Theme park ride in Canada gets stuck upside down, one rider vomits

Some theme park visitors were left hanging upside down for 25 minutes after a ride at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan city, Ontario, malfunctioned on Saturday (Sept 23).

The Lumberjack ride has two hydraulic arms that are shaped like axes and swing back and forth. They occasionally propel riders into full 360-degree swings.

Videos of the incident on social media platforms showed the two arms were at 90 degrees, with riders hanging upside down at the top.

The theme park confirmed the ride became inverted at around 10.40pm local time. The riders were stuck until 11.05pm, it said in a statement to CBC News on Sunday.

Among those on the ride were Spencer Parkhouse, 11, and his sister Mackenzie Parkhouse, 15.

When the ride first came to a stop, the siblings thought that it was part of the experience. But they realised there was something amiss when ambulances gathered below, reported CBC News.

Spencer told the news outlet: "(I was) just like feeling - when are we going to drop?"

It was his first big ride at the theme park, but it left him traumatised, the boy said.

Everyone on the ride panicked, and one person vomited while hanging upside down, he added.

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When the ride resumed, they could not get off it immediately.

"The ride had to still finish. So the ride kept going, and we're all like 'no, please, I don't want to get stuck again,'" Spencer said in the report.

Mackenzie added that once they got off the ride, the theme park staff checked the riders for injuries. They also asked if anyone had passed out or vomited.

"I'm just thinking, like next time I go to Canada's Wonderland, am I going to go on these big rides? Because now I'm scared to go on them," she said.

Two riders reported chest pain and were attended to by the theme park's health centre, reported CBC News, citing the theme park. The riders did not need further medical attention.

A Wonderland spokesperson did not disclose the cause of the malfunction, but said a maintenance team was able to respond quickly, reported American news outlet National Public Radio on Monday.

The BBC said on Monday the ride remained closed, and an investigation was under way.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.