Sure, you might act like you’re well hard, but there’s always that moment on a ride when you at least think, ‘oh s**t’, or question your life choices.
But of course, you’re never going to a theme park with a real, true worry that you might die – unless that’s your plan, and you’re on the hypothetical ‘euthanasia rollercoaster’.
And yet, this guy was faced with a real shocker when he was left scared for his life.
Shown in shocking footage, the man ended up having to jump out of a moving rollercoaster in a ‘life-saving’ moment.
Choosing to remain anonymous, the man was riding the Desert Storm at Castles N’ Coasters in Phoenix, Arizona, US, on Sunday (24 November).
The tallest, fastest and first looping roller coaster in the state, it features two vertical loops, a curved drop, and two helices, with a peak height of 90 feet and a drop of 80 feet, going at a maximum speed of 50mph.
So with all that, you’d want to be sure you’re strapped in nice and tight, right?
Well, the bloke claimed to NBC News affiliate KPNX that wasn’t quite the case.
“We start the climb and you hear the click of the normal rollercoaster,” he explained. “We get just about to the top and I hear a click different from the click of the chain taking us up and so I checked my lap bar one last time and it released.”
He got out while it was still moving. (Arizona’s Family)
Claiming he had ‘mere seconds’ to act on whether he stuck it out or got himself off, the guy decided to climb out of the ride while it was still moving.
In a slam of the ride staff, he claims his safety bar wasn’t physically checked before the ride began, and that they weren’t aware what was happening while he was up in the air.
“I think the scariest part was the negligence of their part and just the absolute carelessness that they had throughout the entire thing,” he said.
“She (the member of staff) should have been watching that car and when she saw me climbing out, she should have been able to hit an emergency release.”
In the shocking footage, the man can be seen climbing out of the moving coaster and onto the emergency stairs alongside him.
He added that he’s filed an incident report with the park.
LADbible has contacted Castles N’ Coasters for comment.
Featured Image Credit: NBC News KTVK
Topics: Theme Park, US News
Jess Battison
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Front-row footage shows terrifying reality of UK’s new ‘tallest and fastest rollercoaster’
It dethroned Blackpool’s Big One to become the tallest rollercoaster in the UK
You may be aware that the UK now has a new tallest and fastest rollercoaster, and a new video has given us a front-row seat.
If you’ve not managed to head down to Surrey yet to check out the real thing, the footage gives some idea of the white knuckle thrills riders are in for.
Set from the point-of-view of sitting in the front cart, this video lifts the lid on how daring you’d have to be to get on the UK’s tallest and fastest rollercoaster.
The record-breaking rollercoaster opened earlier this month. (YouTube/Thorpe Park)
A title that long stood with The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Thorpe Park’s latest addition has overtaken it, despite the fact that it has been shut after just a day.
The theme park were forced to close the ride ‘due to unforeseen circumstances’, with a plan to re-open it by the end of the week.
The footage highlights how extreme the ride is, showing every inch of its 995.4 metre long track, and how it will look when it reaches maximum speeds of over 80mph.
As well as all of this, it has the tallest loop in Europe, standing at 168ft (51m) high, while reaching heights up to 236ft (71m) at its peak.
In the loop, the high riders (literally) will experience 14.8 seconds of airtime, the most of any theme park ride in the country.
Sound terrifying? Just wait until you’ve seen the footage:
Fans of the ride will no doubt be excited by the footage in the clip, as it highlights just how quick and extreme it is.
For the one day it was open, there were people queueing for hours to get a taste of the new summer attraction.
Digital Spy’s Shyvonne Thomas was one of those brave enough to have a go, and it didn’t disappoint.
The rollercoaster is closed until further notice. (YouTube/Thorpe Park)
She wrote: “In what felt like the longest ascension on a ride, our cars steadily climbed towards Hyperia’s first drop and its highest peak.
“And right before that exhilarating dive, you get a split-second glimpse of the sky and Thorpe Lakes before being dropped almost vertically towards the ground and flung around 995m of track.”
She also praised one petrifying-sounding loop ‘that literally leaves you dangling upside down in the air for a good few seconds’ and a ‘a splashdown element over a lake, but you’re unlikely to get wet’.
She said it was ‘a one-of-a-kind ride that’s worth a return trip to the park’.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Thorpe Park
Topics: Theme Park, UK News
Joshua Nair
Front-seat footage of Nemesis Reborn as rollercoaster finally reopens at Alton Towers
It’s like taking a trip down memory lane, with a twist
If you were wondering why Staffordshire seemed extra busy on Saturday, you must be one of the few people who were somehow unaware that one of Alton Tower’s most iconic attractions was making an epic comeback over the weekend.
Thousands of thrill seekers flocked to the UK theme park to take a hair-raising ride on the new and improved Nemesis Reborn, as it has been given a much-needed facelift three decades after it’s original debut.
Although it may be nerve-wracking and leave your stomach doing somersaults, the nostalgia you feel while buckled into the legendary rollercoaster will soon stifle your motion sickness.
Take a look at what a front-row seat on Nemesis Reborn looks like:
Believe me when I say, it’s a white knuckle ride – I’d show you my obligatory rollercoaster picture as evidence, but the look on my face as we swung through another huge loop isn’t exactly easy viewing.
As you can see from the footage, the Nemesis we know and love in the heart of Forbidden Valley hasn’t been completely replaced, but rather given a 21st century transformation.
It’s successor simply boasts all the bells and whistles which daredevils have been desperate for – such as state-of-the-art audio visual technology, a new magnetic braking system, immersive features and Hollywood-style props.
As well as a disused helicopter, the star of the show which certainly gets your nerves going is the giant animated red eye blinking back at you as you approach the attraction.
I mean, if looks could kill.
Alton Towers
Alton Towers went all out when it came to reimagining the appearance and the concept of Nemesis Reborn while maintaining its legacy, by refreshing the age-old tale which helped draw millions of people in in the first place.
The legend goes that a shadowy organisation, dubbed The Phalanx, have been keeping the Nemesis beast under control since 1994 by pinning it underneath the 250-tonne, 716-metre-long steel track.
But as is expected with a rollercoaster refurb, this has now been replaced – and the strange creature is now out for revenge after awaking, with Alton Towers promising she is ‘angrier and more uncontrollable than ever’.
The theme park remain really committed to this bit too, even roping in actors to pose as members of the Phalanx and protestors who screamed ‘Free Nemesis!’ at the top of their lungs.
Alton Towers
But the beast hasn’t done a bad job of making a bid for freedom anyway – as the tracks are now adorned with an extraordinary mural which shows off her blood-red tentacles that she has managed to wriggle out.
Local artists Rob Fenton, Ethan Lemon and Tom Addis painstakingly painted the approximately 53 pieces which make up the lengthy track over almost a month-period to produce the world’s first rollercoaster mural.
However, most riders miss out on this incredible display while they’re whooshing through the air at speeds of 50 miles per hour while reaching a 3.5 G-force – understandably, of course.
The added effects of a smoke machine and multiple mists being sprayed in your face only add to the disorientation you feel while riding Nemesis Reborn.
Alton Towers
You’re left clinging on for dear life as you whizz around four full inversions, terrifying corkscrews and toe-curling drops.
Although it follows much of the same layout as its predecessor, the inverted rollercoaster is still full of surprises.
You ascend up the lift hill – the only piece of the original track which remains – like usual, hear that same familiar trundle of the mechanics as you climb higher and then embark on a trip down memory lane, with a twist.
The adrenalin certainly starts pumping as your flying over Alton Towers and realise you’re over 40ft in the air – as the reality really sets in that it’s a long way down.
The original Nemesis welcomed 52 million riders over it’s 28-year tenure, but I reckon Nemesis Reborn might easily trounce that number in the next three decades.
Featured Image Credit: LADbible
Topics: Theme Park, UK News, News, Originals
Olivia Burke
Multiple injuries after tree crashes down on people while on rollercoaster
The incident took place at a theme park in Spain
More than a dozen people have been injured after a tree fell onto a rollercoaster at a theme park in Spain.
Two out of the 14 people are reportedly seriously hurt following the incident, which took place on the Tomahawk ride in the PortAventura theme park on Sunday morning (11 February).
PortAventura
The injured include adults and children as the two critically injured victims were reportedly taken to Bellvitge Hospital in Barcelona and Joan XXIII Hospital in Tarragona.
A spokesperson for a regional emergency response co-ordination centre said: “Two people have been transferred critically injured to hospital.
“Three other people have also been taken to hospital although their injuries are less serious.”
PortAventura
The theme park also said in a statement: “This morning, due to high winds, an accident has occurred in which a tree came down on the Tomahawk rollercoaster.
“Some of the branches hit customers who were on the attraction.
“Our emergency protocols were activated immediately.
“We are following the evolution of those hurt and offering all necessary support to the families.”
The statement added that it was ‘completely unrelated to the operation and maintenance of our attractions, which meet the highest safety standards and are subject to rigorous daily inspections’.
“We are offering our full cooperation to authorities, and thank our team and emergency services for their efficiency and professionalism,” they said.
PortAventura says the ride is a ‘children’s roller coaster with frenetic climbs and descents that will test the bravery of all those who dare to challenge it’.
Featured Image Credit: PortAventura/captaincoaster
Topics: Theme Park, World News
Anish Vij
‘Tallest’ rollercoaster in the UK shuts one day after opening to the public
Thorpe Park announced it would be shut for a few days
The UK’s ‘tallest and fastest’ rollercoaster appears to be out of action for a little while, and it only just opened.
Once upon a time, The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach was the tallest rollercoaster in these lands.
However, it was dethroned by Thorpe Park’s Hyperia ride, which was due to open to the public on 24 May.
And it did, only it didn’t stay open for long as just yesterday (25 May) Thorpe Park took to social media to share the news that the newly opened rollercoaster would be closed for a few days.
They said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are unable to open Hyperia between Sunday 26th – Wednesday 29th May.
It opened as the tallest rollercoaster in the UK, but had to shut after just one day. (PA / Thorpe Park)
“We will update our ride availability page with the latest information regarding the opening of Hyperia beyond the 29th May.
“We apologise for the disappointment this will cause and we are working hard to reopen Hyperia as soon as possible and will keep people updated via our website and social media.”
Naturally this was quite disappointing to this weekend’s assorted thrill-seekers, and those who were hoping to make the most of Spring Bank Holiday by heading to Thorpe Park.
A number of people asked whether it could possibly be open sooner than expected, but the park said that it was going to be closed for the period they said.
The best they could do was point people towards changing their booking date so they could come when Hyperia was open once again.
Thorpe Park announced that Hyperia would be closed until at least Wednesday 29 May. (PA / Thorpe Park)
The rollercoaster track is an impressive 995.4 metres long, and maxes out at speeds over 80mph while reaches a height of 236 feet (71m) at its peak.
It can also boast the tallest loop in Europe at 168ft (51m) high and riders will experience 14.8 seconds of airtime, the most of any rollercoaster in the UK.
That all sounds mightily impressive, but since it’s currently shut Hyperia is at the moment a gargantuan mass of metal.
Then again, you’d rather a theme park decided it was better to be safe than sorry when it comes to rollercoasters, particularly when it’s the ‘tallest and fastest’ in the UK.
People want Hyperia to hurtle them through the air at speeds it would be illegal to drive at in the UK – not to have an unsafe time.
It was pretty popular on the day it actually was open, with people queueing for hours to be one of the first to ride on Hyperia.
LADbible has contacted Thorpe Park for further comment.
