By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-19 19:36:46 | Updated at 2024-11-23 16:33:23
3 days ago
Terrified riders trapped on a rollercoaster at a California theme park have shared their traumatizing experience of being stuck mid-air for three hours.
The Sol Spin ride at Knott's Berry Farm was brought to a screeching halt at around 2pm on Monday, with thrill seekers being left to dangle until they were evacuated at 4:30pm.
After they were rescued, riders were seen stretching their backs and limbs after being stuck in uncomfortable positions for hours.
Some were hunched over and struggled to walk, others were placed in to wheelchairs after they exited the ride.
A total of 22 people were stuck in mid-air. While some were left on their side, no one was left upside down.
Two female riders were taken to hospital 'out of an abundance of caution', a spokesperson told the LA Times.
Three teens, two brothers and their cousin, were visiting the park for a birthday celebration were among those trapped on the ride.
'It spun two times around and then when we hit the top, it stopped,' Yandel Espinoza, 14, told KABC.
The Sol Spin ride at Knott's Berry Farm was brought to a screeching halt at around 2pm on Monday, with thrill seekers being left to dangle
After they were rescued, riders were seen stretching their backs and limbs after being stuck in uncomfortable positions for hours
Three teens, two brothers and their cousin (pictured), were visiting the park for a birthday celebration were among those trapped on the ride
'Then it shut down and we got stuck up there and we started panicking. We felt like we were gonna die.'
Espinoza's 13-year-old cousin, Jaedyn Cannon, said: 'We were in a weird position. We were like, sideways.'
Cannon's mother told the local news station that Knott's Berry Farm offered them free passes to make up for the incident but that they turned them down.
'I feel like workers should've let us know like "hey, I would go check and see if you have any extra kids to make sure they are safe," and they didn't do none of that,' Monique Cannon said.
Footage showed technical crew from the 102-year-old theme park being lifted in cranes to repair the broken ride at around 3:30pm.
The Sol Spin ride is made up of six swinging arms that go as high as six storys, and rotate 360 degrees.
According to local media, it opened in 2017 and was made by the Dutch company Mondial Rides.
In June the California attraction warned that anyone caught cutting queues or holding spots in line would be ejected from the facility.
'Your entire party must be together when entering the line,' a notice posted at the park reads. 'If you must leave the line, please inform an associate of your intent to return to your group.'
Some were hunched over and struggled to walk, others were placed in to wheelchairs after they exited the ride
A total of 22 people were stuck in mid-air. While some were left on their side, no one was left upside down
Footage showed technical crew from the 102-year-old theme park being lifted in cranes to repair the broken ride at around 3:30pm
Anyone who notices a line jumping 'violation' is encouraged to text 'detailed information' to the Knott's Berry Farm Security team.
The measure is designed to curtail unfair behavior at the Buena Park attraction, which can often exacerbate lengthy wait times.
In May teens posted a viral video providing a step-by-step tutorial on how to sneak into the popular California theme park.
Two teens filmed themselves scaling a wall at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Vista and strolling into the park. The clip was uploaded to video-sharing platform TikTok and has since racked up more than 1 million views.
In a statement a representative said the theme park was aware of the incident and was actively working with police to bring the trespassers to justice.
