Woman Dies on Six Flags Roller Coaster

Tragedy in Texas last night: A rep for Six Flags Over Texas has confirmed that an adult woman died while riding a 14-story-high roller coaster. WFAA has a statement from the park on the incident, which happened around 6:30pm local time: "We are deeply saddened to share that earlier this evening an adult woman died in the park while on the Texas Giant," it said. "The ride has been closed pending further investigation." It's the second fatality at the park, which opened in 1961; a woman drowned on a ride in 1999.

Witness reports say the woman's safety restraint may not have worked properly, the Dallas Morning News notes. When the woman mentioned her concerns to an attendant, "He was basically nonchalant," says a witness who was standing in line. "He was, like, 'As long as you heard it click, you’re fine.'" Then, during a sudden shift on the ride, "the lady basically tumbled over,” she said. "We heard her screaming. We were, like, ‘Did she just fall?'" Another witness tells CNN: "There's a turn that's pretty steep, and the person behind her empty seat said she fell out there—just flew out." The ride includes three turns of less than 90 degrees and has a top speed of 65 mph, the Morning News reports; there's also a 147-foot drop, CNN notes. (More Six Flags stories.)