Investigation under way into how passenger came free from safety restraint on Texas Giant ride at Six Flags park in Arlington
A police sergeant has confirmed that a woman who died on a rollercoaster at an amusement park in Texas fell from the ride, as questions continued over whether she was properly secured in her carriage.
Sergeant Christopher Cook told the Associated Press on Saturday that there appeared to be no foul play in the death at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington.
Police, fire and emergency medical services were called to the park around 6.45pm on Friday after the woman fell from the Texas Giant, the tallest steel-hybrid coaster in the world. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Texas Giant ride reaches 14 storeys high, drops 79 degrees and banks 95 degrees.
Park spokeswoman Sharon Parker said: "We are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident and will utilise every resource throughout this process. It would be a disservice to the family to speculate regarding what transpired."
Carmen Brown told the Dallas Morning News she had been waiting in line to get on the ride when the accident happened and saw the woman being strapped in. "One of the employees from the park, one of the ladies, she asked her to click [the safety bar] more than once, and they were like, 'As long you heard it click you're OK.'
"Everybody else is like, 'Click, click, click.' Hers only clicked once. Hers was the only one that went down once and she didn't feel safe but they let her still get on the ride."
Six Flags said the ride was closed as the investigation continued and a concert scheduled for Saturday was cancelled.
When the car that the woman had been riding in returned to the loading zone, two people got out and were visibly upset, Rockwell resident John Putman told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"They were screaming, 'My mom! My mom! Let us out, we need to go get her!'" Putman told the newspaper.
In a separate case in Ohio a thrill ride boat accidentally rolled backward down a hill and flipped over in water, injuring all seven people on it. Operators stopped the Shoot the Rapids water ride after the accident, said officials with Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio.
The seven people were treated either on the scene or at hospital and released. The ride was being kept closed while the park and authorities carried out an investigation.