Following changes, Six Flags planning to reopen coaster
AGAWAM --
The roller coaster will reopen as soon as operators are trained, possibly this weekend, said Six Flags spokeswoman Debbie Evans.
"Our guests are very anxious to have the ride reopen, but they certainly understand their safety is more important than anything else," Evans said. State officials approved the changes to the seats after a team reviewed the modifications last week, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
Routine state inspections will continue, along with regular communication with park staff, Thomas G. Gatzunis, state public safety commissioner, said in a statement.
The modifications include a belt attached to the side of the lap restraint to indicate if a rider is too large for the seat safety system, said Ron Sevart, general manager of Six Flags New England. Sevart said there are no set maximum weights or sizes because shapes vary.
Metal bars and shin restraints have also been added to the lap restraints to keep riders' legs from slipping out of position, Sevart said. He declined to say how much the changes cost, saying the company has not calculated it.
Daniel Mordarsky, whose twin brother Stanley died in the coaster accident, said he knew the ride would reopen. But he said he wanted to see more changes to the seats.
"I'm a little disappointed," he said. "I thought they might go with an electronic device that would show that the operator checked the rider."
US Representative Edward J. Markey, who has filed federal legislation to increase amusement park safety oversight, praised Six Flags for making the changes, but said federal regulation might have prevented the death of Stanley Mordarsky, 55, who was overweight and had cerebral palsy.
"Why wasn't this fixed in Massachusetts when it was first discovered to be a problem in New York and California?" Markey said. "The reason is that parks are exempt from federal oversight."
Markey was referring to a 1999 Superman Ride of Steel accident at a Six Flags park near Buffalo in which a rider sustained severe injuries, and a 2001 fatal fall from a water park ride at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif.
In Mordarsky's case, Massachusetts public safety officials found that the concentration of weight in his midsection -- he was 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 230 pounds -- was a factor in the accident. The state also found that park operators failed to notice that Mordarsky's restraint was "inadequately applied." Mordarsky should have mentioned his cerebral palsy, the probe found. He wore a larger seat belt in addition to the T-bar restaint, but it did not protect him, the report said.
Two ride operators who were working when Stanley Mordarsky fell to his death have resigned and two others were reassigned, Evans said.
New signs have been posted that say riders must have "at least two legs and both arms and sufficient body strength" so they can hold on to the top of the lap restraint, Sevart said. Anyone wearing a cast will be prohibited from riding, park officials said.
Evans said the company has tested the new safety measures using computer models and live subjects of various sizes and weights. She said she could not provide specifics about the numbers of tests or subjects, but said company engineers "have been working on it every day" since the fatal accident.
Superman roller coasters in Buffalo and Largo, Md., which also closed after the death in Agawam, will reopen later than the Massachusetts ride, Evans said.
Hampden County District Attorney William M. Bennett expects to release results of a probe of Mordarsky's death late next week, a spokesman said yesterday.
Connie Paige can be reached at cpaige@globe.com. 
