A group of thrill seekers were left hanging upside down for three hours after a roller coaster suffered a mechanical failure.
Earlier this month, eight unfortunate passengers rode the Fireball roller coaster at the Forest County Festival in Crandon, a city of about 1,700 northwest of Green Bay.
However, things took a nightmare turn after the ride broke down near the top of a loop, leaving the terrified passengers stuck upside down.
In daunting footage shared on social media, the group of people could be seen hanging from a stalled roller coaster as rescuers climbed the attraction to free them.
Watch the harrowing incident below:According to NBC News, the ride experienced a motorized failure that had left the stricken people suspended in the air, with the safety harnesses being the only thing keeping them from plunging to the ground.
The local fire department revealed in a press release that emergency services were called to the festival site at the Crandon International Offroad Raceway after the riders were trapped for 15 minutes.
Due to the height of the ride, firefighters proceeded to call in "specialized teams" to support the rescue. They decided that the best course of action was to use ladder trucks to reach the cars and secure each one before removing their over-the-shoulder safety bars.
The rescue team also worked on bringing the cars down to a lower position in order to help the unfortunate passengers get down. In addition to this, they were assisted by a lucky bystander who turned out to be "an off-duty firefighter with specialized rope rescue training," per the press release.
The first rider was able to put their feet back on solid ground about two hours after the rollercoaster left them upside down. However, the prolonged rescue period meant that the time between the first and last person being saved was nearly three and a half hours.
Furthermore, medical services were also present at the scene to tend to the riders after they got back down. Per the fire department, one person was transported by ambulance to Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital for a check-up.
Sunday was meant to be the final day of the festival, as reported by NBC News.
What exactly caused the mechanical failure is still unknown, and the ride had been examined on-site shortly before the malfunction.
Per The Guardian, the Department of Safety and Professional Services spokesperson John Beard said that the agency is investigating and had dispatched an inspector on Monday (July 4) to Crandon. He had no further information on the situation at the time.
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