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Seven children and one adult had to be rescued after a roller coaster got stuck over the weekend at the Forest County Festival in Crandon, Wisconsin.
On Sunday (July 2), the "Fireball" roller coaster malfunctioned, leaving the riders stuck upside down for several hours. Videos posted on Facebook showed workers scaling the ride to try to release the car and free the riders.
"You know, a lot of [the kids], you could tell, their legs were shaking, they were sweating, and it was just a matter of letting them know, hey, this is no race to get down to the finish line, the hard part is over," City of Antigo Fire Department Firefighter/EMT, Erica Kostichka told WDJT. "They were very brave."
After about four hours, firefighters were able safely remove the riders from their seats and lower them to the ground using a cherry picker. They were all taken to the hospital as a precaution.
Investigators have not determined what caused the car to get stuck while it was upside down.
"All we know is that there is a mechanical failure with the ride where it became stuck in the upright position. The ride was recently inspected by the state of Wisconsin here on site, and at this time, we do not have any other information," Captain Brennan Cook of the Crandon Fire Department said.