Couple Secures Teen On Roller Coaster After Seatbelt Malfunction
A teenager in Kansas City was on a roller coaster at an amusement park last month when her seatbelt came undone mid-ride. They were riding the Mamba, which is the tallest coaster at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. Two riders sitting in front of her were able to grab her and keep her safely in the ride. They were Chris and Cassie Evins who told local news what the situation was like.
“I had looped my arm underneath her lap bar, which had a pretty big gap between her and the lap bar. So at this point, I’m seeing a huge space, no seatbelt. I looped my arm underneath the lap bar, and I grabbed a hold of her wrist. My wife was pushing down on her legs,” Chris said.
They are season ticket holders so they knew the ride and could anticipate the upcoming hills and turns, which helped them know how to adjust. “As we crested each hill or as we started to go up to the top, I recognized that it was going to lift her out of her seat. 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 ride was shut down immediately after the incident and a safety team thoroughly inspected it before reopening later that evening.