After the Manta roller coaster at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla., paused for seven minutes last Friday, six of riders were transported to the hospital, according to reports citing the Orange County Fire and Rescue Dept.
Manta is an “extreme” thrill level outdoor roller coaster with a 54-inch height requirement, per the SeaWorld website. It is also described as the “only flying roller coaster of its kind in Florida.”
“Riders are taunted by a head-first, face-down inverted nosedive… and that’s just the beginning,” said the site. “Experience the full force and power of riding the high seas, all on one of the smoothest tracks in the world.”
A video of the ride noted that it runs at 55 miles per hour. It glides close to water elements such as a waterfall feature, and it dips near a pond feature during its “epic finale.”
News 6 reported that there were no life-threatening injuries on the ride Friday. The outlet shared a statement from Sea World.
“Friday afternoon, a ride experienced a brief operational pause lasting approximately seven minutes. During that time, six guests reported not feeling well, and emergency services were contacted,” it said. “Those individuals were transported to a local hospital for evaluation out of an abundance of caution. The ride resumed normal operations shortly afterward. The safety of our guests, ambassadors, and animals is our top priority.”
Overall chances of being seriously injured on a fixed-site facility amusement park ride in the U.S. are around one in 15.5 million, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. In a typical year, more than 385 million guests safely enjoy 1.7 billion rides in the 400 fixed site facilities in North America.
However, serious injuries are sometimes reported. For example, a 32-year-old man with a history of spinal chord atrophy died on Universal Orlando’s Stardust Racers roller coaster at Epic Universe last year, according to the Associated Press and Fox 35.
“One injury is one too many and the industry is continuously working to enhance all aspects of safety,” said the IAAPA.
