Superman' coaster deadly: Man fatally thrown from Six Flags ride

Boston Herald ^ | May 2, 2004

[billorites]

A 55-year-old man died yesterday afternoon after he was thrown from the wild and world-renowned ``Superman'' roller coaster ride at Six Flags New England in Agawam.

      ``All of a sudden people started screaming: `Stop the ride, stop the ride, someone has fallen off.' They finally stopped the ride and it was extreme panic and we looked and all the people in the cars were crying,'' eyewitness Sara Syez told WHDH-TV. ``We looked over to the side and there was a gentleman laying by the fence.''
     Agawam police identified the victim as Stanley J. Morbarsky of Bloomfield, Conn.
     Park officials released a statement saying Morbarsky fell from the ride as it neared the end of its run. Park paramedics took him to Bay State Medical Center in Springfield, where he was pronounced dead at about 3:45 p.m.
     Morbarsky flew from the car in which he was riding as it entered a turn near the bottom of the ride, eyewitness Felix Arroyo told WFSB-TV in Hartford, Conn. ``He started spinning like a Frisbee and he hit the rail - bam - and then fell down on the ground.''
     The Six Flags Web site boasts that 208-foot-high Superman, Ride of Steel is ``ranked the number-one coaster on the planet by Park World magazine.'' Superman is one of eight roller coasters at Six Flags.
     The ride was closed down until further notice.
     Agawam police are investigating and the state Department of Public Safety has been notified. The town's police secured the ride pending the arrival of a state investigator, police Lt. Richard LIght said.
     The mile-long coaster was inspected yesterday morning and was certified for operation by the state prior to the park's season opening on April 17, park officials said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press.
     Less than three years ago, 22 people sustained minor injuries on the same ride when one car rear-ended another.
     Roller coaster reviewer Arthur Levine wrote that Superman, Ride of Steel ``demands nerves of steel.''
     ``Everything about it is coaster perfection,'' he wrote. Riders reach nearly 80 mph, but enjoy ``a surprisingly smooth ride throughout.''
     Levine wrote that Superman, Ride of Steel ``is one of those coasters that positively screams until it hits the magnetic brakes at the conclusion.'' It ends with riders ``flying into the station.''
     

[Izzy Dunne]

Another story on this reported that the man's elderly mom was complaining about why they had "let" him ride the coaster - he had cerebral palsy.

[Future Snake Eater]

So I wonder if he had messed with the restraints...?

[doom n gloom]

Yep. I totally agree. Theme parks don't hire near enough telepaths to monitor the rides.

[billorites]

Riders reach nearly 80 mph, but enjoy ``a surprisingly smooth ride throughout.''

Until the sudden stop at the end.

[Future Snake Eater]

The ads said there was a spectacular drop at the end--who knew?

[ChuckShick]

"Up, up, and away!"

(sorry, I just had to)

[American Soldier]

I really hesitate to do this, but---

How many tragedies will it take before America wakes up and realizes that roller coasters belong in the hands of trained military and law enforcement professionals, not untutored private citizens?

[billorites]

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[billorites]

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[FITZ]

Anything fun has to have a certain risk --- I guess we can have amusement parks with nothing but merry-go-rounds --- but someone is certainly going to get hurt on one of those too.

[DoctorMichael]

Ages ago I worked on one of the roller-coasters (as a ride-operator) at Riverside Park in Agawam (thats the name of this park before it was bought out by the Six Flags Corporation).

[Jeeper]

"...It ends with riders "flying into the station."

Literally!!!

As an avid coaster rider this is kinda disturbing. However, after reading all the posts I think that something happened to cause this poor man to try to get out of his seat.

[dpa5923]

When I was a kid, a lady was thrown from a roller coaster at Six Flags outside of St Louis. It was determined that her husband screwed with the restraints just prior to the ride.

Appearently, the husband and wife intended on suing Six Flags after she was hurt. They didn't count on her dying or the police actually investigating, but a good plan otherwise!

[PokeyJoe]

ADA lawsuit if they didn't?

[mountaineer]

a lady was thrown from a roller coaster at Six Flags outside of St Louis

I remember that incident (I used to live in STL and even worked at Six Flags one summer). She was a large woman from Indiana, so people - with typical gallows humor - started referring to the ride as the Fat Lady Fling and the Hoosier Hurler.

[GreenHornet]

Another story on this reported that the man's elderly mom was complaining about why they had "let" him ride the coaster - he had cerebral palsy.

This is a tragic story, however, if Six Flags had refused to let him on the ride because of his disability, they would have left themselves open to possible legal action for discriminating against the disabled.

[ChuckShick]

Ages ago I worked on one of the roller-coasters (as a ride-operator) at Riverside Park in Agawam (thats the name of this park before it was bought out by the Six Flags Corporation).

Thunderbolt or Wildcat?

[squidly]

The only question is whether the restraints failed or whether they were tampered with/not used/wriggled out of. In incidents such as this one, the majority of time it is the latter.

[DoctorMichael]

Wildcat!