Nov. 12--It took firefighters an hour to find the body of a woman who fell from a Six Flags Over Texas roller coaster in July, according to a 20-page report by the Arlington Police Department.
Rosa Ayala-Gaona Esparza, 52, was ejected from a Texas Giant roller coaster car on July 19.
Her nearly severed body was found on the roof of the Honky Tonk tunnel, which covers a lower track of the ride, the report states.
"The decedent's body was partially wrapped around support beam #471, with her lower body on top of the roof and her nearly severed upper body hanging over the south side of the roof," the reports states.
In a statement Monday, Six Flags said, "Our hearts remain heavy about this accident and our sincerest condolences go out to Ms. Esparza's family."
Feet in the air
Esparza was riding in the second car by herself, behind her daughter and son-in-law, the police report states. Early in the ride, her daughter turned around and saw her mother almost completely upside down with her head near the floor and her feet almost straight up in the air, the report states. As the ride began its third ascent, Esparza's daughter saw her mother being tossed out of the car, but did not see her hit anything, the police report states.
An investigator with the Arlington Police Department said he received an email from a woman who had ridden the coaster the day before the fatal incident. The woman said that after the coaster had loaded, the operator announced "all clear" but quickly followed that with, "Check car 3." She said that one of the employees who previously had checked the restraints came back to her car and rechecked the restraint. Then came another "all clear" announcement and the ride began.
Not latched well?
On the day Esparza died, a witness riding directly behind the woman told police that it appeared Esparza's restraint was not latched well. The witness and his friend said tried to help Esparza when they saw her feet up but were unable to reach her, the report states.
According to investigators, the coaster operator checked every passenger's restraints before the train departed, but remembered thinking the restraint was not all the way down on Esparza's thigh. However, the restraint was down enough for the ride's computer to register it as locked, the report states.
Six Flags sued
The investigator's report includes interviews with 17 witnesses, some of whom saw Esparza being ejected from the car. Other witnesses were unaware there was an accident until the ride ended, the report states.
Esparza's family sued Six Flags over Texas in September, a few days before the amusement park reopened the roller coaster. The suit, filed in Tarrant County state district court seeks at least $1 million in damages.
In its response filed Oct. 4, Six Flags denied "each and every" allegation in the Esparza family lawsuit. Six Flags said it did note build or design the ride and said independent contractors were responsible for the passenger restraint system.
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