A woman fell to her death from a Six Flags roller coaster in Arlington, Texas. Rosy Esparza died during her first trip to the amusement park.
Investigators are trying to figure out how the woman fell from the Texas Giant, a 14-story high roller coaster with the world's steepest drop, CNN reports.
Witnesses said Esparza was concerned even before the ride started moving. She felt that the lap bar that holds passengers down in their seats wasn't secure. She was right.
Carmen Brown, a fellow rider told the Dallas Morning News that Esparza told a park employee that she didn't think she was secure in the seat.
"He was basically nonchalant," Brown said. "He was, like, 'As long as you heard it click, you're fine.' Hers was the only one that went down once, and she didn't feel safe. But they let her still get on the ride."
Brown later saw the woman fall out of the ride. "She goes up like this," Carmen Brown said, raising her hand up in the air. "Then when it drops to come down, that's when it released and she just tumbled."
The park confirmed the event, but would not provide any more details.
"Since the safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority, the ride has been closed pending further investigation," the theme park said in a statement.
"It would be a disservice to the family to speculate regarding what transpired," she said. "When we have new information to provide, we will do so," Six Flags Over Texas spokeswoman Sharon Parker said.
Local authorities have ruled out foul play.
"At this point of the investigation, it does not appear there was any foul play or criminality associated with this tragic incident," the Arlington Police Department said in a statement.
The ride has been closed since Friday and won't reopen until it is inspected by a certified inspector.
Esparza was with her son when she fell from the ride. Her sons will not speak out about the incident but they did post updates on Facebook.
"Only God knows Mama," Amado Esparza posted in Spanish. "Something that I will always have as a memory of you is that you loved adventures."
"It is sad to lose my mom," he wrote, "but I am happy that when she was alive she enjoyed it to the fullest. I always took her to explore new places."
The Texas Giant roller coaster was designed in 1990 as an all-wooden ride. It was later redesigned with a steel track and reopened in April 2011 for the park's 50th anniversary.
The ride is 153 feet tall at its highest point and it has a 147-foot drop.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
