Two Dozen Rescued After Maryland Roller Coaster Malfunctions.

[elleng]

Two dozen people were rescued on Sunday from a Maryland roller coaster that malfunctioned, leaving a car stuck for hours near a high point of the ride, emergency officials said.

The passengers were trapped about 75 feet (23 meters) in the air atop the Joker's Jinx roller coaster at the Six Flags America amusement park in Upper Marlboro, outside Washington, fire officials said.

The ride stopped working at 2:30 p.m. and the rescue took about four hours, according to Prince George's County Fire Chief Marc Bashoor.

Crews used a tower bucket to reach stranded passengers. They were unstrapped one by one, loaded into the bucket and then it was lowered to the ground, he said.

The passengers were checked by medical personnel before being released, Bashoor said.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2014/08/10/us/10reuters-usa-maryland-coaster.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=WireFeed&module=pocket-region&region=pocket-region&WT.nav=pocket-region

[Purveyor]

1. Since I was a kid, the fastest thing anyone could ever get me on are the

'bumper cars'.

My first ride on some horrific contraption when I was around 7 settled THAT for good!

If a terrorist wanted to torture me...put me on a roller coaster!

[Warpy]

2. I never liked them, either.

However, the bumper cars at Revere Beach near Boston late on a Saturday night could be a thrill a minute, too. I told people I learned how to drive in Boston on those bumper cars. The first time I made it around the track without getting smacked into qualified me.

I was not joking.

[Marie Marie]

3. If I ever had to be rescued from the top of some ridiculously high coaster,

I would crap myself faster than Nugent avoiding the draft. Not going to happen though - never get on the things to begin with. If I want to be scared out of my wits, I just picture Sarah Palin as President.

[RavensChick]

4. Wow.

I'm so glad I got all the thrill rides out of my system when I was younger. I would be freaking out if I was on that thing! Yikes!