Horror moment couple tries to save girl,9, on 75mph rollercoaster as belt snaps | World | News

A day of thrills quickly turned into horror for a 9-year-old girl after her seatbelt snapped mid-ride on a high-speed rollercoaster. A couple came to her rescue as the coaster twisted and turned at speeds of up to 75mph and heights of 205ft at the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Speaking to a local news outlet, Chris and Cassie Evins said they heard a “blood-curdling” scream from behind them just moments after boarding the Mamba ride. “We get on the roller coaster and the very first hill, the girl sitting behind my wife just lets out this blood-curdling scream like I’ve never heard before,” Chris told KCTV5. 

At first, he believed the screams may just have been from the thrill of the rollercoaster, but the girl began shouting that her belt had come undone.

Chris said he turned around to see a “pretty big gap” between the girl and the lap bar, adding: “So at this point, I’m seeing a huge space, no seatbelt. I looped my arm underneath the lap bar, and I grabbed ahold of her wrist. My wife was pushing down on her legs.”

The ride pictures sold to passengers captured the moment the couple, who have four children, reached back to help pin her in the seat, and it has been widely circulated on social media.

Having been on the rollercoaster before, the couple anticipated the biggest loops and turns. Chris added: “As we crested each hill or as we started to go up to the top, I recognised that it was going to lift her out of her seat.

“So I kind of shifted our positions to, instead of hold her, to push down on her whole body to keep her from coming out of the seat while we’re going over those hills.”

The park has confirmed that a second restraint was in place during the ride, and that the ride was shut down immediately after the incident, and inspected thoroughly.

A spokesperson said: “The ride has undergone a comprehensive safety review and we have implemented modifications requested by the Fire Marshall to ensure it meets or exceeds all applicable safety standards before it reopens to guests this evening.”

On November 4, they told also confirmed to UNILAD that the ride is equipped with a “multi-layered restraint system”. They said the lap bars are the primary restraint, and the seat belts serve as a secondary restraint.

The park added: “Throughout multiple inspections, there was no evidence of restraint failure in the lap bar system or the buckles on any seat belts during any of the ride inspections and the ride has operated safely since the initial concern was raised.”