ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A German roller coaster maker is sending officials to a North Texas amusement park to inspect a ride after a woman fell to her death.
Tobias Lindnar, a project manager for Gerstlauer Amusement Rides in Munsterhausen, Germany, told The Dallas Morning News that the company will investigate what led to Friday’s fatal accident at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington.
Witnesses said the woman expressed concern about the Texas Giant roller coaster’s safety bar not completely engaging as the ride was starting. The coaster is touted as the tallest steel-hybrid roller coaster in the world.
“I’m sure there’s no safety bar that is broken,” Lindnar told the newspaper by phone Saturday night from Germany.
Lindnar said Gerstlauer has never had problems with car safety bars on any of the roughly 50 roller coasters it’s built around the world over the past 30 years.
“We will be on site and we will see what has happened,” he said.
Park spokeswoman Sharon Parker confirmed in a statement Saturday that the victim died while riding the 14-story Texas Giant, but wouldn’t give specifics about what happened.
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