OFFice357 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Is there any information as to where she was seated on the ride? I don't remember seeing anything looking back through these pages. I can see a plausible scenario as to how this could have happened if she was seated towards the front of the train. However, if she was seated further back then in my mind this whole incident becomes a bit more confusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 ^^People may try to sue...but they have no legal grounding to stand on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavRider518 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 So from the sound of things, it seems like Outlaw Run is still operating as usual. Am I right? I haven't heard anyone mention that it's been closed at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Clinksalot Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 ^^ No question, but idiots try to sue every day when they have no legal ground. ^ Outlaw Run doesn't run the same trains as NTAG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavRider518 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 ^^ No question, but idiots try to sue every day when they have no legal ground. ^ Outlaw Run doesn't run the same trains as NTAG. Oh I know. I just remember some people saying early on that this wasn't gonna be good for RMC; and I thought that was silly since NTAG doesn't run with their own trains. Just kinda double checking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inukaza Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I'm sure this has been mentioned before in the thread but if you start telling people of a certain "size" that they can't ride, even though they technically fit in the restraints the parks are opening themselves for lawsuits due to idiots in the US. My guess is this is why we keep seeing similar incidents although nobody is going to come out and say so. That's why adding the seat belts would be beneficial, I guess. Those would not only be the judge of if you could ride. (It would only permit a smaller audience, If you can't fit it on, you can't ride.) It would also be a redundant safety system. I know that Dueling Dragons is a totally different ride, but even if the restraints can lock out of reach of the seatbelt, we use it to figure out if the person is riding is too large to do so. If we can't buckle the seatbelt in, you can't ride. Even if the restraints can lock past 1 or more clicks. Using a seabelt for that reason for this ride could do the same principal, trying to weed out those body shapes that the actual restraints wouldn't work for, as well as providing that redundant safety system. This should work for seatbelts even if they are going around the waist instead of connecting two parts of the restraint. Sorry if my words were too far fetched. I can only compare to that because it's the only ride I've worked on with redundant safety systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 Here's an interesting article... http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20130720-independent-probe-of-death-on-six-flags-texas-giant-coaster-unlikely.ece The public is no closer to knowing what caused a Dallas mother’s fatal fall from the Texas Giant roller coaster Friday night in Arlington. When answers do arrive, they will almost certainly come from Six Flags Over Texas via its legal and public relations team rather than an independent investigator. Both the Arlington police and fire departments were called to the scene. But neither is expected to conduct long, intensive investigations because Rosy Esparza’s death was believed to be an accident. The state regulator is on the case, but the Texas Department of Insurance’s primary duty is ensuring the rides have insurance and are inspected. That’s not an issue in this case. Six Flags officials initially said they were “working with authorities” to determine the cause of the fatality. Later, they acknowledged that this is an internal investigation into only the second customer to die on a ride since the park opened in 1961. Kenneth Martin, a roller coaster inspector and accident investigator often hired by lawyers and manufacturers, said there is no Texas agency responsible for accident investigations. And police tend to not pursue deaths and serious injuries without evidence of a crime. “In all likelihood do you think Six Flags is going to come out and say ‘we screwed up,’” he said. “Probably not.” He said the lack of governmental oversight may mean the factors contributing to the woman’s death remain unknown. Those determining the cause will likely be Six Flags staff, its insurance company, an inspector hired by the park or insurance company, and the German firm that manufactured the cars. With a lawsuit against Six Flags likely, it’s not certain how much information will be made public soon. In a written statement, a Six Flags spokeswoman said that it was too early to comment in detail on the cause. “We are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident and will utilize every resource throughout this process,” wrote Sharon Parker, a park spokeswoman. “It would be a disservice to the family to speculate regarding what transpired. When we have new information to provide, we will do so. Our thoughts, prayers and full support remain with the family.” Several of Esparza’s family members declined to comment. At least one family member said they had hired an attorney. Ride closed Arlington police responded to a 911 call at the park about 6:30 p.m. Officers helped “gather preliminary details, interview witnesses and rule out foul play,” said Sgt. Christopher Cook, a department spokesman. He said a report on their death investigation would not be available earlier than Monday. There is no criminal investigation. Parker said the ride would remain closed until Six Flags’ internal investigation is complete. Jerry Hagins, state Department of Insurance spokesman, said the ride can’t legally reopen until it is re-inspected and proof of that is provided to the state. Witnesses reported that Esparza fell from one of the roller coaster’s cars as it rounded a turn Friday evening. One witness, Carmen Brown of Arlington, said Esparza was concerned that her safety restraint was not properly secured. Brown said a Six Flags worker assured the victim that she was fine. “She was nervous and panicking,” Brown said. The witness. however. mentioned concerns about the number of times the safety bar clicked when it was lowered. But a representative of the manufacturer said there would be no clicking sound in the hydraulically operated mechanism. “We have to investigate what has happened there,” said Tobias Lindnar, project manager for Gerstlauer Amusement Rides. “I’m sure there’s no safety bar that is broken.” He said the 30-year-old ride manufacturer based in Münsterhausen, Germany has never had problems with the safety bars in its cars. The firm has built about 50 roller coasters throughout the world. No one was ever seriously injured or killed on one until Friday, Lindnar said. Lindnar said from Germany late Saturday that he didn’t want to speak about how a hydraulic bar would operate or whether or not employees at the park should be able to gauge whether a person’s body is too close to the front of the train car to prevent the bar from being effective enough. “At this time I don’t want to speak about the technicals,” he said. “It’s not so easy. It’s some special equipment.” He said once the ride begins, there’s no chance of opening the safety bar. “Next week we will be on site and we will see what has happened,” he said. Safety bars Eventually, there should be a ruling about whether there was a mechanical failure or whether Esparza was not secured properly in the car. There could be other scenarios. Martin, the ride investigator, said roller coasters have one-size-fits-all safety bars, generally designed for someone who weighs 180 pounds. He said most parks rely on the manufacturer’s information to determine how far from the starting position a safety bar should be in relation to a person’s weight in order to be effective. Park employees should be trained to determine whether a safety bar is in a safe position in relation to a person’s body weight, Martin said. It’s not known if the Six Flags employee who checked the safety restraint of Esparza, who was a large woman, took that into account. Martin said determining someone’s weight is difficult. Before Friday, few injuries on the newly reconstructed Texas Giant had been reported to the state. The state Department of Insurance showed four injuries since the ride reopened in 2011. The $10 million project transformed it from a wooden roller coaster into a wooden-steel hybrid coaster. It was named the Best New Ride of 2011 by an industry group. Overall, the park reported 110 injuries to the state since the start of the 2008 season. These reports, however, are submitted by the ride operators with little outside scrutiny. Nationally, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions published a report in March that said in 2011, 4.3 in 1 million people who visited a park or attraction sustained an injury on a ride. The numbers were based on a survey of parks that self-reported injuries on their properties. “Events like this are extremely rare, and safety is the No. 1 priority for the amusement park industry,” association spokeswoman Colleen Mangone said Saturday. The data did not tabulate deaths. The only other death of a guest on a Six Flags Over Texas ride occurred in 1999 when a Roaring Rapids raft capsized. Valeria Cartwright of West Helena, Ark., drowned and 10 others were injured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 The word filters never get old... Can't anyone figure this stupid situation out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Wow, that article actually sounds like someone did some real journalism and not just steal tweets and he explained there are no click noises on that lap bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I don't know if it is worth or important mentioning it but the new Gerstlauer coaster 'Karacho' at Tripsdrill was open today! So, no closed Gerstlauer due to restraints maintenance here in my area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardCraze Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I don't know if I'd say Six Flags will keep it hush hush as the article seems to suggest. Incidents like this are so rare, that they capture the nation's attention. Six Flags is going to have to do some damage control and point out "Hey, our ride is safe" because even though that's apparent to us (and many logically thinking people), there are a lot of people right now running around in circle screaming about how airtime is dangerous and roller coasters are "rickety death machines". I'd fully expect Six Flags to come out and say "We screwed up, she was too large to ride and we didn't catch it, but here's how we're fixing it." Because if they keep it quiet, the only ones releasing findings on the ride are the GP, who think the restraints click, and the ride ops laughed and smiled deviously as this poor woman begged for her life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 So refreshing to see an article about this that isn't filled with rumor, misinformation, and crap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidcoaster 2 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Excuse my ignorance but I tried to find out else where, bet do they still do that slow crawl load system for the NTaG? Not trying to speculate just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy* Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 ^NO Went to the park yesterday. As expected the attendance was extremely slow even more so for a Saturday. All lines were especially short considering the park has two of its best coasters closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sportsdude360 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Has anyone suggested the possibility that the woman might have panicked during the ride and attempted to free herself from the restraints? I saw a news report years ago where a man panicked on a stalled Ferris Wheel. He actually managed to free himself from the lapbar holding him in and nearly fell to his death before workers could get to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadster Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 So refreshing to see an article about this that isn't filled with rumor, misinformation, and crap! You're welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I really wish the news outlets would stop quoting Carmen Brown. All this publicity for a lying sack of #&*^$&*. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasThrillSeekers Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 ^NOWent to the park yesterday. As expected the attendance was extremely slow even more so for a Saturday. All lines were especially short considering the park has two of its best coasters closed. Slow? Not calling you out or anything, But when I arrived around 4 I almost couldn't find a parking spot because it was SO BUSY. Even the news reported last night that "due to the fatal accident Friday it didn't stop THOUSANDS of people from visiting today." To give you and idea of how busy it was, I had to park in the very back right by Rangers Ballpark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Six Flags officials initially said they were “working with authorities” to determine the cause of the fatality. Later, they acknowledged that this is an internal investigation into only the second customer to die on a ride since the park opened in 1961. I love that Six Flags got caught in a lie. Reminds me of when SFMM denied having an area at their security trailer meant for detaining guests, only to have the local news station put them on blast with a photo of the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyRush Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I don't know if it is worth or important mentioning it but the new Gerstlauer coaster 'Karacho' at Tripsdrill was open today! So, no closed Gerstlauer due to restraints maintenance here in my area. Lucky, But its the end of the world here in Pennsylvania! SDL has been closed since Friday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasThrillSeekers Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I'm sorry but I'm a little confused about your post. Exactly where did Six Flags get caught in a lie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SigilX Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Sad to hear about such a tragic event. For those going to any Six Flags parks, all rides (save for Texas Giant) are open according to the website. Not sure about other Gerstlauer related rides in other parks. Then again this could change as more comes out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norwegian coasterfan Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 (edited) Someone posted this. it`s from the Superman accident. Maybe the same thing happened here? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0KmTMf0VVQ Edited July 21, 2013 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litoson80 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Not sure if anyone has seen this news clip of Carmen Brown's eyewitness account. Clearly she has no idea what she is talking about, if she was in the station next in line how could she see and hear all this happen??? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeBACl4Hx98 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadster Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Pretty sure we have all seen it, but thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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