Two teenagers were rescued from the Slingshot ride at Old Town in Kissimmee, Florida, on Thursday after the ride apparently malfunctioned.
“The teens, whose identities were not released, were stuck about 30 to 40 feet in the air, according to Osceola County Fire Rescue,” Spectrum News 13 reported.
According to officials, the teenagers were suspended above the ground for nearly two hours after a stabilizer cable on the ride broke.
“Fire officials say when that cable breaks or malfunctions, the ride does not fully lower as a safety precaution,” WESH reported.
Just before 11:00 p.m., the Osceola County Fire Rescue & EMS shared photos of the scene as rescuers helped the teens to safety, calling it a “successful high angle rescue”:
Osceola Tower 72 and @KissimmeeFire Tower 11 worked together tonight to perform a successful high angle rescue of two teens stuck 30-40' up on a malfunctioning ride at Old Town, on US 192. Thankfully, no one was injured in the incident. pic.twitter.com/IEt4KDCN4D
— Osceola County Fire Rescue & EMS (@OSCFR) March 26, 2021
No one was injured during the incident.
The Slingshot’s website said it is often referred to as the best ride in the world and “offers a unique high adrenaline experience that has taken the amusement market by storm”:
This innovative Slingshot amusement device is by far one the most exciting vertical amusement rides available today. Slingshot passengers are propelled over 100 metres at speeds in the region of 160 kilometers per hour.
The Slingshot machine does not utilize rubber ropes or bungee cords but is powered by a patented spring propulsion device incorporating up to 720 specially designed springs. The Slingshot can be custom designed to cause minimal disruption to existing venues. This includes tower designs that consume a few square metres of land and use elevated gondola loading platforms where space is at a premium.
“For the ultimate thrill ride Funtime has Slingshot designs able to propel the passenger capsule more than 150 metres high,” the site read.
On February 1, Slingshot Kissimmee shared its top viral videos of people from January which showed just how high and fast the ride goes:
Slingshot rides do undergo regular inspections, thus accidents are not common, according to WTSP.
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