Visitors aboard Playland’s The Beast got a little more than they expected out of the ride yesterday.
Playland released a statement yesterday on an apparent malfunction that occured mid-ride for some of their visitors.
The ride reportedly started to make noises and even started to drip oil on guests. Playland said that they believe a parts issue is to blame.
According to a Twitter user who claimed to be on the ride, The Beast started to shake and made abnormal noises.
They added that staff took the incident well and got everyone off the ride safely.
Playland said that their operations team did exactly what they were trained to do, which included bringing the ride to a gradual stop.
See below for full response regarding what happened at Playland today. Guests can contact us at [email protected]. pic.twitter.com/WfT4VAvWbn
— PNE Events / Playland (@PNE_Playland) August 13, 2019
Playland says that their rides are inspected daily prior to opening. In addition, rides are inspected annually by Technical Safety BC as well as third party safety consultants.
This isn’t the first time the ride has been closed down. Playland referenced a closure in 2017, which was out of an abundance of caution in light of two theme park accidents in Ohio and India.
At the Ohio State Fair in July, 2017, one person was killed and several others were injured after a ride called the Fireball broke and sent passengers flying through the air.
In July 2019, a pendulum ride at an amusement park in India broke mid-ride and killed two people and injured several others.
Playland said that The Beast is not the same model related to these two incidents. However, they did take the ride out of circulation for two days at a time to do a “comprehensive” safety inspection.
In all cases of “unexpected occurrences involving parts malfunction,” parts are replaced and the ride is inspected by engineers and external safety consultants before it is opened to the public.
The Beast was opened in 2015 and is reportedly from industry-leading manufacturer KMG.
