Random Amusement Park Employees Describe Scariest Things They’ve Ever Seen Happen On A Ride (14 items)

• (#2) Two Emergencies At Once

  From Redditor /u/JackOhBee:

  I was the team leader for one of those raft water rides that sits 12 people on a giant inner tube. A child that was maybe 12 or 13 years old had a seizure while going down the final drop. Because he wasn't going to be able to get out of the vehicle, we pressed the emergency stop, which drained all of the water, and we removed everyone on the ride.

  As I was waiting for the EMTs, I got a call on my radio to report to the top of the lift right away for another emergency. I run full speed through the ride and up the five stories worth of stairs to the top. The vehicle at the top had gone over the crest but for some reason did not drop into the water, so the boat was literally teetering on the lift. If it had fallen it would have been about a 10-foot drop on solid concrete.

  I had to lead my team in evacuating the entire section of the park, with EMTs treating the kid with the seizure, and the fire department coming to help get these people off the ride safely, while rocking the strongest poker face I've had to keep ever.
• (#9) The 6-Inch Splinter Wound

  From Redditor /u/whosline07:

  I worked at a wooden roller coaster with an enclosed double helix at the end (anyone who knows roller coasters probably knows which one I'm talking about). A guy came back with a splinter spearing his hand between his thumb and forefinger that was a good 6 inches long and about an inch across. He calmly walked up to the person on the floor clutching his hand, dripping blood all over, and asked if we could call first aid. He was a pretty tall guy, and by his own words, he was "trying to touch the side."

  Not really scary, but when I saw him walking across the station dripping blood, it was for a second.
• (#3) A Lightning Strike And A Knife Threat

  From Redditor /u/okiewxchaser:

  Operated rides for four years. Two moments stand out. The scariest moment I had was when lightning struck a utility pole below me (my position on the ride was about 50 feet up), knocking out power to my ride and forcing me and my supervisors to unload the ride in the middle of a lightning storm.

  The second was a guy who was very upset that I wouldn't let his kid who was a foot under the height requirement ride. I told him no early in the day, but one of my coworkers let the kid ride while I was on break. The family comes up later and the father, who was noticeably drunk, jumps two gates and over the tracks to threaten me with a knife. I called security and he ran.
• (#11) Something To Squawk About

  From Redditor /u/kirball:

  A family of Irish travelers tried to get on a ride with a big backpack, so the onloaders asked them to remove it.

  The ride guys noticed it was strangely heavy and felt like something was moving when they went to store it for them, so they looked inside.

  Chickens. They'd been sneaking chickens onto the rides.
• (#13) A Head-Splitting Moment

  From a former Redditor:

  I was a water ride operator. Scariest incident on a personal level was when I was giving the pre-ride spiel, a boy wasn't listening, hopped in the water and slipped.

  He cut his head open pretty badly and we had to call an ambulance and shut down the ride. The worst part was his dad was still on the platform with me, and I had to send him down the slide to get to his son.
• (#5) When The Ride Hit A Duck

  From Redditor /u/TeakatKitty42:

  I worked at Busch Gardens Colonial Williamsburg as a teen. I worked near the train tracks and every day I was amazed how close the ducks would come to getting hit by that thing. Well, one day one got too close and got ran over.

  The heartbreaking part was that it was a mallard, and his mate spent the next half hour or so quacking forlornly at his corpse until the maintenance guys finally showed up to clean it up.

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