A man made the split-second decision to jump off of a roller coaster right after realizing the safety bar unlatched. This terrifying incident occurred on Sunday, November 24 at Castles N' Coasters amusement park in Phoenix, Arizona. Video footage from a cell phone managed to capture the moment.
Videos by Wide Open Country
A Last-Minute Life-Saving Decision
The man, who identified himself as Ricky, was visiting the amusement park with his family. After deciding to take a ride on the Desert Storm, the coaster began its ascent. Just before it would make a steep plunge, Ricky heard a click.
At that moment, he realized the safety bar holding him down came undone. According to Ricky, the staff operating the ride failed to check the lap bars to ensure they were secure before the ride began.
"It was a scary moment," Ricky told TODAY. "We were right about to the top when that happened. So I had a split decision to either decide to...stay on the roller coaster and hope I stay in or get out."
That last-minute decision led Ricky to jump off the roller coaster and onto the catwalk. Luckily, the man was able to climb down the stairs to safety and did not injure himself.
Right after the plunge would be two upside-down loops. This would be catastrophic for any rider without a safety bar properly latched.
Ricky also spoke about how glad he was that it was him in that seat. "I'm thankful that it was me...because if it was one of the 10 or 11-year-olds that were going through that, I don't know that they would have jumped out of a moving roller coaster to save themselves."
More Than One Incident
According to TODAY, this wasn't the only dangerous incident that occurred at this amusement park. Not only that, but it was the same ride. Just three years ago, 22 passengers were rescued by first responders from the Desert Storm roller coaster.
This happened in May 2021, and firefighters had to these people who were stuck in the air 20 feet high. The scary moment occurred after the ride stalled to a stop.
Ricky continued to explain how he was glad to tell his story to try and spread awareness about roller coaster safety.
Despite the severity of the incident, Castles N' Coasters have yet to make a statement.
