A woman fell to her death from the Texas Giant rollercoaster Friday night

[Are_grits_groceries]

A woman fell to her death from the Texas Giant rollercoaster Friday night at Six Flags Over Texas as horrified fellow passengers watched. The Arlington amusement park confirmed the death but released few details beyond reporting that its medical staff and city paramedics had responded immediately. The victim’s name was not released.

Six Flags officials offered their condolences to the woman’s family as investigators began to study the cause of the accident, which occurred after 6:30 p.m. Although the ride was closed, the park remained open through the evening.

Early attention was beginning to focus on witnesses’ reports that the woman’s safety restraint may have come undone. Carmen Brown of Arlington was waiting in line as the victim was being secured in for the ride. She said she believed that the woman’s son was on the ride with her.
Brown said the woman had expressed concern to a park employee that she was not secured correctly in her seat.

“He was basically nonchalant,” Brown said. “He was, like, ‘As long as you heard it click, you’re fine.’ Hers was the only one that went down once, and she didn’t feel safe. But they let her still get on the ride.”

She said the victim fell out of the ride as it made a sudden maneuver.
“The lady basically tumbled over,” she said. “We heard her screaming. We were, like, ‘Did she just fall?’”

Investigators were interviewing witnesses on the ride, some of whom reported that the woman had been thrown from the rollercoaster as it rounded a turn. Arlington police declined to comment on the accident.
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http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20130719-woman-falls-to-her-death-from-six-flags-texas-giant-roller-coaster.ece

@joshfleak: Literally just witnessed someone fly off of the Texas giant two seats in front of me.

Gak!

[JI7]

1. her son was next to her ? how horrible and sad

[B Calm]

2. Wow. . and I love roller coasters. . .

[malaise]

3. Good grief

I love roller coasters

[darkangel218]

4. That is why I wont get on the damn things if you paid me!!

[Igel]

5. Most of them are designed so an unsecured bag of flour wouldn't be ejected.

Every curve is matched by an inclined track with the height of the seat sufficient to keep you in.

This one might be different.

[Logical]

13. Shit happens. Millions to one chance. You should stop riding in cars also. n-t

[Rex]

14. Yeah they go all day with thousands of people on them

yet ONE person dies and it is all hair on fire. Funny that.

[darkangel218]

21. Its a personal choice.

I'm not going to potentially endanger my life just for a few minutes of adrenaline rush. Not my thing.

[Logical]

23. If "potentially endanger my life" means 500 million to 1 then OK. n-t

[darkangel218]

24. Yea. Its a possibility. Can you guarantee me i wont be that unlucky person?

Like I said, its a personal choice. Or do you have something against that?

[darkangel218]

27. from wiki:

2005
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:[10]

There were more than 15,000 amusement ride-related injuries in 2005 in the U.S.
2003
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported the following in 2003:[11]

From 1987 to 2000, there were an estimated 4.5 amusement ride-related deaths per year.
There were 3 deaths in 2003, 2 deaths in 2002, and 3 deaths in 2001.

[Logical]

28. LOL, give me drowning stats and bee sting stats. Then we will talk!

[darkangel218]

29. The stats of other types of accidents can not and will not invalidate

..the simple fact that rollercoaster rides are still dangereus.

[Logical]

30. Yes it does. "dangerous" is a relative term. n-t

[darkangel218]

32. No, it does not. nt

[Logical]

33. A little more research and you would have your reasons.....

[darkangel218]

34. I still win, give it up.

[Logical]

35. Here you go. Go away now....

Most (18) from Medical Conditions. Which I assume you blame on the ride?
11 employees, which would not impact you! Here is one employee story "Fell from roller coaster catwalk; was intoxicated". Who do you blame for that?

Here are a couple more:
Ejected from ride after freeing himself from safety restraints
Hit by roller coaster while crossing track
Hit in head by roller coaster while trimming weeds under track
Struck in head by patron’s legs while in restricted area

Sorry, keep trying.

Results: Forty people, ranging in age from 7 to 77 years, were killed in 39 separate incidents. Twenty nine (73%) deaths occurred among roller coaster patrons. Eleven fatalities resulted from external causes related to injuries from falls or collisions. Eighteen people died from medical conditions that might have been caused or exacerbated by riding a roller coaster; 15 were the result of intracranial hemorrhages or cardiac problems. Eleven (28%) deaths involved employees; all were caused by injuries.

http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/11/5/309.abstract

[darkangel218]

36. Go away? wow, nice style of debating

And admitting DEFEAT.

[Logical]

37. LOL, next time you are in an argument, cutting one sentence from Wiki does not....

turn out well. Math is hard I am sure. Statistics also. Keep reading!

[darkangel218]

38. Statistics dont lie. Rollercoaster accidents have happend and will continue happening.

You can't deny that. 4 deaths / year in the US alone is a pretty high number.

You still lose.

[tammywammy]

40. 4 deaths a year with how many riding rollercoasters? Millions

4 is really not a high number when you consider millions of people ride them.

[darkangel218]

41. And thousands more injured.

And any one if the "millions" riding could wind up part of this stat.

A few minutes of adrenaline rush is not worth losing your life for.

[tammywammy]

43. You're most likely going to be hurt or injured at traveling carnival carnival rides

Than a theme park.

[darkangel218]

45. Perheps. or crossing the street.

Or eating popcorn. But that's not the point.

If you think a few minutes of excitementis worth your life , its your choice. 4 death a year are huge number, for something you don't have to do, but chose to do just to get a rush out of it.

[rainy]

68. My sister lives with a neck injury from a roller coaster

[Logical]

52. Pretty high relative to? Still waiting. n-t

[darkangel218]

55. Relative to not getting on the ride.

Rides are voluntary, remember? And solely for " fun "

[Logical]

56. So is swimming. Do you swim? Smoke? n-t

[darkangel218]

58. Swimming is healthy. its a sport.

Can be dangerous, yes. But it provides more than just a hormone rush.

And no I don't smoke. You shouldn't either, if you do.

[Logical]

59. Swimming is the same thing. Entertainment. Enjoyable. 3500....

deaths a year from drowning. I suggest you immediately stop.

[darkangel218]

60. Swimming is not just enterteinment.

Where did you get that from??

[Logical]

61. Yes, the people flocking to the beach are there to do aerobics. But will you...

now stop swimming?

[darkangel218]

63. So swimming is not a sport, and has no other health benefits

.. except entertainment??



Have a nice evening Logical!

[WinkyDink]

47. "Go away now"?? FU, in principle.

[darkangel218]

51. Meh, he's upset. I must have hurt his feelings.

[Logical]

53. You hurt my brain. n-t

[darkangel218]

57. Awww!! thats hard to believe, since youre the one who started this.

I was simply commenting on my choice.

But its okay, vent away. We all have bad days.

[TorchTheWitch]

70. Then for fuck's sake put her on Ignore

But nooooo, you had to go derail a thread about a terrible accident that killed a woman just because another member doesn't like roller coasters and thinks they aren't worth the danger. Well whoopdie fucking doo! What the hell do you care what she thinks? I don't like them either and don't think the danger of injury or having your stomach heave up is "fun" either. So sue me.

[WinkyDink]

46. Because of course one's need of a car IS THE EQUIVALENT of one's need of a carney ride.

[ronnie624]

6. Brown said the woman had expressed concern to a park employee

that she was not secured correctly in her seat.

“He was basically nonchalant,” Brown said. “He was, like, ‘As long as you heard it click, you’re fine.’ Hers was the only one that went down once, and she didn’t feel safe. But they let her still get on the ride.”

Fucking idiot.

[Horse with no Name]

7. Yep. Minimum wage employees given the task of keeping people alive

You don't care much about them but you expect them to keep your customers safe?

[ronnie624]

8. I don't think the article mentioned the employee's wage.

I think he should have taken his job of making certain everyone was secure, more seriously.

[Logical]

12. I bet he heard 100 comments a day like that. I love the DU.....

You call a person you do not know and based on a half-ass news story a "fucking idiot". LOL, typical of the I am perfect crowd.

[Rstrstx]

17. Have to agree, the "eyewitness" is not credible

She told the press that her restraint only made one "click" while everyone else's made 3. This is a complete lie since the ride in question does not use a ratcheting type system to secure people in, it uses a hydraulic system which is silent. She also said she saw her fall off the ride while waiting in line. The area where they recovered the body is not visible from the station. She's full of it. Funny how nobody else came forward to corroborate up her story yet it's spread like wildfire and accepted as gospel.

And by the way the odds of a coaster fatality that is not the fault of the rider is about one a half billion to one. From the scant news we know so far that may well be what happened, as unlikely as it is. But the ridiculous anecdotes about how such-and-such a ride is unsafe are just that.

[Logical]

18. Thanks for the great information. Math is hard for some people. n-t

[WinkyDink]

48. So is Chaucer in the original. And BTW: Statistics are, frankly, irrelevant to the

HORROR of this story, just like they are irrelevant to stories of death-by-shark.
http://news.sky.com/story/1116058/shark-attack-teenage-girl-killed-off-reunion

But then, human reactions are hard for some people.

[tammywammy]

19. I also wondered how she could see anything.

When you're in the Texas Giant station you can't see the ride.

[ronnie624]

69. You're right. I shouldn't have said it.

I was taken by the horror of the story.

Personal attacks against me are unnecessary, however. I can be compelled by sound logic.

[burnodo]

15. I think the point is lack of oversight

Which is why the topic of minimum wage came up

[tblue]

26. That is HORRIBLE!!! They need to change their regulations.

If someone states they don't feel secure, move them to another car. How difficult would that be?

[Brewinblue]

9. Plaintiff injury attorneys must be lining round the block for this one

The park employee's apparent level of negligence is astounding. The settlement will be quick and enormous!

[MuseRider]

10. Just got home last night from Cedar Point.

We were never on a ride that was not physically checked, we were always asked and then they pulled on the belts several times. Their mechanisms were to the point of discomfort if you are smaller like I am, they tighten up and hold you so tight it is uncomfortable. Wow, never did one of the kids running those rides shirk that check. They were obviously bored and hot but they did it. And they worked as a team with no less than 6 on the really extreme rides.

This is sad and scary. They need to be sued to the point of paying those kids well and making sure they had a team for reinforcement.

[The Straight Story]

11. Um, last night: Boat on Cedar Point ride rolls backward down hill; 7 hurt

SANDUSKY, OHIO — A boat on a thrill ride at an amusement park that bills itself as the best in the world accidentally rolled backward down a hill and flipped over in water when the ride malfunctioned Friday, injuring all seven people on it.

Operators stopped the Shoot the Rapids water ride after the accident, which occurred on the ride's first hill, the Cedar Point amusement park said. Park police officers, medical technicians, ride operators and park visitors waded into the water and helped the passengers off the boat.

Cedar Point officials wouldn't say how the boat landed after rolling downhill. But witnesses told the Sandusky Register newspaper the boat flipped on its side or upside down.

Matthew Orr, of Euclid, was at the park and said people were belted into the boat and were trapped.

http://www.freep.com/article/20130720/FEATURES07/307200052/Cedar-Point-ride-rolls-backward-down-hill-7-hurt

[MuseRider]

16. Well that just sucks but it has

nothing to do with someone not checking riders being securely seated. That was what I was addressing and I think the point of the article.

Mechanical malfunctions are different but are horrible. Top Thrill Dragster was shut down a good part of the 2 days we were there, they seemed pretty cautious but perhaps not. I hope the injured are OK. WOW.

[Horse with no Name]

39. My daughter told me that when she has gone on the Texas Giant

that two different people usually came by and checked it.

[Blue_Tires]

42. Agreed...

Amusement parks around where I live always seem to have separate "help everybody strap in+check" and "manually double-check the restraints before releasing the ride" -phases...

And even after that I personally check how secure it is...

[MuseRider]

44. Sitting for those seconds before

the Top Thrill Dragster took off I spent making certain I was buckled in. It would not have mattered, it took about 30 minutes for my brain to comprehend what it had just experienced. Our first ride in the park, blew my mind right up. If it had launched me or slammed me face first into the dirt I would never had known.

[Soundman]

65. Just what I was thinking.

We go to Cedar Point Every year and I have never not had a good tug or pull to check the safety restraint. Kind of exited to try out the gate keeper next month.

[MuseRider]

67. Oh ho ho be very excited.

I doubt we will ever be back there so I bought the Fast Lane Plus. The first day we rode it about 3 or 4 times. I was not crazy about it, the harness would ratchet so tightly that as we waited to get off I could hardly breathe. The second day I figured it out, I just had to push out on it to keep that from happening then I really enjoyed the ride. We prefered the left side, especially in the front car but both were fantastic. Still, my overwhelming favorite was Millenium Force. That first drop is to die for. We had enough fun to consider the 14 hour drive again some year soon before we are too old or our already getting old sons get paired up and we can't afford it

[FarCenter]

20. Second fatality since the park opened in 1961!

Friday’s accident was the second ride fatality for a guest at the park since it opened in 1961.

In 1999, Valeria Cartwright of West Helena, Ark., drowned when a Roaring Rapids raft capsized. Ten other people were injured in that accident.

In March 2006, passengers on the park’s Texas Tornado ride reported injuries when the ride slowed rapidly and several of its swings collided.

In another amusement park accident Friday, a boat on a thrill ride at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, rolled backward down a hill and flipped over in water when the ride malfunctioned, injuring all seven people on it.

[Major Nikon]

71. I've been going to that park for decades

The people they have running the rides are either very young or look as if they have made some bad choices in their lives. I can't think of any I would trust to make sure I was strapped in properly. I'm surprised they don't have more accidents than they do.

[ananda]

22. I used to avoid roller coasters like the plague.

Then one time in my late forties I rode the Texas Cyclone at Astroworld,
and it was extremely unpleasant. So that is the only time I ever rode on
a big roller coaster. I never rode Greased Lightning either. But I liked
the smaller twisty turny kinds and other kinds of rides.

Still, I think the coasters are safe for the most part. There have been
accidents over the years, but not that many I don't think.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

64. Wooden coasters are real bone-shakers.

I rode the Texas Cyclone at Astroworld and was sore for two days.

Astroworld had a bunch of steel coasters that were fun and a lot smoother. I don't know why they shut the place down. Maybe too much competition from Fiesta Texas in San Antonio??

[JesterCS]

25. I worked at Kings Island, OHIO

for 2 summers. I got to see all the behind the scenes work and such that went on. I Would get in at 7am, and there were already mechanics walking the tracks of coasters checking everything. Park didnt open til 10.

Its pretty safe. Kings Island has had its share of deaths too. Though the ride/s in question no longer exist.

[B Calm]

49. Did they ever reopen the Son of Beast?

[RB TexLa]

31. And the message to the Arlington police officers investigating

"Be sure to conduct a through investigation, we wouldn't want anything missed when something involves one of the biggest creators of revenue for the city of Arlington and our department."

[Raine]

50. One time at Disneyland I was on the Matterhorn and some people near us said "we're not fastened in

right". The workers didn't hear them and were ready to start the ride and they kept trying to tell them they weren't fastened securely. My boyfriend and I started screaming really loud "THOSE PEOPLE AREN'T FASTENED, FASTEN THEM IN"!!! Finally they heard us all and came over and got them fastened securely, sure was an eye opener to me that you have to really check and then really YELL!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

66. Virtually the same thing happened to me years ago on the Demon at 6Flags Gurnee, WI.

Only we headed well up the first rise before they stopped us. We sat there for 20-30 minutes while the technicians came and secured the kid that was loose.

[dgilmour32863]

54. Oh man, what a horrible way to die

And a good reason why I really don't like roller coasters.

[90-percent]

62. Question

What additional Constitutional Rights do we have to give back to our on government to keep roller coasters 100% safe?

4 deaths per year is 4 too many for this patriotic DU poster!

-90% Jimmy