Six Flags Great Adventure emphasizes safety after death on Texas roller coaster

Source: Asbury Park Press, N.新蒲崗迷你倉J.July 26--JACKSON -- A Six Flags Great Adventure spokeswoman on Thursday said safety is the number one priority at the Ocean County theme park, almost one week after a woman plunged to her death from a roller coaster at another Six Flags in Texas."We invest the greatest amount of resources in our safety and maintenance programs, and remain vigilant in adhering to our safety standards," said Kristin Siebeneicher, spokeswoman for Six Flags Great Adventure.Siebeneicher said that in addition to daily maintenance inspections by staff, all Great Adventure rides are inspected and issued operating permits each year by the state Department of Community Affairs. A third-party independent consulting firm also inspects the rides each year, in addition to corporate engineers and safety experts. All ride operations meet or exceed standards set by their manufacturers and the American Society for Testing and Materials, she said.When a park visitor is transported to a hospital as a result of any injury suffered on or in close proximity to a ride, Great Adventure is required to notify the Department of Community Affairs. Specifically, the state must be informed when an injury is reported by a park visitor or employee as the result of being on a ride, while waiting in line to board a ride or while exiting the ride.In such an event, themini storagestate determines when it is acceptable for the park to reopen that ride, Siebeneicher said.Sean Conner, a spokesman for the Department of Community Affairs, said there have been 33 such incidents at Great Adventure since 2008, none of which were serious.The last time a park visitor was killed on a ride at Great Adventure was in June 1987, when a 19-year-old Pennsylvania woman died after falling from the roller coaster ride Lightnin' Loops. At the time, an investigation by the state Department of Labor concluded that ride operators had failed to ensure that the teen was secured in a safety harness before they started the car in which she was in.At Six Flags Over Texas last Friday, Rosy Esparza, 52, of Dallas, died while riding the Texas Giant roller coaster -- the tallest steel-hybrid coaster in the world.Carmen Brown of Arlington was waiting in line as the victim was being secured in for the ride, he said. Brown told The Dallas Morning News the woman had expressed concern to a park employee that she was not secured correctly in her seat."He was basically nonchalant," Brown said. "He was, like, 'As long as you heard it click, you're fine.' "Contributing: USA Today and Associated PressCopyright: ___ (c)2013 Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.) Visit the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.) at www.app.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesself storage