People stuck on ride at Lehigh Spring Festival

Published: Updated:

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. – One day after a ride was stuck in the air, WINK News is working to figure out what exactly went wrong.

Around 8 p.m. Saturday, a ride called the Power Surge got stuck mid-air, about 40 feet high with six people on it. It took firefighters nearly two hours to rescue all the riders, using a ladder to reach the seats.

WINK News found the company who operates the ride is Modern Midways, which is based out of Illinois. Sunday afternoon, WINK News Reporter Alec Schreck left a message for the company. At the time this story was published, he had not heard back.

According to the Bureau of Fair Rides inspection website, “all temporary amusement rides are inspected each time they are moved or set up at a new location, and permanent rides are inspected semi-annually. All amusement rides are required to be permitted annually by the Department, are required to undergo nondestructive testing for structural integrity, and must have an annual inspection by a professional engineer or qualified inspector.”

WINK News contacted the Bureau of Fair Rides to see if they are investigating Modern Midways and if there are current investigations into the company; however, we have not heard back.

Meanwhile, one woman we talked to said she rode the Power Surge about an hour before the accident Saturday and she too got stuck on the ride.

“I was completely upside down and they [her daughter] were sideways. We watched the carnie [sic] go back and forth from the machine to the front, where it runs it, several times, until he released the air out of the hydraulic line to slowly lower us down. Meanwhile, I was stuck upside down for literally five minutes,” said Autumn Spainhower.

Sunday night, WINK News talked to Andy Reisinger, who applied for the festival permit. Reisinger said he oversees roughly 25 volunteers and they are not responsible for operating the rides.

This is third year in a row a ride has had problems at the Lehigh Acres Spring Festival.

Last year, a piece of metal flew off a ride and hit a car parked nearby. In 2013, the Ring of Fire malfunctioned. An inspector found loose, worn and severely cracked parts; however, because of the extensive damage the actual cause of the malfunction was unknown. The company who maintained that ride was also Modern Midways.

Trust WINK News to continue digging for answers.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.