Theme Park Insider

Rider climbs out of Ferris wheel in mid-air at Hersheypark

By Robert Niles
Published: June 30, 2008 at 8:46 AM
One more for the "what were they thinking?" file:

From The Patriot-News:

A Ferris wheel rider in Hersheypark on Saturday evening didn't like the conversation he was having with his female companion, so he got off the ride -- while it was moving.

The man, who was not identified, climbed out of the ride's car and sat crossed-legged on the roof for about 25 minutes as Derry Twp. police and his family tried to talk him down, Hersheypark spokesman Garrett Gallia said.

Here's the full story.

Readers' Opinions

From E Edwards on June 30, 2008 at 12:39 PM
Despite the better efforts of one and all (Hey, Six Flags! How's it goin'? How's the "family friendly" thang swingin' for you in Valencia? Gnarly!), the axiom "You can't upgrade your clients" in the design side of the themed entertainment racket holds doubly true for the churro 'n plush buying side of things as well.

We may kvetch 'n moan about having to fit (or, more usually retrofit) ADA standards into guest-side "Cogito Ergonomic Sum" ("I think, therefore I worry about square foot per guest in a covered queue at a 20 percent rise more than I ever hoped I would have to") designs, but if you think about it (and don't we just), endless more time and effort is spent in the "uh . . . yeah but what if some chowderhead has a fight with his girl friend and . . ." sorts of discussions than Darwin would imagine necessary.

A big bummer? Sure, but it keeps the security systems after-market working late nights, so who are we to bust their rice bowl, eh?
From Joshua Counsil on June 30, 2008 at 2:07 PM
Nice rant, E. I especially applaud your use of "chowderhead".

Was this a teenager by any chance? Sounds like emotional teen angst, the kind of stupid thing they do in the movies.

From Chloe ! on June 30, 2008 at 8:57 PM
Wow. That's pretty bizzare. Why would he get off the ride? That's just crazy. It would've been a lot eaiser for him to just deal with it after the ride stopped, but he had to cause all that drama. It's pretty funny, actually. At least nobody got hurt.

This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

"A must read for any Disney fan!" Stories from a Theme Park Insider
"Stories from a Theme Park Insider" includes 40 stories about life working at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, in a feel-good book any theme park fan will love. Download a sample from Amazon.com or Apple's iBooks today!

Search Theme Park Insider

News, Video and Live Updates

Facebook YouTube Twitter RSS Newsfeed E-mail Newsletter Google Plus

Reader Reviews, by Theme Park

United States Top 10 *

International parks

Readers' Top Themed Rides

Top Roller Coasters

Top Live Shows

Top Movies/Animated Shows

Theme Park Reviews, Features, Advice

Theme Park News Archive

2012

Jan. Feb.

2011

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2010

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2009

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2008

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2007

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2006

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2005

Dec.

2004-2005

Staff column archive