Horror as thrill-seekers are stuck upside down for THREE HOURS on broken Fire Ball rollercoaster in Wisconsin when it suddenly stopped mid ride
- Eight rollercoaster riders were left hanging upside down for three hours Sunday
- The terrifying ordeal occurred at the Forest County Festival in Wisconsin
A Wisconsin rollercoaster packed with children was left perilously hanging upside down when it malfunctioned for over three hours.
Striking footage saw a large emergency response descend on the Forest County Festival in Crandon, Wisconsin after the ride broke down Sunday.
Eight people in total were left dangling due to the malfunction, seven of whom were children, reports WSAW.
‘They did all very well,’ said firefighter EMT Erica Kostichka. ‘Obviously, they were scared. They had been upside down for quite some time.’
Eight passengers were left stranded for hours on the Fire Ball rollercoaster
All eight passengers were thankfully saved from the ‘Fire Ball’ coaster several hours after it initially broke down.
The Crandon Fire Department says it was called to the theme park at 2:06pm after reports of a ‘tipped over carnival ride’.
The service rushed to the scene with an aerial tower apparatus, and a ladder truck with a platform.
‘A rescue mission is not something that’s quick,’ Kostichka added. ‘Life safety is number one.’
All eight passengers were safely taken down from the coaster, and officials are working to establish the cause of the malfunction.
No injuries were reported, but all eight riders were taken to hospital for evaluation, according to local reports.
The Antigo Fire Department rescued the thrill seekers after racing to the scene Sunday
A large emergency response was seen at the festival soon after, but there were no reports of injuries
‘All we know that there is a mechanical failure with the ride where it became stuck in the upright position,’ Capt. Brennan Cook of the Crandon Fire Department told WJFW-TV.
‘The ride was recently inspected by the state of Wisconsin here on site and at this time, we do not have any other information.’
According to Scott Brass, an attendee who posted about the incident on Facebook, one little girl stuck on the ride ‘told the firemen to go rescue an older man first because he was struggling.’
‘That little girl deserves a medal for courage for sure,’ he said, adding: ‘Glad no one was hurt and everyone is able to go home to their families tonight.’
Brass also urged the local fire department to invest in a new bucket truck, feeling that ‘things could have been tragic waiting for other depts with the proper equipment to get here’.
It comes days after a North Carolina amusement park was forced to close down one of its rollercoasters after a massive crack was spotted on a support beam.
