Texas Woman Fell 75 Feet From Six Flags Roller Coaster, Coroner Says

Texas Giant Roller Coaster — A woman died Friday night on the Texas Giant roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas. Creative Commons/ Edward Beavers

A Fort Worth coroner says the woman killed while riding a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas fell 75 feet from the roller coaster before her death.

According to CBS Dallas-Fort Worth, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office stated Tuesday that 52-year-old Rosa Irene Ayala-Gaona was thrown from her seat on the 14-story Texas Giant roller coaster as the ride entered onto a downhill slope. Coroners have not determined an exact cause of death, but determined that she fell at least 75 feet after being thrown from the roller coaster, sustaining “multiple traumatic injuries and extensive trauma to her torso.”

When Ayala-Gaona boarded the roller coaster with her her daughter and son-in-law Friday, a Six Flags Over Texas employee came by to secure restraints on the passengers, but failed to properly apply her restraints, leading to her fall from the Texas Giant.

Carmen Brown of Arlington, who witnessed the accident from the waiting line, told the Dallas Morning News: “She goes up like this. Then when it drops to come down, that’s when it [the safety bar] released and she just tumbled.”

“They didn’t secure her right,” Brown said. “One of the employees from the park -- one of the ladies -- she asked her to click her more than once, and they were like, ‘As long you heard it click, you’re OK.’ Everybody else is like, ‘Click, click, click.’ Hers only clicked once. Hers was the only one that went down once, and she didn’t feel safe, but they let her still get on the ride.”

Six Flags released the following statement after Ayala-Gaona’s devastating death: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. The investigation into the death at Texas Giant is still ongoing. We are working closely with authorities to determine the cause of the accident. The ride will remain closed. In addition, we have canceled the concert that was scheduled for today.”

Authorities are still examining the Texas Giant roller coaster, which will not reopen until the investigation concludes.