Woman Dies After Riding Park Attraction

State authorities are investigating the death of a 42-year-old woman who suffered bleeding in the brain after riding a spinning teacup-style attraction at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, Calif.

Investigators said that the Monkey Business ride did not malfunction but that the unidentified woman’s bleeding was probably triggered by the ride’s movement. They were not aware of any health condition that would have predisposed her to such bleeding.

It was the second fatality involving a brain injury at a Six Flags theme park in California this summer, raising concerns that the link between brain injuries and thrill rides might need further study.

“In a matter of weeks, we have seen two of them,” said Dean Fryer, spokesman for the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health. “That raises the question, ‘Has this been going on and nobody’s known or tracked it?’ I don’t have an answer.”

Officials at the Northern California park emphasized that Cal/OSHA found no indication of a ride malfunction.

“This could happen sitting on a park bench or in your sleep,” said park spokesman Jeff Jouett. “I’m not accepting that this is a ride-related incident.”

On July 21, after riding the Monkey Business twice, the woman reported a headache, lightheadedness and numbness on her left side. She was treated by park emergency medical technicians and taken by ambulance to a local hospital, state and park officials said.

“The woman was alert and talking when she left the park,” Jouett said.

After treatment at a Vallejo hospital, she was transferred to Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Redwood City, where she died two days later. The state and Marine World did not learn of the woman’s death until last week.

“It’s the ride itself that would have triggered this,” Fryer said. Even if the woman had a preexisting condition that could have been set off by other situations, in this case the ride was the agent, he said.

No autopsy was performed.

In June, 28-year-old Pearl Santos of Fontana died after riding the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita. An autopsy revealed that the woman suffered from hypertension-related heart disease and had a brain aneurysm that ruptured. But the autopsy report also concluded that “the stress/strain associated with the roller coaster ride probably was a factor.”

Beverly Hills attorney Barry Novack, who represents Santos’ family and has handled brain-injury cases against Disneyland, said: “We really don’t know how many people have suffered brain injuries as a result of these rides. . . . Nobody’s doing any studies.”

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has called for further study into brain-related injuries on amusement park rides.

State investigators temporarily shut down the Monkey Business after learning of the death, but it was cleared to reopen because the ride does not appear to have any mechanical problems.