US: Rollercoaster ride turns into ordeal, riders left hanging upside for about 45 mins

A rollercoaster ride at Carowinds amusement park in North Carolina, US got scary, when the coaster suddenly stopped. As the riders were expecting fun, the event turned out to be fearful. The coaster stopped due to a glitch that continued for nearly 45 minutes, leaving riders hanging upside down. 

The riders expressed that this all took place when they were riding on the 'Flying Cobra' coaster. Brandon Allen told that it was his very first experience at a theme park on a rollercoaster but, unfortunately the ride got stuck. “I personally watched my tears fall from the sky. It was frightening,” Allen told FOX 59 while explaining the incident.

Brandon while narrating the ordeal told, “We go to the very top where they’re backing you up, and he was doing a countdown. He goes, ‘We’re sorry, we’re having some technical difficulties,’ and we thought he was joking because of the surprise element or something.” He said that the minutes of being stuck felt like hours. Allen told FOX 59 that they were told that the ride will be fixed anywhere between 35 to 45 minutes. “Which may not be major, but it’s a big deal when you’re just facing the ground completely. There were parents trying to talk to their children screaming, ‘It’s going to be okay!", the rider told FOX 59. 

What is Fly Cobra Coaster?

The Flying Cobras, formerly known as the Head Spin, Carolina Cobra, and The Mind Eraser, is a steel boomerang roller coaster located at Carowinds, North Carolina. The Flying Cobras was the first roller coaster addition to Carowinds following the park's purchase in 2006. Following the 2016 season, the roller coaster was refurbished and renamed again in 2017. 

However, Allen also told FOX 59 that he witnessed a similar incident last month, riders got stuck on the Electro Spin ride. He explained, “It seems like this is happening so often now. A few weeks ago, it was another one. It’s almost like it continues to happen, and that’s what is so scary about it.”

Meanwhile, the Carowinds amusement park released a statement regarding the incident, Fox 59 reported. The statement said that the park's maintenance team responded in no time and ensured the security of our guests. The statement added that all guests were returned safely to the station and unloaded within 30 minutes. According to the Carowinds website, rides are licensed and inspected by the North Carolina and South Carolina Departments of Labor. Also, riders were each given two fast pass vouchers.

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