Credit: Stephenk1977 via FlickrRecently, a record-breaking Australian roller coaster made headlines after a rider’s clothing became stuck in one of the wheels, trapping guests at the highest point of the thrill ride.
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When people think of roller coasters, it’s hard not to focus on North America, since it is home to some of the most well-known coasters in the world, like Kingda Ka in New Jersey, the upcoming Top Thrill 2 at Cedar Point, and the wooden roller coaster Ghostrider at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Still, there are plenty of amusement parks with iconic roller coasters outside the United States, like Alton Towers in the United Kingdom, Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, and Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Queensland in Australia.
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Run by Village Roadshow Theme Parks, Warner Bros. Movie World is considered one of the best theme parks in Australia. It’s home to nearly every Warner Bros. character and plenty of attractions for all ages, including the Wild West Falls Adventure Ride log flume, the Superman Escape steel coaster, and shows like Hollywood Stunt Driver 2 and the Streets Star Parade.
The most iconic attraction at the park is easily DC Rivals HyperCoaster. Themed around DC Comics’ Justice League, DC Rivals is recognized as the “tallest, longest, and fastest ride in the Southern Hemisphere.” However, the beloved thrill ride recently suffered a terrifying incident, leading to a train filled with guests stranded on its highest point.
Guests Stranded on Record-Breaking Roller Coaster After Clothing Gets Caught in Wheels
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On January 5, Warner Bros. Movie World guests were trapped at the top of DC Rivals HyperCoaster when a loose scarf became wrapped up in one of the train’s wheels. While this is easily a nightmare for any guest or amusement park, Movie World was commended for how they handled the situation.
The theme park leaped into action immediately, guiding every rider down from the top of the over 200-foot lift hill in about three hours. All of this news was broken by Movie World itself, which kept the public informed on its social media pages, providing video footage of the rescue and releasing a statement on Instagram as soon as it happened.
@movieworldaus ‼️Breaking News from Warner Bros. Movie World. ‼️ Head onsite with the team for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at today’s ride stoppage. #facts #therealstory #fyp #foryou #goldcoast #fakenews
Warner Bros. Movie World’s official statement read:
Our highly-trained ride operators identified a loose item (scarf) that had become entangled around the train wheel of the DC Rivals HyperCoaster and used their ride control system to safely stop the ride on the lift hill as a precaution.
The ride operator and the ride’s safety systems have done what they are trained and designed to do, and all the guests on-board are safe with the ride vehicle stopped in a designated zone.
Our team are in the process of exiting these guests down the lift hill which is a process we regularly train for and simply requires the guests to walk down the stairs to the load station. Due to the height of the lift hill, we will provide a harness for the guests.
The safety and wellbeing of our guests is our highest priority and the ride will be operational following the completion of the removal of the loose item.
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Movie World ended the statement with empathy for the other guests at the park, saying, “We understand ride stoppages can be frustrating for guests, and it is for reasons such as these that loose items are not permitted to be taken on-board rides and attractions and we encourage guests to follow all instructions of our operators.”
Fans of the Gold Coast theme park online were massively supportive of the crew working on the ride for their efficiency in helping everyone remain safe who was on the ride, while also lamenting the person who had brought the scarf. It serves as a reminder that the rules for these more extreme thrill rides are there for a reason.
What was your scariest roller coaster experience? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!