A group of thrill seekers was horrified after being forced to go down a steep escape route to abandon a Rollercoaster ride that had abruptly halted in the United Kingdom.
Due to deteriorating weather conditions, the Big One at Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach was forced to close on Tuesday (April 11).
Passengers who became stranded at the attraction had to evacuate and be escorted back down the terrifying 180-foot-high emergency stairs. The rollercoaster was subsequently shut down for the remainder of the day.
An onlooker, who goes by the Twitter handle @DanblueEFC, tweeted a video of the terrifying episode and stated, “It was cold, raining, and quite windy!” However, the staff did an excellent job of bringing everyone down!”
Check out a picture and video of the Rollercoaster incident below:
This was the ride after us yesterday on The Big One at #Blackpool It was cold, raining and quite windy!! Staff did great job getting everyone down though!! 🎢 pic.twitter.com/ETd7yfEvwE
— Richie (@DanblueEFC) April 12, 2023
This is the moment The Big One in Blackpool ground to a halt after a sudden change in weather conditions.
Passengers had to walk down from the peak of the rollercoaster.
Read more: https://t.co/GWxVh9Oudi pic.twitter.com/UEIGyIHxwX
— ITV Granada Reports (@GranadaReports) April 13, 2023
According to The Guardian, one witness, Georgina Harrison, manager of King’s Boutique Hotel, stated that the entire procedure was quite safe and organized.
Harrison stated that her job clearly views Big One, adding, “We can see everything that happens on the Big One, which surprised me.” It does happen on occasion.”
The manager was also asked if she had ever been on the rollercoaster and said: “Definitely not, no. I’m happy to just watch from afar.”
Per The Independent, a spokesperson for Blackpool Pleasure Beach issued a statement that read: “At 2:50 PM on Tuesday 11th April, Blackpool Pleasure Beach stopped the Big One train on the ride’s lift hill due to sudden changes in weather conditions.”
“Guests on the ride were reassured and escorted from the ride by Blackpool Pleasure Beach staff. Due to high gusts of wind the Big One rollercoaster closed for the remainder of the day,” they concluded.
The Big One, sometimes known as the Pepsi Max Big One due to an old advertising arrangement, first opened to the public in 1994 and swishes riders around its more than one-mile track at speeds of up to 85mph.
The workers at the amusement park are no strangers to assisting passengers from the rides. According to The Mirror, it broke down last May for almost 20 minutes, forcing personnel to climb the stairs of the lift hill to console guests. The trip might then resume and return down.
Furthermore, according to The Independent, the Big One broke down halfway up an angle last September, leaving stranded passengers in need of rescue.
The rollercoaster debuted as the world’s tallest and steepest rollercoaster at the time. Despite losing that distinction to Japan’s Fujiyama in 1996, it remains the highest structure in the United Kingdom.
The record has subsequently been broken multiple times, and the Kingda Ka now holds it at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. According to The Guardian, it is also the fastest rollercoaster in North America, with passengers going from 0 to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds. The park says the ride is “not recommended for wimps.”
