Court Ruling Prevents Darien Lake from Repairing Superman Coaster

Darien Center, NY -- A week ago Monday, a State Supreme Court granted a temporary restraining order against Six Flags Darien lake, preventing the park from making modifications to one of the trains on the Superman roller coaster.

The restraining order was issued following an accident on May 16 in which a 37-year old man fell out of the train while riding the new roller coaster.

The ruling handed down by State Supreme Court Justice Nelson Cosgrove stated that Six Flags could continue to operate one of the two trains pending a hearing scheduled for tomorrow June 4. But he ordered the park to not perform any repair work on the train that was involved in the accident.

Last month inspectors from the state, park, manufacturer and a private firm re-examined the roller coaster following the accident to try and determine the cause. The conclusion of the investigation stated that the rider was too large for the restraints and they found no mechanical failures with the trains.

As a precaution Six Flags officials announced following the investigation that they would install seat belts on the trains to prevent any chance of a reoccurrence.

During last weeks hearing Francis Letro, the attorney for the victim stated that his client had suffered various injuries including multiple rib fractures as a result of falling from the coaster.

Park officials reopened the Superman roller coaster on May 22, one week after the accident. The new coaster continues to operate with one train, pending the outcome of the hearing scheduled for tomorrow.

Related Stories:
Six Flags Darien Lake To Re-Open Roller Coaster May 20, 1999
Passenger Falls From New Roller Coaster at Six Flags Darien Lake May 18, 1999