Dramatic moment four teen girls are rescued from California amusement park rollercoaster after it malfunctioned – leaving them stranded 65ft in the air
- A rollercoaster at a California theme park stopped while in service, leaving four young girls trapped 65 feet in the air
- The girls, who have not been identified but are all teenagers, were uninjured after being rescued by the Sacramento Metro Fire Department on Monday
- The incident took place at around 6:46p.m. at the Scandia Fun Center in North Highlands, about 10 miles outside of Sacramento
- The girls were riding a yellow roller coaster at the park when all of a sudden, it just stopped and after technicians were unable to free the car
- General Manager Brian Nichols had spent much of the afternoon inspecting the coaster, having noticed it was running a little slowly due to cool weather
Four young girls were rescued from a rollercoaster at a California theme park after the ride malfunctioned, leaving them trapped 65 feet in the air.
The teenagers were uninjured after being rescued by the Sacramento Metro Fire Department on Monday.
The dramatic incident took place at around 6:46p.m. at the Scandia Fun Center in North Highlands, about 10 miles outside of Sacramento.
The girls were riding a yellow roller coaster at the park when all of a sudden it stopped and after technicians were unable to free the car electronically or manually.
General Manager Brian Nichols had spent much of the afternoon inspecting the ride, having noticed it was running a little slowly due to cool weather.
A roller coaster at a California theme park stopped while in service, leaving four young girls trapped 65 feet in the air
The girls, who have not been identified but are all teenagers, were uninjured after being rescued by the Sacramento Metro Fire Department on Monday
The incident took place at around 6:46p.m. at the Scandia Fun Center in North Highlands, about 10 miles outside of Sacramento
The girls were riding a yellow roller coaster at the park when all of a sudden, it just stopped and after technicians were unable to free the car electronically and manually
General Manager Brian Nichols had spent much of the afternoon inspecting the coaster, having noticed it was running a little slowly due to cool weather
Nichols, who said that he’s ‘the one that put it together, so I know it best,’ noted that when the ride got to a section of track that has a designed brake to slow it down, it slowed down this ride too much, leaving the girls in a complete stop.
The ride was last inspected by the state in April, with no major issues detected, according to KCRA.
Each of the rides at the fun center are all required to have a pre-announced inspection once a year during business hours.
The theme park was open again on Tuesday, however the rollercoaster had been shut down for the time being.
Nichols said: ‘This particular incident doesn’t happen very often. I think the last time it happened was about four years ago, and we were able to address it within about a half hour. One of us was on-site. I happened to not be on site last night.’
The teens luckily had a cell phone and called 911, with the authorities getting there before Nichols did.
The girls were given free treats, ride tickets and tickets to return to the park at a later date.
Nichols spent Tuesday on the tracks of the coaster to perform maintenance and get a better determination of what happened.
He also realigned the cars, which he says is necessary and if not done, can cause stoppages.
Nichols was certain that there is no safety concern between his own inspection’s and the state’s.
Nichols, who said that he’s ‘the one that put it together, so I know it best,’ noted that when the coaster got to a section of track that has a designed brake to slow it down, it slowed down this ride too much, leaving the girls in a complete stop
The ride was last inspected by the state in April, with no major issues detected
Each of the rides at the fun center are all required to have a pre-announced inspection once a year during business hours
The theme park was open again on Tuesday, however the coaster had been shut down for the time being
Nichols said: ‘This particular incident doesn’t happen very often. I think the last time it happened was about four years ago, and we were able to address it within about a half hour. One of us was on-site. I happened to not be on site last night’