Thrill-seekers left dangling upside down for 30 minutes on amusement park ride
One of the riders reportedly vomitted while hanging upside down
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Amusement park guests were stuck upside down on a ride at Canada's Wonderland amusement park ride for nearly half an hour, causing chest pain to some and inducing vomitting in another while they dangled above horrified bystanders.
Riders on the Lumberjack attraction at Canada’s Wonderland in Ontario were stuck upside down on Sunday, according to the park.
The company said the ride became inverted and stalled with guests onboard around 10.40pm and remained that way until 11.05pm, according to CBC Toronto.
Spencer Parkhouse, 11, and his 15-year-old sister, Mackenzie, spoke with the CBC about their experience.
When the ride first stalled, they assumed that it was part of the ride's programmed movements — a moment of hang time to increase the thrill of the experience — but soon realised something had gone wrong.
"[I was] just like feeling — when are we going to drop down? Are we ever going to drop down?" Spencer told the CBC.
The ride was his first "big ride" at the park, and may be his last for awhile, as he said the experience left him traumatised. He recalled the panic from the other riders, recounting how one even vomited while hanging upside down.
After a half an hour the ride eventually started moving again, but he and his sister were stuck on-board. The ride had to continue through its pre-programmed course before they could safely disembark, which meant the scared riders had to finish out the remainder of the flips and dips the Lumberjack had to offer.
Spencer said "the ride kept going and we're all like 'no, please, I don't want to get stuck again.'"
When the ride finally finished the passengers exited and were met by park staff who examined them for injuries, according to Mackenzie.
She said the experience left her afraid to go on the park's big rides in the future.
The park said that two riders experienced chest pains and were taken for examination at the on-site health centre, according to a statement released by Canada's Wonderland.
"Guests were unloaded safely and assessed by first aid staff before being released back into the park," the park said. "The safety of our guests is always our first priority."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments