Six Flags has examined safety inconsistencies and issues after a fatal accident at one of its parks, and similar rides to the one where the fatality occurred will be outfitted with additional safety equipment.
The company has announced that a popular ride at one of its biggest parks will now include seat belts, as Six Flags looks to prevent further incidents like the one that took place in Georgia.
At Six Flags Great America in Illinois, seat belts will be added to the Raging Bull roller coaster.
Raging Bull has similar restraints to the ones used on Goliath in Georgia, where a passenger was ejected from their seat before falling to their death.
Examining Coaster Safety After Fatal Incident
Raging Bull has been closed at Six Flags Great America since the Goliath incident in Georgia, but it will reopen with the additional safety measure added.
According to WGN-TV’s Marcus Leshock, the ride will add the seat belts to the original restraints.
Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey will also be updated with seat belts, corroborating a recent statement on safety from a key Six Flags executive.
“We are reinforcing safety precautions at our parks and taking additional measures, including adding seat belts on Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint,” said Six Flags’ president and CEO John Reilly last week.
Six Flags Makes Sweeping Safety Precautions
Goliath and eight other coasters like it at Six Flags parks around the country were closed after the fatal incident earlier this month.
All nine coasters were manufactured by Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard, and feature a restraint that clamps into place over a rider’s lap and upper legs.
Bolliger & Mabillard was granted a U.S. patent for the restraint in 2001, and that patent notes that it is intended to make a rider feel “that he is seated on a flying carpet or that he is at the controls of a kind of flying scooter, while still guaranteeing optimum security.”
In addition to Goliath in Georgia, coasters at parks in the following locations remain closed after the incident.
- Gurnee, Illinois (Six Flags Great America)
- Jackson Township, New Jersey (Six Flags Great Adventure)
- Charlotte, North Carolina (Carowinds)
- Mason, Ohio (Kings Island)
- Vaughan, Ontario, Canada (Canada’s Wonderland)
An exact date for Raging Bull’s reopening has not been set.
“The timing [of reopening] may vary by attraction based on the reviews, engineering requirements, availability of components and applicable approval processes,” Six Flags told WGN-TV.
“We will not reopen an affected attraction until the necessary work and reviews associated with that ride have been completed. We will provide park-specific updates as information becomes available.”
Many Six Flags parks, including Great America, will run through the Halloween period before shutting down operations for the year.
