Over the weekend, a Zipper ride malfunction at the Conejo Valley Days carnival in Thousand Oaks, Southern California, left 18 guests trapped midair. The Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) was alerted to the incident around 8:05 p.m. on Sunday night.
The VCFD firefighters swiftly responded to the technical rescue at Conejo Creek Park, where approximately 18 individuals were stuck on the amusement park ride. Fortunately, the firefighters successfully rescued all riders by manually lowering the malfunctioning ride within half an hour.
Thankfully, there were no injuries reported during the incident, and the first responders were on the scene for a total of 35 minutes. Kastl Amusements, the carnival operators, confirmed the occurrence, stating that the ride's pause began at 7:45 p.m.
The owner of Kastl Amusements, Kay Kastl, explained that the Zipper ride's computer control system detected an anomaly, prompting the automatic stoppage of the ride as a safety measure. The passengers were securely fastened and were not in any imminent danger despite being suspended midair.
Kastl further elaborated that the ride operators followed the manufacturer's recommended procedure to unload the 12 ride vehicles. She emphasized that the evacuation process, although appearing slow, is meticulously designed to ensure the safety and balance of the passengers throughout.
Contrary to the VCFD's Facebook post, Kastl Amusements asserted that authorities were present but did not directly assist in the evacuation. Instead, the ride staff efficiently guided all passengers off the Zipper ride without any reported injuries.
Currently, Kastl Amusements is conducting an investigation into the Zipper ride malfunction to determine the root cause of the incident. At present, no additional details regarding the malfunction have been disclosed.
