Multiple people were rescued after falling off a water rapids ride at Six Flags in Texas over the weekend due to a malfunction.
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The incident occurred at the Roaring Rapids ride located at Arlington’s Six Flags. Four rafts were jammed in a “u-formation” before one of the rafts began sinking.
While moving off the Six Flags raft, a young boy tried to jump into a nearby raft only to land in the water. The child was quickly rescued from the water’s fast current by other park guests and was pulled onto the ride’s platform.
No one else appeared to have any serious injuries. However, a few pairs of shoes went missing. The entire ordeal was caught on video and posted on TikTok
@jebbrownsack Rough day at @Six Flags today. #fypシ゚viral #sixflags #fail #jesuslovesyou #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #viral ♬ original sound – Jeff Erson
A Six Flags representative confirmed to TMZ that no one was hurt during the water ride incident. “One of the rafts at Roaring Rapids became stuck,” the rep said while explaining what caused the situation to begin with.
“Guests were told to remain seated in the raft while the ride was restarted. All guests safely exited the ride and there were no injuries. The video shows that guests made it safely out of the water.”
According to the Six Flags Arlington website, Roaring Rapids’ rafts hold 12 people. It goes 15 mph and lasts for 4 minutes and 45 seconds. Guests on this ride obviously get drenched, which is perfect for the hot Texas temps.
The Six Flags Water Ride Incident Comes Nearly Three Years After An 11-Year-Old Died in a Raft Ride Accident
The incident at Arlington Six Flags occurred less than three years after an 11-year-old was killed while riding a raft ride in Iowa.
According to CBS News, the accident happened on the Raging River ride at Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa. During the ride, a raft flipped over, resulting in the death of the 11-year-old. Three people were also injured.
Six people were reportedly on the raft when it flipped. Due to the ride being a remote distance from the park’s entrance, fire officials had some difficulty getting to the area quickly. Units from the Altoona Fire Department were forced to walk 200 to 300 yards to get to the ride.
“The closest (walked) maybe about a hundred,” Altoona Fire Department’s Lance Routson said at the time. “That’s the closest we could actually get an apparatus there, and they would have to walk the rest of the way and carry their equipment and so forth back.”
Adventureland was forced to shut down the ride for good following the incident. The park’s General Manager Bill Lentz shared details about the closure. “We implemented changes in our operations throughout the resort, always with an emphasis on safety as the most important element.”
“On that note, I want to share that we have decided to permanently close the Raging River attraction. The decision comes after months of examination of the ride, working closely with its manufacturer to identify what enhancements each would need to meet our operating standards.”
The ride was succeeded by a “next-generation super flume ride” known as the Draken Falls.