Girl Collapses, Dies After Riding Six Flags Coaster

A 10-year-old California girl died on Saturday, a day after losing consciousness while at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Jasmine Martinez rode the Revolution roller coaster, exited the ride, and then collapsed near the ride station Friday afternoon. She was airlifted out of the park and ultimately brought to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, per the LA Times. A cause of death has not yet been established, and "we do not know if there was a pre-existing condition," the park said in a statement. NBC Los Angeles reports that the steel coaster, which features a vertical loop and hits speeds of 55mph, was temporarily shut down after Jasmine collapsed; it reopened only to be closed again upon her death as the park investigates.

"There is no evidence to suggest that this was in any way ride related," Six Flags notes. Further, more than 45 million people have "safely ridden" Revolution since 1976, per the park. How dangerous are amusement park rides? The Times cited its own analysis of more than 2,000 reported injuries at Southern California theme parks between 2007 and 2012. It found that 18% of the injuries involved symptoms of motion sickness: nausea, fainting, and dizziness. Injured patrons were most likely to be female, with roller coasters and water slides being the most common culprits. Older attractions also caused more problems than newer rides. (More roller coasters stories.)