Roller Coaster Death In Texas: Rosy Esparza ‘Didn’t Feel Safe’ Before Fatal Fall At Six Flags, Witnesses Recall [VIDEO]
Rosy Esparza of Dallas, Texas fell to her death Friday night while riding a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas. Witnesses say Esparza was not properly secured before embarking on a deadly journey on the record-breaking, 14 story-high coaster.
"Literally just witnessed someone fly off the Texas Giant two seats in front of me," witness Joshua Paul Fleak tweeted. "Restraint came undone, coaster turned and she was gone."
The Texas Giant is one of the park's most sought after attractions. It was originally introduced to Six Flags Over Texas in 1990 and reintroduced to the park on April 22, 2011. It was voted Best New Ride by Amusement Today in that same year. The coaster boast the world's steepest drop.
According to the New York Post, witness Carmen Brown, who was waiting on line for the amusement ride at the time of the accident, told reporters that Esparza had reservations about her safety straps.
"They didn't secure her right," said Brown. "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."
Chaos ensued after the accident as friends and families of both the victim and other riders searched for their loved ones to ensure their safety.
"Other families were crying, screaming and looking for their families," another witness, Jazheel Cabrera, told ABC News. "They just heard that someone had fallen down from the roller coaster and in that moment, there was a panic."
One witness, John Putnam, told reporters that two people who were on the ride returned to the platform screaming and visibly upset. "They were screaming, 'My mom! My mom! Let us out, we need to go get her!" Putman said.
For now, the park has decided to close the Texas Giant as a full-blown investigation is underway. Sharon Parker, Communications Manager for Six Flags Over Texas/Hurricane Harbor released a statement:
"We are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident and will utilize every resource throughout this process. It would be a disservice to the family to speculate regarding what transpired. When we have new information to provide, we will do so. Our thoughts, prayers and full support remain with the family."