Couple's quick thinking actions to help terrified girl after seatbelt unfastened on roller coaster
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/KCTV5 News
A couple have been praised for stepping in after they realized a girl behind them on a roller coaster was panicking as her seatbelt had become unfastened.
What should have been a fun day out at the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, took a terrifying turn when a girl's seatbelt on one of the park's roller coasters came undone on October 11.
A couple thankfully leapt into action after noticing a passenger on the Mamba roller coaster seated behind them was seriously distressed.
The girl behind them was screaming, but not out of enjoyment and rather that she likely feared for their life as her seatbelt became undone.
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Married couple Chris and Cassie Evins have spoken to local media about the incident and reflected on how they did their best to ensure that the girl was kept in her seat.
The roller coaster ride photo took a snapshot of the pair trying to help, and the image has started to spread on social media.
Speaking to KCTV5, Chris said: “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.”
He remarked that he initially assumed the girl was just on the roller coaster for the first time, but quickly realized that she was panicking and shouting that that her seatbelt had come undone.
While the ride - which reaches top speeds of 75mph and heights of 205ft - was in motion, both Chris and Cassie then reached for the girl in the seat behind them in hopes of securing the girl in her seat.
Chris added: “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 ahold of her wrist. My wife was pushing down on her legs.”
The couple noted that they have been on the roller coaster plenty of times before, so they were aware of the portions of the track that twisted and turned and could anticipate the potential shifts to the girl.
The park has since confirmed that there was a second restraint at play during the ride, and said that safety inspections were carried out after the incident.
Speaking to UNILAD, a spokesperson issued a lengthy statement that said: “The safety of our guests and team members is a top priority. Following the report of a guest concern on the ride several weeks ago, our team immediately closed the ride and completed a thorough inspection before reopening it that evening.
“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.
“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.”