22 People Rescued From Arizona Roller Coaster After Malfunction
Written by SOURCE on May 16, 2021
After a roller coaster stopped horizontally and mid-ride in Arizona with 22 people on board—ultimately leaving them stranded—rescue crews helped them down with ladders Saturday.
The Phoenix Fire Department said the incident took place at Castles N’ Coasters in Phoenix and responded to it at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, when the ride was stalled roughly 20 feet above the ground with the passengers on board. A statement obtained by Fox 10 Arizona read that firefighters set up a “High Angle Belay System” to lower each rider down and that “every person was fitted with a ‘Pick-off Harness’ and ‘Cinch Collar.’” No injuries were reported as rescue crews with Phoenix Fire and Glendale Fire eventually helped bring the passengers down, one-by-one, on a 30-foot ladder.
“There were a lot of kids on there that were really terrified,” passenger Christopher Almarez told Fox 10. “There was actually one kid that I was trying to hold onto because she was so small. She couldn’t hold herself up.”
While there hasn’t yet been an explanation as to why the Desert Storm roller coaster stalled, FOX 10 Phoenix reports that the people were stuck on the ride for two hours.
“They had to unlock the thing to hold us on. They had to unlock it, but they were holding us and helping us get on the ladder to get back down,” Almarez added.
