{"id":192371,"date":"2026-09-02T06:47:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T06:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/192371\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T06:47:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T06:47:38","slug":"rescued-rollercoaster-rider-is-ready-to-go-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/192371\/","title":{"rendered":"Rescued rollercoaster rider is ready to go again"},"content":{"rendered":"

A thrill-seeking father who was rescued from a rollercoaster has vowed to go back on it “as soon as it reopens” despite having “a moment of anxiety” when it broke down.<\/p>\n

Simon Davies was one of 27 people who found themselves stranded on the Wipeout ride at Pleasurewood Hills, in Lowestoft, Suffolk, on Bank Holiday Monday.<\/p>\n

The 55-year-old, who lives near Norwich, told the BBC he was the first to be removed from the ride and taken to safety by firefighters after being stuck for about an hour.<\/p>\n

Despite his ordeal, Davies, who said he had been on the ride at least 30 times already this year with his 14-year-old son, has not been put off returning to the theme park.<\/p>\n

“We have a lot of experience of theme parks and are aware that all rides, which are working non-stop for hours, are going to break down from time to time,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It will not stop us from riding any ride again, including Wipeout, as soon as it is open again.”<\/p>\n

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According to the Pleasurewood Hills website, Wipeout is its flagship rollercoaster and stands over 40m (131ft) tall [Shaun Whitmore\/BBC]<\/p>\n

Davies, who has a season pass, said the ride first stopped before getting to the top, but he was “not too concerned” because he trusts the maintenance staff to “have a plan”.<\/p>\n

After 15 minutes and being spoken to by a maintenance worker, he said they were “suddenly released and dropped quickly” before the carriages went round the loop.<\/p>\n

“At this point I knew something was wrong and there was a moment of anxiety,” he said.<\/p>\n

“But when we settled into the middle of the cobra roll, I wasn’t worried really, I just knew that it was going to be much more difficult to get us down.”<\/p>\n

Davies’ son – who is autistic and has learning difficulties \u2013 was watching on from the ground below, having already been on the ride that day with his dad.<\/p>\n

“I could see him all the time and because we visit the park very often, most of the staff know him and I could see there was someone with him all the time,” he said.<\/p>\n

“They made sure he was sitting out of the way of emergency vehicles and even gave him a drink – he was mostly just annoyed he couldn’t go on any rides while he waited.<\/p>\n

“I cannot fault the way the staff dealt with the situation. The first fire engine arrived incredibly quickly, but the staff already had two types of cherry picker in place.”<\/p>\n

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Fire crews from both Suffolk and Norfolk were deployed to the scene on Bank Holiday Monday [BBC]<\/p>\n

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Firefighter Mel Buck said the carriages were occupied by everyone from adults to children with parents looking on from below [Shaun Whitmore\/BBC]<\/p>\n

Fire crews from from Ipswich East, Ixworth, Lowestoft South were called to Pleasurewood Hills at 13:36 BST after the ride’s carriages came to a stop about 15m (49ft) in the air in an upright position.<\/p>\n

Using an aerial ladder and a scissor lift, they rescued all 27 passengers with no reported injuries.<\/p>\n

Mel Buck, station manager at Lowestoft South, said the call-out was “not expected” but stressed that crews were “highly trained” to deal with such situations.<\/p>\n

“We got to [the passengers] quite quickly, reassured them, they were talked through everything, and they were really helpful and calm,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The park staff were absolutely amazing, there were a lot of people involved, we worked very well together, and it was a safe outcome for everybody.”<\/p>\n

In a statement issued on Monday, Pleasurewood Hills “sincerely apologised” to the visitors affected and said they would receive complimentary tickets as compensation.<\/p>\n

They also praised the way staff handled the situation and thanked families for their “understanding and patience”.<\/p>\n

The BBC contacted the theme park but was told no further comment would be made at this stage.<\/p>\n

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