iStockphoto
Last week, an amusement park in North Carolina was forced to shut down one of its most popular attractions due to a disturbingly large crack that formed in a support beam on a roller coaster that was thankfully able to withstand the defect before being temporarily decommissioned.
It’s nice to know your chances of dying on a roller coaster are fairly low, although I can only assume anyone who came across that story will do a little bit of reconnaissance before they decide to hop aboard one in the future.
That’s especially true when it comes to the smaller temporary attractions that are routinely erected to provide some entertainment options to people at country fairs, as I feel like I’m far from the only person who’s inherently skeptical of the structural integrity of the rides that tend to radiate an aura of extreme sketchiness.
That feeling has only been cemented by what unfolded at the Forest County Fair in Crandon, Wisconsin earlier this week, as NBC15 reports eight people had their trip to the gathering tarnished thanks to what unfolded after they hopped aboard a roller coaster dubbed the “Fireball.”
According to the outlet, those riders found themselves thrust into a bit of a nightmare on Sunday afternoon after a “mechanical failure” caused the cars they were riding in to get stuck upside-down on the top of a loop where some of them were stuck for at least three hours before rescuers were able to successfully traverse the structure and bring them down to safety.
Multiple people captured videos of the ordeal as it unfolded, with WAOW noting part of the reason the unfortunate roller coaster riders were stranded for so long was that the town that hosted the fair needed to borrow a fire truck equipped with a ladder from a nearby department.
Shocking Video shows people stuck upside on the Fireball ride in Crandon, WI. According to Scott Brass who took the video at the Forest County Festival, people where handing upside down for hours. Scott said, everyone was able to get down safe. pic.twitter.com/KpNDWfH3Ac
— Adriana Mendez (@AdrianaMendez) July 3, 2023
Specialized rescue teams had to save roller coaster riders after an unspecified mechanical failure on the Fireball ride at the Forest County Festival in Crandon, Wis. pic.twitter.com/oVR3EQlrVt
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 5, 2023
Following the successful rescue, officials issued a press release where they said one passenger was sent to a local hospital to receive treatment, although it doesn’t appear there were any serious injuries (aside from the potential psychological trauma that could accompany an ordeal like that).