Rollercoaster Rescue
8 Students Saved by Firefighters, on Video
Published
Eight students experienced a rollercoaster of emotions Thursday evening when their field trip nearly ended in disaster … resulting in a daring rescue mission by first responders.
Check out the scene from Pleasure Pier in Galveston, Texas … where firefighters went up in a fire engine’s basket to wrench the eight individuals from the ride.
The two first responders busy themselves as the students sit and wait … the only thing the trapped patrons could do for numerous hours.
The octet became trapped on the ride just around 5:20 PM local time … and the last person wasn’t successfully removed from the ride until 9 PM — a harrowing experience which reportedly left the eight, “shaken up, visually,” according to Galveston Fire Department Chief Mike Varela Jr.
7:20pm Bit of an ongoing situation here in Galveston. Roller coaster stuck on Pleasure Pier. Ladder truck assisting. @TxStormChasers pic.twitter.com/FdGE5qk41S
@davis_wx
All eight of the rescued rollercoaster riders were checked for dehydration, and it was determined they were all in good shape — or as good as one can be after sitting close to 100 feet in the air all afternoon.
The eight riders rescued from the coaster were on a field trip organized by Energized for STEM Academy Middle School and STEM Academy High School.
As for what happened … a rep for Landry’s Inc. — the company that owns Pleasure Pier — said the ride malfunctioned and shut down as it’s intended to do in such a situation.
Glad to see everyone’s alright … though these folks may not be looking to ride another coaster anytime soon.
