By Jon Herskovitz
AUSTIN, Texas, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Amusement park operator Six Flags and a German roller coaster maker have reached a settlement with the family of woman who was killed last year when she plunged to her death from a roller coaster at a park in Texas, they said in a statement.
Six Flags and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides of Germany reached the deal with the family of Rosy Esparza. Her family had been seeking more than $1 million in damages but terms of the settlement were not disclosed, a lawyer for the Esparza family said on Wednesday.
“The Esparza family is very pleased with the settlement and appreciates the condolences offered by Six Flags and Gerstlauer,” Frank Branson and Garret Chambers, attorneys for the family, said in a joint statement released on Tuesday with the companies.
The two companies were not immediately available for comment.
Police said Esparza, 52, fell from the car in which she was riding on the 150-foot-high (45-meter-high) Texas Giant roller coaster at the Six Flags Over Texas Park in the Dallas suburb of Arlington in July 2013.
Esparza’s relatives had filed a wrongful death lawsuit in September, alleging the park was negligent in not having an adequate restraint system.
Investigators looking into the accident ruled out mechanical failure as a reason for the accident, the park said.
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz)