Munsterhausen, Germany, told The Dallas Morning News that the company will investigate what led to Friday's fatal accident at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. Six Flags, and not an independent firm, is leading the investigation.

Witnesses said the woman, identified by CBS affiliate KTVT as Rosy Esparza, expressed concern about the Texas Giant roller coaster's safety bar not completely engaging as the ride was starting. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Although her family told local reporters the victim's name was "Rosy Esparza," the coroner has been referring to her as "Rosa Ayala-Goana.")

The coaster is touted as the tallest steel-hybrid roller coaster in the world.

Rosy Esparza Rosy Esparza / ESPARZA FAMILY, VIA KTVT-TV
"I'm sure there's no safety bar that is broken," Lindnar told the newspaper by phone Saturday night from Germany.

Lindnar said Gerstlauer has never had problems with car safety bars on any of the roughly 50 roller coasters it's built around the world over the past 30 years.

"We will be on site and we will see what has happened," he said.

Woman killed on Six Flags Texas roller coaster identified
Woman's deadly fall off Six Flags roller coaster probed
Woman dies while riding Six Flags Over Texas roller coaster
Park spokeswoman Sharon Parker confirmed in a statement Saturday that the victim died while riding the 14-story Texas Giant, but wouldn't give specifics about what happened.

According to KTVT, it was Esparza's first time visiting the popular theme park.

Lindnar wouldn't address the hydraulic bar's operation or whether park employees should be able to determine if a person's body is too close to the front of the train car to prevent the bar from being effective.

"At this time I don't want to speak about the technicals," he said. "It's not so easy. It's some special equipment."

But he said once the ride began, there was no chance of opening the safety bar.

"We are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident and will utilize every resource throughout this process," Parker said in her statement. "It would be a disservice to the family to speculate regarding what transpired."

Six Flags roller coaster safety procedures investigated The Texas Giant roller coaster at the Six Flags in Arlington, Texas.
Police, fire and emergency medical services responded to the park around 6:45 p.m. Friday after calls about a woman who fell from a car while riding a roller coaster. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Texas Department of Insurance spokesman Jerry Hagins told the AP on Sunday that Six Flags was in compliance with state regulations requiring amusement ride operators to have $1 million liability insurance on each ride and provide proof of an annual safety inspection by a certified engineer.

Six Flags received a state-issued sticker, like an auto inspection sticker, for the Texas Giant in February. Hagins said the ride now will remain closed until it's inspected again and certified to be safe.

"It's the ride owner's responsibility to keep it closed, to fix it, then prove to us that it's safe to start back up again," he said. "If for some reason they can't figure it out, no safety inspector is going to sign off on it."

Because no foul play is suspected, police are not involved in the investigation, officials said.

The ride first opened in 1990 as an all-wooden coaster and underwent a $10 million renovation to install steel-hybrid rails and reopened in 2011. It can carry up to 24 people.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57594776/german-roller-coaster-maker-inspecting-six-flags-ride-where-woman-died/

[adgal]

I love love love rollercoasters!  I have never met a rollercoaster I didn't want to ride.  

This story is very very sad.  How horrible.  Whatever the cause, I hope it is discovered and rectified.  If that means changing height/weight restrictions, then so be it.  Although I can hear the screams of discrimination now.  On that note...on Sunday I took my little guy to a local amusement park.  He is only 3, so the number of rides he can go on are obviously limited, but we have so much fun there.  They check the height on several of the rides, and much to my surprise, a parent tried to sort of whisk their child through, then argued with the attendant.  There is a reason those height restrictions are in place, and it upset me to see that any parent would put their child at risk over something like that.  Sad.

[rivll]

Ha! Good one +1

[Proactive]

"why take a chance? " because life is to short..;)

[rivll]

I guess you guys are not thrill seekers.:)
I am not either. I fantasize about handgliding because I desperately want to fly with "my" ravens. But I don't really like heights and life is too short anyway, why take a chance?

[R Glass]

Flying doesn’t bother me.” To Each His Own” but I never understood Riding Roller Coasters, Bungee Jumping, Parachuting, etc. Driving in New Orleans and Baton Rouge traffic is about as much Adrenalin Rush that I can handle.

[teko]

"They say if you are scared of something then it is a sign that you should avoid it."------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would never fly in that case. :-)

I think there are times when you have no choice, like flying. Rollercoasters and such I do have a choice to avoid at all times, and I do! :)

[rivll]

The`question is, did the bar lock into place? If not she should have never stayed in her seat and the ppl checking the passengers (they always checked us when we rode those crazy rides years ago) should have been aware it was not locked.

"They say if you are scared of something then it is a sign that you should avoid it."------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would never fly in that case. :-)

[brice1967]

Some people are simply too big to fit in provided spaces.  If you have to "force" yourself into it, it probably isn't a great idea.

[Proactive]

I'm going to regret it, but someone has to say it
Remember the old ride height scale? You had to be so tall to ride the ride.

"But it would appear that possibly she was too big for the space allowed to shut the protective bar."

What do you purpose?

[Proactive]

As a shareholder in Six Flags (SIX )recent 2:1 split; 5% dividend) of course I feel the event is tragic. As to blame, I'll wait for some facts. I did read once moving the bars couldn't become unlocked. One would also think there would be a mechanism that wouldn't allow the ride to start unless all the safety bars were locked . Ride was inspected in Feb.

[teko]

I hope people do not misunderstand my intentions but did you look at the pic of this woman? This is a horrible tragedy and especially in front of her family right? The lady did not feel safe from the get go and thought something not right. She should have followed her gut and Im guessing the attendant did not check the cars to make sure they had all clicked shut like they usually do? But it would appear that possibly she was too big for the space allowed to shut the protective bar. Is that even possible?

I personally never found these rides to be fun. I loathe them and would never pay to have the beejeebies scared out of myself. I worked with my da at Kings Island on a ride and altho I worked the ride, would never partake myself. They say if you are scared of something then it is a sign that you should avoid it. I didnt listen to that gut feeling when I decided to ride on the back of a motorcycle and paid a dear price. I have learned since then to listen to my gut instinct.