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Several injured after wooden roller coaster malfunctions at Six Flags Great Adventure

The ride has now been closed for inspection, a park official said.

Several people were injured after riding a roller coaster at the Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park in Jackson, New Jersey.

A Six Flags spokesperson told NBC News that “several guests reported back pain” after riding the El Toro wooden roller coaster Thursday evening. 

“Five guests were taken to a local medical facility for evaluation. The ride is closed for inspection,” the spokesperson said.

The reported malfunction happened as the ride was coming to an end, park officials said. 

The El Toro coaster, which opened in 2006, is nearly 19 stories tall and has an initial drop of 176 feet, according to the Six Flags Great Adventure website. The ride also has the steepest drop of any wooden coaster in the United States, at 76 degrees.

The El Toro wooden roller coaster, seen here in 2012.
The El Toro wooden roller coaster, seen here in 2012.John Greim / Getty Images

The El Toro roller coaster was temporarily shut down in June 2021 after a partial derailment, according to NJ Advance Media. No one was hurt in that incident, a Six Flags spokesperson told the publication at the time, and the ride reopened earlier this year.

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While there are no fatal injuries tied to the recent Six Flags Great Adventure incident, amusement park accidents can be deadly. 

In March, a 14-year-old boy died after falling off the Orlando Free Fall ride at Icon Park in Orlando, Florida.

In that case, the ride’s operator made adjustments to sensors on the teen’s seat that left him “not properly secured,” according to a report from an independent engineering firm hired by Florida state officials.