Update at 8:05 p.m.: Six Flags Over Texas spokesperson Sharon Parker just sent a statement that says in full:
The incident occurred shortly after 6:30 Friday evening. Witnesses, like the one below, say the restraints came undone, and the woman simply vanished off the towering ride. Others say people on the ground directed rescue workers to her location.
On Facebook, a woman who said she was next in line to ride the Texas Giant wrote that “the lady whose seat I was about to get into on the Giant wasn’t there when the red train came back!! Seriously! People in front row screaming when they came back that their mom was gone. We waited about 50 mins & now kids are freaking out.”
According to Six Flags, the ride rises as high as 14 stories and takes a 79-degree drop.
Literally just witnessed someone fly off of the Texas giant two seats in front of me. — joshua paul fleak (@joshfleak) July 19, 2013:
@joshfleak what the heck! How?? — God'sLittlePrincess (@Vall_denise)
@Vall_denise restraint came undone, coaster turned and she was gone — joshua paul fleak (@joshfleak) July 20, 2013
Original item at 7:57 p.m.: There have been multiple reports via Twitter this evening of a death at Six Flags Over Texas. Several have said someone fell off the Texas Giant roller coaster. One source says a woman fell from the ride.
But Arlington police want to be clear: They are not confirming anything until they meet with Six Flags officials. That meeting is taking place at this very moment concerning what officials are calling “a major incident.”
Our Tanya Eiserer and Tom Fox are on their way. Arlington PD and Six Flags officials have set up a media staging area.
Updates to come.
Below is a first-person look at what it’s like to ride the roller coaster, which closed in 2009 and reopened two years later with a new track and cars.
Height Restrictions min. 48
The incident occurred shortly after 6:30 Friday evening. Witnesses, like the one below, say the restraints came undone, and the woman simply vanished off the towering ride. Others say people on the ground directed rescue workers to her location.
On Facebook, a woman who said she was next in line to ride the Texas Giant wrote that “the lady whose seat I was about to get into on the Giant wasn’t there when the red train came back!! Seriously! People in front row screaming when they came back that their mom was gone. We waited about 50 mins & now kids are freaking out.”
According to Six Flags, the ride rises as high as 14 stories and takes a 79-degree drop.
Literally just witnessed someone fly off of the Texas giant two seats in front of me. — joshua paul fleak (@joshfleak) July 19, 2013:
@joshfleak what the heck! How?? — God'sLittlePrincess (@Vall_denise)
@Vall_denise restraint came undone, coaster turned and she was gone — joshua paul fleak (@joshfleak) July 20, 2013
Original item at 7:57 p.m.: There have been multiple reports via Twitter this evening of a death at Six Flags Over Texas. Several have said someone fell off the Texas Giant roller coaster. One source says a woman fell from the ride.
But Arlington police want to be clear: They are not confirming anything until they meet with Six Flags officials. That meeting is taking place at this very moment concerning what officials are calling “a major incident.”
Our Tanya Eiserer and Tom Fox are on their way. Arlington PD and Six Flags officials have set up a media staging area.
Updates to come.
Below is a first-person look at what it’s like to ride the roller coaster, which closed in 2009 and reopened two years later with a new track and cars.
Height Restrictions min. 48