Roller Coasters of Death by U.S. Consumer Product Safet...

Six Flags said in a statement that safety is paramount. The exact cause remains unknown, but authorities say there was no sign of “ foul play or criminality.” I think this is partly why so many are shocked and saddened by the death of Rosy Esparza, who fell, according to a witness who spoke with CNN affiliate WFAA, from the Texas Giant roller coaster at Six Flags in Arlington, Texas. There’s something about a roller coaster death that is uniquely terrifying in a screenplay kind of way. I get that this seems paranoid, and I knew reading this information while waiting in line for a roller coaster was an unnecessary form of self-torture. Pecking through roller coaster news on my phone that day, before the death in Texas had been reported, I learned, among other things, that it was reported that a 45-year-old died after passing out and having an apparent heart attack on Goliath, the ride that made my eye briefly malfunction. This was Friday in Georgia, the same day a woman died after falling from her seat on a Six Flags coaster in Texas.

I spent much of my time in line for the next ride of the day, the Batman roller coaster, reading about the potential for roller coaster deaths and accidents. Many find the ride thrilling for me it was unnerving. The towering roller coaster pressed my fellow riders and me deep into our seats as we rounded a set of sharp curves. It was somewhere in the middle of Six Flags’ Goliath roller coaster that my eye started to short-circuit, nearly going black.

Roller Coasters of Death by U.S. Consumer Product Safet...