Couple on 75-mph roller coaster heard girl's scream after her seat belt came off. They had just seconds to save her
Sometimes, all it takes is a moment to transform the outcome of a situation completely. Being vigilant, proactive and brave can help act in that moment to make a life-saving difference. KCTV reported the bravery of a couple, Chris and Cassie Evins, who helped change a terrifying situation at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. The duo was enjoying the Mamba Ride, one of the tallest rides with a drop of 205 feet, per ABC 7. They were frozen after hearing a “blood-curdling” scream from a fellow rider. After realizing the reason behind her scream, they sprang into smart and quick action and it made all the difference in saving her life.
Such rides are created for the purpose of enjoyment and screaming during them is normal. While most people on the Mamba ride might have thought the girl was just enjoying it, the Evins' feared something was off. That scream felt more like it was a fright for life. “We get on the roller coaster and the very first hill, the girl sitting behind my wife just lets out this blood-curdling scream, like I’ve never heard before,” Chris recalled. Even they mistook her yells to be ones of excitement until they checked on the girl. They learned that her seatbelt had come off and she was moments away from disaster. “It was completely undone,” he recounted.
As frequent visitors, Chris and Cassie were well aware of what the ride entailed and what turns and harrowing drops came next, FOX 8 revealed. "I said, 'Look, you're going to make it through the rest of this ride. We're not going to let you go,'" Chris remarked. The girl had to be protected and the couple was determined to leave no stone unturned in helping. “I had looped my arm underneath her lap bar, which had a pretty big gap between her and the lap bar. So at this point, I’m seeing a huge space, no seat belt. I looped my arm underneath the lap bar and I grabbed a hold of her wrist,” Chris explained.
Cassie also tried to hold her down as best as she could. The next few minutes were devoted to keeping the girl in her seat, no matter what it took. Going around 72 miles an hour, there was no telling what would come next. "As we crested each hill or as we started to go up to the top, I recognized that it was going to lift her out of her seat,” the man said. They strategized on the spur of the moment to shift positions and keep the girl fixated on her seat. “Instead of holding her, we pushed down on her whole body to keep her from coming out of the seat while we’re going over those hills,” he added.
The couple was able to successfully hold on to the girl until the ride was over. The incident was also brought to the notice of the management. The Mamba ride was closed and reopened only after a thorough inspection was done. Chris and Cassie were thankful that they were at the right place at the right time. As parents, it was distressing to recall the experience. “My whole thought after the incident is, what if it had been somebody else in our seats? What if it were others, her friends? You know, they could have had a drastically different outcome,” Chris said.