Video: Teen Girl Falls From A Ride At Six Flags

Saturday evening, a fourteen year old girl fell from the Sky Ride at Six Flags Great Escape in Lake George, New York. The ride is a slow moving chair lift sky ride with two-person pods that travels across the park.

Authorities said a ride operator stopped the ride right away after hearing a rider was in distress. The terrified 14-year-old girl from Greenwood, Delaware, dangled from a stopped gondola, screaming as dozens of witnesses and park employees gathered underneath the ride to catch her. While stopped, the girl was hanging from her arms, but was able to wiggle free from the ride. She was safely caught by the group of onlookers and park staff who was waiting to catch her below. The dramatic incident was caught on video by a park guest as seen below.

https://www.facebook.com/crburruel/videos/10213642113627583/

Another view

Although several park guests have commented that before falling, the girl appeared to be kicking tree branches while riding, it has not been confirmed what exactly caused the girl to fall from the ride. She was in the two-person gondola with her kid brother who’s name was not identified. Six Flags officials at the Queensbury park, about 55 miles north of Albany, released the following statement about the incident:

Earlier this evening a guest fell from a chair on the sky ride. She was caught by a group of guests and security personnel. She has been transported to an area hospital and we are in the process of gathering more information. The safety and security of our guests is our top priority, there does not appear to be any malfunction of the ride, but we have closed the attraction until a thorough review of the ride can be completed.

The girl who’s name was not released, had no serious injuries but was taken to the Albany Medical Center to be checked out according to Warren County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities also said an unidentified 47-year-old man from Schenectady, New York, who was a guest at the park, was treated and released from a hospital for a back injury sustained when he attempted to catch the falling girl.

The ride has since been cleared for operation by the NY Department of Labor. But, Six Flags released another statement late Sunday morning stating that no one can use the ride until an internal review of the incident has occurred.

“As the safety of our guests and team members is our top priority, and out of an abundance of caution, the ride will remain closed while we conduct a thorough internal review”

Now that we know the girl will be okay, it’s time we reflect on how important it is to follow posted safety guidelines while on rides at the parks.

Several onlookers have commented that before falling, the girl appeared to be hanging her feet out of the ride kicking tree branches. Whether or not this is true, this is an important reminder of what can happen if you don’t follow the posted rules and regulations. The parks put these regulations in place because they are necessary to keep riders safe, but when these rules are not followed, it will force them to put stricter rules in place. As a result, you may see things like tighter safety belts where they are not really necessary, as well as stricter loose article policies for things that guests usually take on rides such as sunglasses, bags, and cell phones.