24 Stranded On Joker's Jinx at SFA

[The Interpreter]

Firefighters working to evacuate riders:

http://m.nydailynews.com/news/national/firefighters-rescuing-passengers-stuck-maryland-flags-roller-coaster-article-1.1898711?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nydnrss%2Fentertainment%2Fculture+(Culture)

[bkroz]

Hm. That's not even a deep cobra roll. Had to be just the exact power of launch to get them over the first roll, but not over the second. Unless something else slowed the train. Very odd.

[The Interpreter]

Wow:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/riders-stuck-hours-atop-six-flags-america-roller-coaster-in-maryland/

[The Interpreter]

First Passengers Rescued:

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Riders-Stuck-on-Jokers-Jinx-Roller-Coaster-at-Six-Flags-America-270675841.html

[The Interpreter]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/10/us/maryland-six-flags-roller-coaster-rescue/

[The Interpreter]

Sigh:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11025091/Riders-stuck-for-hours-on-US-roller-coaster.html

[The Interpreter]

http://wtop.com/?nid=893&sid=3679059

[bkroz]

A ride valleyed. Someone alert the press! Oh, wait...

[The Interpreter]

You be stuck sideways for 4+ hours, then we will see if you still say that.

This IS news. To say it is not is silly.

[The Interpreter]

Rescue complete:

http://m.live5news.com/live5news/pm_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=od:CPjhIju1

[Browntggrr]

Evacuation to this extent is newsworthy.

It does frustrate me that the media will use a park's website defining a ride that is meant to create a thrilling fantasy adventure as use it as something serious and over dramatic.

[The Interpreter]

That's totally foreseeable, as is use by a plaintiff's attorney after any death or serious injury...or the park implying the safety system shut down the ride.

Really? How?

[TombRaiderFTW]

The riders were safely removed from the ride. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done about the fact that they were still at Six Flags America.

[The Interpreter]

Yes, there is. Each will leave there.

It's August 10. I have a gold pass. I live 17 miles away. I've yet to get there this season. I may. I may not.

[Dieseltech20]

You be stuck sideways for 4+ hours, then we will see if you still say that.

This IS news. To say it is not is silly.

Does the ride use the same style of Trains as Flight of Fear?

If so.

You be stuck sideways for 4+ hours in this highly uncomfortable train....

[Existential]

How the hell did it valley? I want news on that...yeah it sucks for that long of an evac...I'd be ****ed, but what could you do besides cuss out loud for a few hours. And/or pee your pants.

I'd want new pants darnit. And to take home the umbrella.

[TombRaiderFTW]

^ Joker's Jinx appears to launch significantly slower than Flight of Fear. It's really crawling when it gets to the tallest point of the ride. It appears that it didn't clear that point today.

You be stuck sideways for 4+ hours, then we will see if you still say that.

This IS news. To say it is not is silly.

Does the ride use the same style of Trains as Flight of Fear?

If so.

You be stuck sideways for 4+ hours in this highly uncomfortable train....

Yes, it does.

[Hank]

What I want to know - and I want facts - Six Flags says the ride stopped as it was designed to, for safety reasons. Are there brakes along the circuit, or is that just an answer given by the park to pacify the media and us?

[Hoeter]

What I want to know - and I want facts - Six Flags says the ride stopped as it was designed to, for safety reasons. Are there brakes along the circuit, or is that just an answer given by the park to pacify the media and us?

When I went on Jokers Jinx over the Fourth of July weekend, I did not see any brakes along the circuit.

The ride is pretty much identical to our Flight of Fear, save for the lack of a midcourse brake and that it's outdoors.

[Existential]

So it valleyed in the cobra roll TombraiderFTW? The picture didn't look like that but I only took a very quick glance.

[TombRaiderFTW]

^ No. I do retract my statement about the point it rolled back at being the tallest point of the ride, though--it appears that way from the ride but clearly isn't when you look at some pictures of it. There's the cobra roll, then the sidewinder, then a few turns and a hill before the MCBR. That hill is the one the train is going over in this picture; the train appears to have stalled between the sidewinder and that hill.

[Ride On_17]

There was a live video feed of the evacuation. It was pretty crazy to watch.

[shark6495]

Evacuation to this extent is newsworthy.

It does frustrate me that the media will use a park's website defining a ride that is meant to create a thrilling fantasy adventure as use it as something serious and over dramatic.

Agreed but I would guess the park wanted to use that same wording to get people to ride it.

I mean I could talk about how fast and out of vitriol my car is to sound cool but if I wrap it around a pole then people will talk about how fast and out of control it was

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tanna]

You be stuck sideways for 4+ hours, then we will see if you still say that.

This IS news. To say it is not is silly.

Does the ride use the same style of Trains as Flight of Fear?

If so.

You be stuck sideways for 4+ hours in this highly uncomfortable train....

I thought it was the Flight of Fear with no clothes on. I guess it's not.

[flightoffear1996]

I dont understand whey they couldn't winch the train over the edge. Would have been a quick and safer evac Unless there was something wrong with the train itself.

[thegajone]

That was my initial thought also, however I'm sure they determined that this was the safest way to evac. Or at least I would hope.

[shark6495]

Agreed, I would think that pulling it through would have been safer and quicker. Unless they feel/know something is wrong with a train? Could possibly worn down/out wheels cause a coaster to slow down enough to valley/stall?

I think anytime you have to be evacuated from the ride it is a news worthy story. Either in a "wow this would suck sense" or a "wow what went wrong sense." If you are stuck on a ride for more than 15-30 minutes, I too feel its a news story. Yes a ride may do its job by holding guests in a certain area, but if its doing that for more than 30 minutes, then there must be a bigger reason. If its not, then it falls into the "Wow this would suck/can you imagine being up there" type of news story.

[Italian Job 2005]

^ Joker's Jinx appears to launch significantly slower than Flight of Fear. It's really crawling when it gets to the tallest point of the ride. It appears that it didn't clear that point today.

Does it launch slower because of the extra weight of the sixth car? (Flight of Fear has only five)

[TombRaiderFTW]

^ When I rode Poltergeist at Six Flags Fiesta Texas last December, it did not seem nearly as slow as Joker's Jinx. Poltergeist also has 6 cars. Of course, we're talking about my perception of speed and not using actual numbers, but there's no point on Poltergeist or either Flight of Fear that seems to crawl nearly as slowly as Joker's Jinx.

[The Interpreter]

It just seemed slower.

Everything seems slower at Six Flags America.

Take Superman: Ride of Steel. Please!