Ferris wheel malfunction leaves over a dozen stranded: Saskatoon Fire Department
Parkgoers at Nutrien Playland got an extremely long ride and an unforgettable story to tell Saturday after the famed Ferris wheel at Kinsmen Park broke down.
At roughly 2:30 p.m. with the sun shining over top of clear skies, 16 people riding the Ferris wheel were stranded for roughly an hour after a mechanical issue brought the usually busy ride to a standstill, according to the Saskatoon Fire Department.
Chris Kosty was fourth back in line with his two boys when he heard a loud hissing noise coming from the centre of the wheel. Previously spending time working on amusement rides, he had a good idea what was happening.
“Turns out the top tire of the two tires that control the speed of Ferris wheel ended up blowing out. So now they can’t control it from stopping or going right now,” Kosty said.
It didn’t take long for Kosty to get to the bottom of the mystery after park employees began inspecting where the noise was coming from.
They pointed out that they just finished replacing the top tire and they were concerned that's the issue, plus you can actually see the tire looks visibly flat,” he said, pointing to the deflated tire that was no longer able to make contact with the ride it was trying to spin.
Kosty said the ride didn’t stop right away.
“They thought it was a normal noise coming from the Ferris Wheel. And then it pretty much stopped right from there. They were having issues getting to go back and forth a little bit and the tire just kept on spinning,” he said.
Within a few minutes, dozens of people began crowding around the Ferris wheel as it slowly became apparent the ride wasn’t going to get moving anytime soon.
Once the fire department showed up, a technician was called in to see how best to retrieve the stranded riders.
“I was actually just telling the wife I wish I had my drone here. I’d fly some water up to them,” Kosty said.
Ann-Marie Chokani was walking up to the park to meet some friends when she heard an announcement about the Ferris wheel breaking down. While she was upset her children weren’t able to go for a ride, she was thankful she was on the ground staring up at the stranded riders and not the other way around.
“Some disappointment, but some relief that we hadn't been here 20 minutes earlier and were actually on it,” she said.
Chokani said watching the experience added a little excitement to her day, while her son instantly provided some perspective.
“Well imagine how the people are feeling up there. It's probably not that exciting for them,” she said, quoting her son. “So he put it into perspective that it's probably not a really exciting time for them.”
Around a little after 3:30 p.m., workers were able to use chains and wrap them around the Ferris wheel to slowly return the 16 people back to the ground safely without any injury. After an hour-long ride, each person was handed a bottle of water for their troubles.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
WATCH Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto
Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
Tesla recalling nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks because accelerator pedal can get stuck
Tesla is recalling 3,878 of its 2024 Cybertrucks after it discovered that the accelerator pedal can become stuck, potentially causing the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally and increase the risk of a crash.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
A couple lost their wedding rings during the ceremony. Two strangers found a fitting solution
Every good wedding has to have one teensy, tiny crisis.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.