Yesterday afternoon, we experienced a rollecoaster of emotions, but mostly terror, when the Green Lantern ride at the Gold Coast’s Movie World malfunctioned, stranding 13 passengers in the air.
Seven people were freed soon after their cart was stopped by the coaster’s safety system; a further six, stranded in a cart whose wheel had dislodged, had to wait three hours before fire crews could get them to safety.
The six people in the second carriage were taken to Gold Coat Univerity Hospital as a precaution, but all were in stable condition, and there are no reports of any injuries.
While it’s debatable as to whether that experience was better or worse than actually watching the Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern, it’s still not what you want out of a theme park visit on a lazy Sunday.
Per reports in ABC News, Movie World’s higher ups are now in damage control mode, and have promised that the causes of the incident will be uncovered.
General Manager Greg Yong says all rides are checked twice a day, by engineers and staff, and that there will be a “thorough investigation”, involving the ride’s manufacturer and Workplace Health And Safety.
While owners refuse to speculate on the causes of yesterday’s incident, a park visitor who uploaded a photo to Instagram said that a wheel appeared to snap off the carriage in question as it rounded a bend:
Movie World will be open as normal today, with the obvious exception of the Green Lantern ride. Who’s feeling keen to strap in for some hair-raising rides, guys? Don’t all raise your hands at once.
