Woman's roller coaster death to be investigated

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A woman who died while riding a roller coaster at a Six Flags amusement park in North Texas fell from the ride, an Arlington police sergeant said yesterday.

Sgt. Christopher Cook told The Associated Press that police believe the woman fell Friday at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, and that there appears to have been no foul play.

Park spokeswoman Sharon Parker confirmed that a woman died while riding the Texas Giant roller coaster -- dubbed the tallest steel-hybrid coaster in the world -- but did not specify how she was killed.

Some witnesses said the woman who died wasn't properly secured.

"We are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident and will utilize every resource throughout this process," Parker said in a statement yesterday. "It would be a disservice to the family to speculate regarding what transpired."

Cook, spokesman for the Arlington Police Department, said police, fire and emergency medical services responded to the park about 6:45 p.m. Friday in reference to a woman who had fallen from a train car while riding a roller coaster. He said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

He said the park and the Texas Department of Insurance, which approves amusement rides and ensures they are inspected, will be involved in investigating the accident.

Carmen Brown told The Dallas Morning News that she was waiting in line when the accident happened and witnessed the woman being strapped in.

"She goes up like this. Then when it drops to come down, that's when it [the safety bar] released and she just tumbled," Brown, of Arlington, told the newspaper.