Dozens of parkgoers stranded on Six Flags ride for an hour after malfunction

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Terrified theme park visitors were left stranded in the air for more than an hour after a ride malfunctioned at the Six Flags America in Maryland.
An enjoyable day at the Bowie amusement park suddenly turned sour for 32 guests when the SteamWhirler stalled on Saturday afternoon.
The broken-down ride has four arms that can each carry eight people as they spin. It was introduced in 2024 and Six Flags America said it has a 'moderate' thrill level.
While the park told Fox News its staff is able to handle situations like this without outside assistance, one of the panicked passengers dialed 911 anyway.
Units from the Prince George's County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (PGFD) arrived at the scene at 3:25pm.
All the riders were removed from the failed attraction and one person was taken to the hospital, according to a statement from the PGFD.
The department categorized the hospitalized person's injuries as 'serious but not life threatening,' but they had nothing to do with the ride stopping.
'Yesterday afternoon, one of our rides did not complete its typical cycle and paused before returning to the ground,' a Six Flags spokesperson told Fox News.
'No guests were injured. The ride will remain closed for a thorough review to determine what caused it to stop.'
The representative noted that sometimes rides and rollercoasters stop because they have sensors that shut them down if they pick up on something wrong - even if it is something minor.
Attractions cannot run again until the issue is evaluated and cleared by employees, they explained.
'Sometimes, the ride requires a more lengthy review by trained experts. In those cases, we unload riders - as we did yesterday,' the spokesperson told the outlet.
This troubling incident comes less than three months before the Bowie Six Flags is set to close its gates for good.
The iconic theme park, which opened in 1974 as The Wildlife Preserve and underwent multiple name changes until 1999, when it was acquired by Premier Parks and became Six Flags America.
The Bowie Six Flags' accompanying water park, Hurricane Harbor, will also be shuttering.
'As part of our comprehensive review of our park portfolio, we have determined that are not a strategic fit with the company's long-term growth plan,' Six Flags President and CEO Richard Zimmerman said in a statement.
'After reviewing a number of options, we believe that marketing the property for redevelopment will generate the highest value and return on investment.'
The park is best known as the home of Wild One, a 108-year-old wooden roller coaster that is the third-oldest in the world.
The closure will leave 70 full-time employees without jobs, though the company said eligible workers will receive severance and other benefits.