If anything could turn a die-hard roller coaster rider off the idea of any more trips looping crazily and careening joyfully through the air, it would likely be sitting in a non-moving train car 150 feet up in the air for almost two hours. That’s what happened to a dozen riders the new Superman ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, Calif. yesterday afternoon. It could be worse, right? At least it wasn’t upside down.

The Vallejo-Times Herald says the riders were eventually saved by firefighters from the stalled car about two hours after it slowed to a halt at the crest of the ride, just before a twist in the first tower. A theme park crane pulled up with a big bucket carrying firefighters and a park mechanic in charge. The passengers had apparently even tried to shake the ride loose to encourage it to go on its way, which didn’t work.

The mechanic was able to restart the ride and it went backward, delivering the passengers safely to the ground. No one was hurt, but it’s unclear just what caused the ride to take a nap. A spokeswoman for the park said the ride will reopen after a “thorough safety inspection.”

“If (a ride) stops, it usually detects something and it stops for safety reasons,” she said, adding that she didn’t know if the park will offer compensation to the stranded riders.

The ride just opened on June 30, and boasts speeds up to 62 mph. Now however, it could see less riders than the park had hoped.

Riders rescued from Six Flags’ Superman roller coaster in Vallejo [Vallejo Times-Herald]

 

 

 

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