Six Flags Over Texas Incident

[mhguy77]

http://www.screamscape.com/html/six_flags_over_texas.htm

Rocky Mountain Coaster was involved in this refurb.  If its the same train cars we may see Outlaw Run effected by this.  The possibility of adding some extra safety measure is always higher when its work done by the same company.

[shavethewhales]

They aren't the same cars, and we don't know enough details yet to even know the cause of the accident. There are so many possibilities at this point that it's probably not even appropriate to discuss how it would affect OR yet, not to mention RMC's supposed involvement.

[mhguy77]

They aren't the same cars.................... not to mention RMC's supposed involvement.

It isn't the car style or the chasse that will be looked at but the restraint system, having not rode the Texas Giant myself I do not know what restraints they are using.  I am however fairly sure that is was indeed RMC that did this refurb in 2011. They may have had nothing to do with the cars, that remains to be seen.   I hope this does not effect OR or its ability to maintain regular operation.  None the less it will be interesting to see what the outcome of this tragedy will be and if it will reach the hills of MO.

[HikerDan]

I don't have any problem whatsoever discussing this situation we have here.

When my wife told me this morning of the tragedy on the Texas Giant, the thought immediately popped into my mind that the Texas coaster and OR are both topper track coasters by Rocky Mountain Construction.  hmmmm

So I read the entire story and went searching around the net for info on similarities of the trains from the two rides.

I read that the Texas trains were built by a company called Gerstlauer, and the OR trains were actually the first trains ever developed by Rocky Mountain. 

Looking at pictures of the trains, they both lock down in a similar fashion by pulling a lap bar towards the upper thigh/waist area.

But that's all the info a person like me can really expect to get concerning the trains. The safety/restraint systems in place could be completely different and have no similarities; or they could be the same; I have no idea right now.

The tragedy could have been caused by any number of possible safety failures concerning any amusement park ride.  We'll have to wait and see the results after the investigation.

We'll be at SDC all day tomorrow, and will probably ride the OR, and will be listening around for any talk concerning the incident in Texas.  It will all most likely be uninformed/misinformed speculation and rumor though, but it may be interesting to hear what some folks are saying.

[shavethewhales]

I do have an problem with all the speculation I'm seeing around the Internet on this incident because people, even enthusiast who should know better, are jumping to conclusions when they know nothing about the incident and are rushing to blame the restraints, manufacturer, etc.

I still say as enthusiasts we need to be more responsible and help keep the general public sane in these discussions. Outlaw Run is a very carefully engineered ride that has been stringently tested for safety in all aspects. It does in fact have a completely different ride system, track, and restraints than Texas Giant.

[HikerDan]

Are there links somewhere on the internet where I can read about the ride control, restraint, overall train operation systems in place for the Texas ride and/or OR? I'd really like to read more about some of the current technologies used for rides like these two.

When riding the coasters at SDC, it appears to me that the main operator of each ride (the one sitting at the control panel and last to give a "thumbs up") cannot even release the train until they have indication from the panel in front of them that all lap bars are confirmed by the system as being locked. 

Is it even possible to release a train if the system were to sense an unlocked lap bar? I would think not.

[Hollwood]

The trains on both of the RMC referbs are Gerstlauer, the trains on OR are RMC's first. The incident looks to be related to the employee not securing the lap bar. The witnesses say that the restraint clicked, but with this being a bigger women it very well could have not been fully engaged on the first tooth. On traditional wooden roller coasters, the lap bars use a ratchet system, and for anyone who has ridden such coasters as Boomerangs and SLC you probably have experienced your restraint "popping" to the next tooth. Gerstlauer went with these type of restraints for the referbs. RMC uses restraints similar to Powderkeg and Mystry Mine. You will notice that they do not click when they close. This allows the restraint to be sensored and therefore the panel can tell weather or not the restraint is properly secured. Wildfire, Fire In The Hole, TNT, and Grand Expo Coaster can all be dispatched with the restraints not secured. On a side note, Cheetah, the wooden coaster at Wild Adventures was closed for the first half of the day because it too runs Gestlauer trains, and they went through a full inspection. I assume that the BOSS at SFSL and others with Gerstlauer trains did the same due diligence. 

[Swoosh]

Sounds to me like another case of "larger rider falls out" - much like Superman: Ride of Steel and Perilous Plunge.  The restraint didn't fail, just did not restrain the rider of larger proportions.

[qwed94]

I agree that speculations are just all over.  Even with numerous sensors, sensors do fail at times too. NUFF said there.

What bothers me the most about this particular incident is that there are  reports from "line-waiters" that claim-the woman told the operator that she didnt think her bar latched properly.  The ride operator (in some way or form) just blew her off. 

Again, this sounds like speculation--and it very well may be--Im just repeating what I read in the news storys that I came across. (I think it was huffington post)

The sad truth is this. There is never an excuse for death. There is a reason for the accident "maybe", but death was planned as well as birth. Every single one of us was born with an expiration date. Just because it is not stamped on the back of our hand or foot, doesnt mean that we dont have one. (We couldnt handle it if we knew the exact day we was going to die).  My point is, when our day comes!!! There is absolutely NOTHING we can do to prevent it!!


However this incident was indeed an accident, and possibly can be avoided in the future, just a shame it had to happen at all. I sure hope the investigation finds a crystal clear answer.

[joshblakebran]

I just read where a woman was thrown from the Texas Giant in Six Flags Texas. This coaster was just recently redesigned by Rocky Mountain Coasters. It will be curious to see, if any, what consequences the reactions will be for the Outlaw Run since it was built by RMC...Sad news in the amusement park world...

[Swoosh]

NADT.  The trains on Iron Rattler and New Texas Giant were designed by Gerstauler whereas the trains for Outlaw Run were designed by RMC.  Gerstauler is not having a good week - the Smiler, at Alton Towers has been shut down due to the track throwing a bolt and now there is a large gap between two sections of track.

[shavethewhales]

I've merged these two topics and moved the discussion here. I don't think it's fair to drag SDC's name into this yet if you know what I mean.

Still want to point out two things:
1. Outlaw Run is a completely different design all around
2. HFEC has stringent practices in place to ensure that all riders fit the seats properly. We've all seen how careful they've gotten in the last few years.

Still haven't heard from SF about the actual details. I still want to wait until there is an official, researched opinion on the cause before commenting on policy changes, etc. I just can't believe how the media has been running wild with this story already. CNN had an article on the home page of their site earlier lamenting the "thousands" of incidents that occur on American rides each year, not mention that many of those incidents can be as minor as motion sickness, tripping on something, a scratch, etc. From my understanding, any little thing gets reported and treated the same way. It is extraordinarily rare to see an actual injury or death on a ride in an American park these days. Think about all of the billions of rides that people take every summer, with usually only one or two major incidents causing injury each year. Those incidents are almost always user or operator error as well, rather than anything mechanically related.

[Ozark Outlaw]

It is definitely an unfortunate accident. When something tragic happens, it is simply human nature to speculate, and try to put the pieces back together. I do agree that Silver Dollar City has become more aggressive with their safety measures over the past few years. Which is fantastic! I remember several years ago when it was not only allowed, but encouraged to ride Wildfire, ThuNderaTion, and Fire in the Hole back-to-back on low attendance days. Now the staff requires you to get off, and physically walk back around if you want to ride again.

[okiebluegrass]

Amidst all the speculation and talk about trains and manufacturers etc, I just hope we don't forget that this poor woman lost her life. I trust that the PTB are doing everything they can to make these rides as safe as possible, both at SFoT and SDC. It's just a really tragic and sad deal 

[Hollwood]

I stand corrected. The restraints on Texas Giant are not ratchets. This blows the "one click theory" out of the water, and also discredits the witnesses account of only hearing one click. This should be an interesting finger pointing match between Six Flags and Gerstlauer. I think RMC should be in the clear.