Eight students on a Houston ISD field trip were rescued Thursday night after a roller coaster malfunction left them stranded nearly 100 feet in the air for several hours at the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier.
The students were riding the Iron Shark roller coaster when the ride stopped during its vertical climb, according to Galveston officials. Video from the scene showed the riders seated in two rows of four, facing upward near the top of the incline.
Galveston Fire Chief Mike Varela Jr. said emergency crews were dispatched around 5:30 p.m. after reports that the coaster had stalled near the peak of the 100-foot lift hill. Firefighters used a ladder truck basket to lower the riders individually, each secured in a safety harness.
“Once they made it up there, you know, they were able to use their skills to calm everyone down and reassure them that the equipment being used would keep them safe,” Varela said, per NBC News.
The Galveston Fire Department said all eight riders were rescued safely shortly after 9 p.m. Officials said the students were shaken by the ordeal but unharmed.
Varela said the rescue required careful coordination because the riders had been exposed to heat and sunlight for several hours, raising concerns about dehydration.
“We have to be very careful, especially with the rescuers we had in the basket at the time,” he said.
The Houston Independent School District confirmed the passengers were students participating in a field trip organized by Energized for STEM Academy Middle School and STEM Academy High School.
“We are grateful that all students, staff, and chaperones are safe. School administration is in direct contact with the families of all students who were on the trip,” the district said in a statement, ABC 13 Eyewitness News reported.
Firefighters told ABC13 that the rescue operation required crews to adapt after a piece of specialized equipment normally used in high-angle rescues malfunctioned. Capt. John Featherington said crews quickly adjusted their plans.
“We were starting to look at what rigging we needed… how we were going to address it, but, luckily, everything fell perfectly,” Featherington said, per ABC 13.
He said rescuers carefully secured each student before transferring them from the coaster to the ladder truck basket.
“The goal was to harness them, but you also have to tether them to something secure. You need something to stop them if they fall off. Every step of the process you have to check, double check, triple check,” Featherington said.
Officials said the students remained calm throughout the rescue despite sitting on the stalled ride for nearly four hours.
One of the riders told ABC13 it was her first roller coaster ride.
“I never wanted to get on one,” she said, ABC 13 reported.
Pleasure Pier officials said the ride stopped as designed after experiencing a malfunction during its initial ascent.
“The ride experienced a malfunction at its initial ascent,” said Terry Turney, chief operating officer of Pleasure Pier, per NBC. “However, as designed, it immediately stopped to keep everyone safe. Our focus immediately shifted to the safety of our eight guests.”
Turney said the amusement park contacted the fire department to assist with the rescue and that an inspection of the ride is underway.
“We can’t thank the fire department enough for their quick response and assistance,” he said.
According to the Pleasure Pier website, the Iron Shark coaster reaches speeds of up to 52 mph and includes a 100-foot vertical drop along a 1,246-foot steel track.
“Those crews were top-notch today,” Varela said, per NBC. “I can’t say enough about them. They’re well trained; they’re ready to go when called upon.”
