Police sergeant confirms woman died after falling from Texas Giant roller coaster

Witnesses said they saw the woman fall out of the ride when her safety bar released

Heather Saul
Sunday 21 July 2013 14:47 BST
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An aerial view of the roller coaster which a female passenger fell out of
An aerial view of the roller coaster which a female passenger fell out of

A woman who died while riding a roller coaster at an amusement park in Texas fell from the ride, a police sergeant has confirmed.

Sgt Christopher Cook said Arlington police believe the woman fell during the Texas Giant roller coaster.

He said police, fire and emergency medical services responded to reports at approximately 6.45pm on Friday that a woman had fallen from a train car while riding a roller coaster. He said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The park and the Texas Department of Insurance, which approves amusement rides and ensures they are inspected, will be involved in further investigating the accident, he added.

Sharon Parker, Park Spokeswoman also confirmed that a woman died after the ride, which has been dubbed the tallest steel-hybrid coaster in the world, but did not specify how she was killed.

“We are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident and will utilize every resource throughout this process,” Ms Parker said during a statement on Saturday. “It would be a disservice to the family to speculate regarding what transpired.”

Carmen Brown told the Dallas Morning News that she was waiting in line to get on the Texas Giant when the accident occurred, and witnessed the woman being strapped in.

“She goes up like this. Then when it drops to come down, that's when it (the safety bar) released and she just tumbled", she said.

Six Flags said the ride will be closed as the investigation continues, and a concert scheduled for Saturday was cancelled.

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