Busch Gardens coasters open after Georgia fall

First at six, the spotlight is on amusement parks across the country after the horrifying death of a man at Six Flags over Georgia. He died yesterday after being thrown from a high-speed roller coaster and striking other patrons as he fell. That has led to the closure of several rides across the country out of precaution. Our Fox 13's Erin Mesmer is live at Busch Gardens in Tampa this evening. Erin, it's important to note that Busch Gardens is not involved in this situation, But have they made any comments relating to this incident? Yeah, and Allie, let's start with that manufacturer of the ride there where this happened. They also designed three roller coasters here at Busch Gardens in Tampa. All three of those coasters are in operation today. And we're told by folks here, by a spokesperson here at Busch Gardens, that they are inspected regularly to make sure that they're safe for people going on them. Now, this might be at the top of mind for theme park lovers lovers here in Tampa and across the country today. That's because a 42-year-old man was ejected from the Goliath hypercoaster at Six Flags over Georgia on Monday. He fell to his death, unfortunately. Six Flags responded by closing nine additional similar high-speed roller coasters in California, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, and Canada. We're told SeaWorld in Orlando closed down one of their rides temporarily out of abundance of caution. According to Roller Coaster Database, the Montu, Sheikra, and Phoenix Rising at Busch Gardens were all created by the same company that built the Goliath. Again, those rides are in operation today. Meanwhile, we spoke with Matthew Miller, a roller coaster expert at Innovative Studios in Orlando about this incident. He says these rides are usually very safe. This is your top of the line, very expensive coaster. When you get one of these in your park, it is fantastic. Now, when you purchase that, the manufacturer will send notes of things that you need to do every day. So these trains are actually checked every day. They will cycle them across the track to make sure things are running smoothly. When it comes to a coaster like Goliath, this coaster was not going upside down. It was a hyper coaster, meaning that 200 feet tall, 70 miles an hour. The purpose of this coaster is to get you to float out of your seat. That's what they want you to do. You want to get that sensation. Now, obviously you're in a bucket style seat. The lap more is pressing you in a way you get that sensation, but you know, you should be safe while you're on the ride. And Miller says the seats on these rides are inspected constantly to make sure they won't open during the rides and that they should be safe. Other riders were also hurt during the incident at Six Flags over Georgia. Investigators in Cobb County say the man was on the ride with his son while his wife and daughter watched from the ground. And Miller says as sad and unfortunate as this incident is, he would not hesitate to get back on whether it's the Goliath, or another one of the rides created by this exact same manufacturer. But, yes, he is interested to hear what happens with this investigation. Allie. All right, Aaron Mesmer live for us tonight, Aaron. Thanks.