Restraint Opens MidRide On LaRonde's Boomerang

[GADVwow]

Halfway through the roller coaster ride, Alex Paradis's safety harness came off.

The 12-year-old was left dangling, completely and utterly helpless, 35 metres above ground, halfway through his trip on the Boomerang, one of La Ronde's oldest thrill rides.

"I was scared," Alex said in a telephone interview this week. "I didn't know what was going to happen. I tried to lower (the harness). And then I closed my eyes."

Alex and his friend Marc Boudrias, also 12, boarded the coaster just after 4 p.m. during a trip to the amusement park on July 6. Despite the malfunction, they made it back to solid ground with no injuries -just a terrifying memory....

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/todays-paper/Scary+ride+ends+well+Ronde+Boomerang/3307399/story.html

And before someone says "that's just what the rider said, yeah right" go read the article...see what the park says, how the employees reacted, how the parents reacted, if there were others affected...and then come back and comment if you wish...

[B-mac]

Holy crap, thank god everyone on the ride was alright, especially the kid.

[rjholla2003]

That is absolutely incredible.

[WadeJ]

I'm still amazed to this day that they haven't added a safety belt to the crotch of those restraints on the older vekoma and arrow loopers.  This certainly isn't the first time I've heard of this happeneing and I'd think a belt like the ones on a B&M invert wouldn't really hurt the load time too much.

And I'm not even one for adding belts usually but this one I'd be happy with .

[GADVwow]

Cedar Fair has....

[nitrorox1414]

THATS INSANE.. now i get why they have the little seat belt..