A woman has filed a lawsuit against Six Flags Great America in Gurnee alleging that she was left injured after falling off the Superman ride following a malfunction.
Chicago-based law firm Trauma Lawyers filed a lawsuit in Lake County Circuit Court late last month against Great America, which does business as Six Flags Great America.
The suit was filed on behalf of plaintiff Annabella Pearce, who said she was a patron of the Gurnee amusement park on July 12, 2024.
Pearce was a passenger on the “Superman: Ultimate Flight” ride, which she said experienced a mechanical failure.
The Superman ride failed to properly enter the off-loading platform area, causing Pearce to fall off the ride, according to the complaint.
The complaint said Pearce struck her right knee when she fell, causing her to suffer injuries of a “personal and pecuniary nature.”
She required surgery, therapy and other treatments and incurred medical expenses as well as physical and emotional trauma, the complaint said.
The suit did not say how far Pearce fell or how exactly the ride’s failure to enter the off-loading area caused her to fall from her seat.
The complaint said Six Flags Great America owed Pearce and other visitors a duty to maintain the park and the attractions, including the Superman ride, in a reasonably safe condition.
Attorneys for Pearce say the theme park failed to ensure the ride was operating properly, failed to train and supervise ride attendants on the proper method of off-loading riders, failed to inspect the ride for defects, “carelessly” inspected the Superman ride and failed to discover the ride’s “unreasonably dangerous and defective condition or manner of operation” and failed to have proper protocols in place when a ride malfunctions.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages in excess of $50,000.
Neither Six Flags Great America nor the plaintiffs’ attorneys responded to a request from Lake and McHenry County Scanner for comment regarding the case, which is set for an initial court hearing on March 5.
The Superman ride is located in the Orleans Plaza area of Six Flags. The 160-second ride was introduced in 2003 and features a top speed of 52 mph with an elevation of 115 feet.
“You’ll strap in and get ready to take flight the same way SUPERMAN does: face down, head first. And begin your ascent by climbing 115 feet high, only to plunge down into a 50° angle drop. Flying at 50 mph, you’ll go headfirst into a pretzel-shaped loop, swooping you up 78 feet high before you dive back to the ground only to come right back up again,” a description of the ride from Six Flags says.
“You didn’t think flying like SUPERMAN was simple, did you? Then, with the grace of a superhuman, you’ll take on a high-speed horseshoe curve, an insane helix and, finally, a 360° inversion which will land you back where you took off. You’re a pro now—no cape necessary,” the description added.