A couple who heard a “blood curdling scream” from a little girl sitting behind them on a roller coaster leapt into action mid ride to save her after realising her seatbelt had come undone
A couple were enjoying an adrenaline-induced scare on one of their favourite rides when they heard chilling screams from behind them.
Realising that they weren’t screams of exhilaration, but screams of impending death, the pair swung into action to save the little girl whose seatbelt had ripped open. A picture that was snapped from the ride shows the horrific moment in full detail and has been widely shared on social media.
Chris and Cassie Evins were enjoying what they believed was going to be a fun-filled trip out at the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri on October 11 when their day took a very different turn.
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The married couple, who are parents to four children, had reached the first hill on the Mamba roller coaster, which can reach speeds of 75mph and heights of 205ft, when they realised someone behind them was in serious trouble.
“We get on the roller coaster and the very first hill, the girl sitting behind my wife just lets out this blood-curdling scream like I’ve never heard before,” Chris told local news outlet KCTV5. At first he just thought it could have been her first time on a roller coaster but it very soon became apparent that she was panicking and shouting that her seatbelt had come undone.
A shot taken from the ride for people to buy when they get off shows Chris and his wife Cassie reaching behind them and trying to hold the girl down while flying around the track. “I had looped my arm underneath her lap bar, which had a pretty big gap between her and the lap bar,” Chris revealed. “So at this point, I’m seeing a huge space, no seatbelt. I looped my arm underneath the lap bar, and I grabbed ahold of her wrist. My wife was pushing down on her legs.”
They had ridden the coaster many times before so anticipated when the biggest movements were coming. “As we crested each hill or as we started to go up to the top, I recognised that it was going to lift her out of her seat,” Chris continued. “So I kind of shifted our positions to, instead of hold her, to push down on her whole body to keep her from coming out of the seat while we’re going over those hills.”
The park has confirmed that a second restraint was in place during the ride. It also said the ride was shut down immediately after the incident and inspected thoroughly. A spokesperson said: “The ride has undergone a comprehensive safety review and we have implemented modifications requested by the Fire Marshall to ensure it meets or exceeds all applicable safety standards before it reopens to guests this evening.”
On November 4 they also told UNILAD that the seatbelts are not the only restraint. “The ride is equipped with a multi-layered restraint system, with lap bars being the primary restraint. The seat belts serve as a secondary restraint. Throughout multiple inspections, there was no evidence of restraint failure in the lap bar system or the buckles on any seat belts during any of the ride inspections and the ride has operated safely since the initial concern was raised.”
They added: “On Thursday, the ride underwent a comprehensive safety review by the Fire Marshall. Again, the lap bars and buckles were found fully functional, and we implemented slight modifications to a number of seat belts to ensure they met or exceeded all applicable safety standards before the ride opened to guests that evening.”
