Six Flags Guest Sues Park After Allegedly Falling from 'Superman' Coaster Where Guests Ride Face Down, Head First
- - Six Flags Guest Sues Park After Allegedly Falling from 'Superman' Coaster Where Guests Ride Face Down, Head First
Colson ThayerJanuary 14, 2026 at 6:11 AM
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Six Flags Great America
A woman is suing Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Ill., claiming she suffered injuries after falling off a roller coaster
According to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Annabella Pearce rode the Superman: Ultimate Flight attraction on July 12, 2024
Pearce claims she struck her right knee, requiring “surgery, therapy and other treatments”
A Six Flags guest is suing the park claiming she suffered physical injuries after falling off the Superman roller coaster.
According to a Dec. 31 complaint obtained by PEOPLE and filed in the Lake County, Ill., Circuit Court, a woman named Annabella Pearce visited the Six Flags Great America amusement park in Gurnee on July 12, 2024. During her visit, Pearce claims to have ridden the Superman: Ultimate Flight attraction.
The Superman ride positions guests “face down, head first,” in the ride vehicle, per the park’s website. Reaching speeds of up to 52 mph, the ride climbs 115 feet in the air and sends visitors down a 50 degree angle drop. The ride, manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, was first introduced to the park in 2003.
Tim Boyle/Getty
The entrance to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Ill.
During Pearce’s visit, her complaint alleges, the ride “failed to properly enter the off-loading platform area causing [Pearce] to fall off the ride.” However, no further details about how far she fell were included in the complaint.
Pearce claims amid her fall, she struck her right knee, which later required “surgery, therapy and other treatments.” As a result, Pearce alleges she suffered “physical and emotional trauma, pain and suffering, disability, loss of a normal life and lost wages.”
TANNEN MAURY/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Ill.
The lawsuit names Great America, LLC, which does business as Six Flags Great America, as the defendant. The park is accused of one count of negligence and one count of Res Ipsa Loquitor — an inference of negligence.
Pearce is seeking damages in a sum in excess of $50,000 as well as court costs and other relief to be determined at trial.
According to court records, an initial hearing is scheduled for March 5.
Neither Pearce’s attorneys, Trauma Lawyers in Chicago, nor Six Flags Great America immediately responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
In 2017, the Superman attraction was shut down after 50-year-old Scott Barnes collapsed after exiting the ride and later died at the hospital, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Six Flags
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According to Lake County coroner Howard Cooper, Barnes wasn’t feeling well after the ride and collapsed on the walkway. He added that Barnes died of a “natural death” and no autopsy would be completed as Barnes’ physician signed the death certificate at the hospital.
The ride was later cleared by the state to reopen, per the Tribune.
on People
Source: “AOL Breaking”
