Roller Coaster Riders Stuck Upside Down for Nearly 4 Hours

[MrDawn]

Oh my....😱

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A summer amusement turned into a serious nightmare on Sunday, after a roller coaster malfunctioned in midair, trapping eight passengers upside down for several hours.

The oscillating Fireball was just sliding down from its vertical loop at the Forest County Festival in Crandon, Wis., when it stopped unexpectedly because of a mechanical failure, according to a joint press release from the local fire department and rescue squad.

Emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene within 15 minutes but needed to request special equipment, including three ladder trucks, from nearby towns to complete the rescue. One truck with the capability of rising over 100 feet took approximately 45 minutes to arrive on the scene.

An off-duty firefighter with specialized rope rescue training happened to be at the festival at the time of the incident and advised the local crews on possible options.

"Due to the release mechanism of safety equipment on individual cars, all individuals in a car needed to be properly secured prior to release of safety equipment," the fire department said.

The complexity of the operation meant that the first of the passengers was not safely back on solid ground until 3:20 p.m. CT, roughly two hours after the ride had first gotten stuck. It took another hour and 40 minutes for all remaining passengers to be rescued.

Roller Coasters Stuck Upside Down For Nearly 4 Hours [Article]

 

[Katrina]

Those festivals that are set up quickly and then removed just as quickly are super scary!! Safety isn't always their thing. No way would I ever go back on any carnival rides again unless it was the tilt-o-whirl. That thing is amazing.

 

[MrDawn]

Those festivals that are set up quickly and then removed just as quickly are super scary!! Safety isn't always their thing. No way would I ever go back on any carnival rides again unless it was the tilt-o-whirl. That thing is amazing.

When the fair came to our town back in June, we went to see the demolition derby. My girlfriend didn't want to do any of the rides for reasons such as in the news. After seeing this, I'll probably swear it off. 4 hours of being upside down feeling the blood rush to your head has got to be very very miserable.

 

[Page]

i would've lost my entire mind. i've been on a ride like this before and i felt like i was falling out of my seat every single time we went upside down. i can't imagine feeling that for 4 hours straight. i'm glad everyone is safe.

 

[Ravenfreak]

This is one of the reasons why I never get on roller coasters anymore. I'm afraid of heights for one thing, I couldn't imaging being stuck upside down for four hours! This reminds me of the time when I went to Six Flags St. Louis in 7th grade and the Mr. Freeze ride got stuck at the top of the track where it usually comes back down backwards. We were late going back to school since there were some students stuck on the ride.

 

[Deleted member 31696]

These rides should have a safety system that allows the ride workers to bring the cars down by hand should this sort of thing ever happen even in the case of total failure. This would allow the ride to be brought to an upright position so the riders can wait comfortably for extraction. This safety system should be for all upside down rides.

So either the ride didn't have the safety system or the ride workers didn't know how to use it. Either way, all models of this ride should be pulled from operation until it is redesigned with a proper safety system in place.

Hope the people stuck upside down for so long got checked by medical professionals. Being upside down for so long could lead to a stroke, heart attack, and many more medical issues.