SANDUSKY, Ohio — A ride on a 205-foot high roller coaster turned out to be a lot more heart-pounding than even the biggest roller coaster enthusiast would have liked.
Visitors to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio were evacuated from the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster when it stalled near the peak of the ride’s first hill, which stands more than 200 feet tall, WTVG reported. The ride tops out at 205 feet, and when it opened in 1989, was the world’s tallest, the Cedar Point website reported. It is one of 18 “world-class roller coasters” included in the park’s featured attractions.
It took workers about a half-hour to arrive to help the riders off the train and onto steep, metal exit stairs that were about 200 feet from the ground, WTVG reported.
The TV station’s reporters contacted officials at the park to ask what went wrong but did not immediately receive an answer. WTVG reported that a spokesperson told other news outlets that the problem resulted from a “standard ride stoppage” after a “check engine light” came on and the ride stopped moving.
Tony Cafego, a tourist from Alaska who was in the area visiting family, unlike his wife and son, is no roller coaster lover. He stayed on the ground and recorded the incident while his wife and son rode. He said in an interview with WTVG that after the ride stalled and didn’t start rolling again for about 15 minutes, he realized “this was not a glitch.”
His wife Laina Cafego told WTVG that waiting and not knowing what was going on made for many anxious moments. She said after several minutes, an automated recording came on telling riders that the ride would soon restart and to remain seated. There was a brief sense of relief when the train started rolling up the hill again, making the familiar roller-coaster clicking sound. But when it stopped again and did not make the clicking sound, Laina Cafego said anxiety soared.
“Everyone was kind of thinking the same thing,” she said. “Did it actually lock, or were we going to start going backward?”
She said the hardest part -- aside from not being able to hear what their rescuers were trying to tell them even though they were yelling at the top of their lungs-- was “trying to get out of your seat because we were at such a (steep) angle.” She said workers offered to let visitors hold on to them, but she told them she preferred to hold on to the steel railing.
“My legs are still sore from walking down those stairs,” she told the TV station.
When it opened in 1989 the roller coaster, at 205 feet, was rated the “fastest and steepest” in the world by Guinness World Records, the Cedar Point website said. The ride’s top speed is 72 mph, the website said. It ordinarily takes about three minutes to complete.
Thursday’s incident marked the second time this summer that one of the park’s roller coasters stalled out and workers had to rescue passengers.
One of Cedar Point’s new roller coasters, Wild Mouse, stopped unexpectedly last May during a preview of the ride. Passengers had to be helped off the ride by park personnel, then, as well, USA Today reported.
There were no injuries in either instance, according to reports.
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