In an earlier blog posting, we discussed a wrongful death suit filed in Dallas, Texas after 52-year-old Rosa Esparza slipped from her seat on a Six Flags’ roller coaster, the Texas Giant, and fell to her death. Esparza’s family members filed the civil suit shortly after the deadly accident.
The original suit alleged that Six Flags’ ride operators were negligent and did not check to ensure that Esparza was properly secured by the safety restraint bar. Later, in October, the Esparza family filed an amended complaint naming Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, the roller coaster designer and manufacturer, as a co-defendant in the lawsuit. The information was confirmed according to a Six Flags filing Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Since the lawsuit was initially filed, Six Flags has denied all claims of negligence and other misconduct. In a court filing, Six Flags officials stated they didn’t believe that any similar accidents had occurred on any other roller coasters designed by German-based manufacturer.
Arnie von Waldow, Gerstlauer’s lead attorney in the lawsuit, explained that the roller coaster builder will deny that there was any defect in the design of the ride. Gerstlauer will also deny that any alleged defect in the design attributable to the designer in any way contributed to the fatal accident.
References:
Dallas News
