12 July 2023 , 16:07
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Mass panic broke out at a Georgia amusement park a couple of weeks ago after a rollercoaster stalled mid-ride, stranding terrified passengers for several minutes.
Boomerang rolled along the track on July 3, carrying eager passengers waiting to have the thrill ride of their lives.
The coaster, which is located at Georgia's Wild Adventures theme park, has been deemed a "guest favorite" by the park, according to its website.
Riders are sent backwards up a steep incline, then the train is released and falls into a "Cobra Roll" or "Boomerang" element, hence the name of the ride. Then, it goes through a vertical loop and goes up another hill, the website advertises.
Several passengers suffered panic attacks after learning they were stuck (Getty Images/EyeEm)Once the loop is complete, passengers travel it again in reverse.
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But that's not what happened that Monday. Instead, passengers got through a part of the course, then the coaster started rolling backwards unprompted before stalling for several minutes.
Several passengers started to experience panic attacks — many didn't even know the ride was stuck until friends and family down below told them what was happening.
"I was hearing noises, and I thought it was gonna go down, but when my cousin told me it was stuck, I had a panic attack,” Rishon Phillips, a rider on the Boomerang, told WALB.
Boomerang is described as a "guest favorite" ride by Wild Adventures (CoasterForce/Youtube)A spokesperson for the park said they meet ASTM F24 inspection practice standards and follow the coaster manufacturer's inspection requirements.
"This practice includes daily inspections of ride components before the park opens," the spokesperson told WALB. "Wild Adventures conducts additional supplementary inspections based on each ride's manufacturer requirements and internal operational standards."
Several young children were on the ride, and adults had to yell to try and calm them while the situation was handled.
One kid, Kennedi Johnson, told WALB that she and others were crying throughout the ordeal.
"People were telling us that we could come down, but we didn't come down and we were so scared," she said.
Several young children were on the ride when it stalled and cried throughout the ordeal (CoasterForce/Youtube)Another rider, Akemia Anderson, said she was frustrated with the way the employees handled the situation.
"Once we got back down, the people who started the ride - they were laughing like if it was funny," she told WALB.
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As if the horror of getting stuck wasn't enough, she said the operators made the passengers finish out the ride before they were let off.
"Instead of them letting them get off the ride while it was stuck, they made us finish the ride out knowing that everybody was scared," she said. "So it was kind of shaky for everybody that was on the ride."
Following the incident, the park provided medics to check out the passengers.
Many left the park after being assessed.
The coaster continued to operate throughout the rest of the evening after being inspected.