A woman who died after a ride on an Indiana roller coaster was killed by a torn artery, internal bleeding and the normal force of the ride, reports said.
Dawn Jankovic, a 47-year-old Ohio resident, was found unresponsive on a coaster at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus on June 4 and later died in the hospital – with no clear signs of what happened to her.
But a newly released autopsy listed three causes of death: a tear in the internal thoracic artery on the outside rear of the ribcage, internal bleeding – and the roller coaster itself, The Indianapolis Star reported.
“It had nothing to do with the ride itself, but it basically was just the force,” Dubois County Coroner Katie Schuck said, according to the Star.
“It was just a reaction her body had from riding the ride … It had nothing to do with a malfunction or anything, as far as safety and that type of thing.”
Jankovic was described by her family as a coaster enthusiast. She had taken previous rides on the Voyager, the wooden coaster where she mysteriously lost consciousness in June while seated next to her 17-year-old son.
“She was a loving mom and she loved to do stuff,” son Gunnar Merker told Fox 8 in the aftermath of her death. “She loved going to different places – parks and all that.”
“She was fine the whole entire day.”
An email from The Post to a representative of the amusement park wasn’t returned on Wednesday night, but a spokeswoman for the park told the Star that staff and customers’ wellbeing remains a priority.
The coaster was inspected after Jankovic’s death and found to be in proper working order.
“The park’s ride and attractions have delivered hundreds of millions of thrilling experiences through the years and our vigilance in taking care of our guests, as well as our team members can be counted on in everything we do,” spokeswoman Sabrina Jones told the Star.