Yes, that’s right. The major investigation into the fatal fall from the Texas Giant roller coaster likely will not be an independent investigation, but an internal one. Our roller coaster accident attorneys note that the answers you’ll get about what caused the Six Flags roller coaster death will likely come from Six Flags itself, through its public relations and legal representatives.
With the huge liabilities at stake, could it be just a little too tempting to reach conclusions in the investigation that might not be completely true? Since the Fire Department and Arlington police concluded that no foul play was involved in the fall from the Texas Giant, their duties were discharged relatively quickly.
About Ride Safety Oversight in Texas
Accidents based in negligence do not usually generate the same types of lengthy, intense investigations by authorities as deaths that might involve criminal intent. And the Texas Department of Insurance, which regulates amusement park rides in Texas (to the extent the state regulates ride safety), has little authority beyond making sure that rides are inspected and that they have insurance. Reports indicate that in this case, the Texas Giant was properly inspected and insured.
None of which addresses the possible cause of the fatal fall alleged by witnesses, that a woman’s safety restraint bar had not been securely latched and had released during the ride. We’ve written before about the relative vacuum regarding ride safety oversight in this state and throughout the nation.
For ride accident victims and their families to receive proper inquiries and investigations into what went wrong, they have to hire their own experienced roller coaster accident attorneys. (Watch our video on this page to learn about how the skilled roller coaster accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC resolved a similarly fatal fall from a roller coaster at the Houston Rodeo in 2011 in favor of the victim’s surviving family members.)
The Roller Coaster’s Manufacturer is Coming from Germany to Take a Look at the Safety Restraint Bar on the Texas Giant
A representative from the manufacturer of the Texas Giant roller coaster ride, Germany-based Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, is coming to investigate. A spokesman for the company, not yet on site in Arlington, had indicated disbelief that the hydraulic safety restraint bar could have broken. (Source: Brandon Formby and Jeff Mosier, The Dallas Morning News, 7/20/13)
Proper Employee Training is Important to Ensure that Restraint Bars are Positioned and Locked Properly
The roller coaster accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC emphasize that mechanical failure isn’t the only possible cause when a safety restraint bar gets improperly latched and releases during a ride. It’s also imperative that employees receive proper training on rides so that they can tell when a restraint bar is in a safe position relative to a person’s size and weight. Most roller coaster designs have safety restraint bars designed for the “average” sized adult. Children, small adults, large or obese adults, and others with atypical body conformations might not be held as securely on rides as “average” sized adults if employees don’t position and latch the restraint properly. Learn more about roller coaster ride safety and what you could do to help protect your family on a ride: download our free report.