Eight students were rescued Thursday from the Iron Shark roller coaster at Pleasure Pier in Galveston after the ride stopped during an ascent and left riders suspended above the pier for hours. Firefighters used a tower truck to lower the riders one by one, with each person placed in a safety harness before being brought down safely.
Galveston Fire Department Chief Mike Varela Jr. said firefighters got the call at 5:37 p.m. about eight riders stuck on the coaster, while live camera video reviewed by Eyewitness News showed the ride had already stopped at 5:21 p.m. Some passengers were stuck for well over three hours, and the rescue took more than three-and-a-half hours to finish.
Houston ISD said the riders were students taking part in a field trip organized by Energized for STEM Academy Middle School and STEM Academy High School. The district said all students, staff and chaperones were safe and that school administrators were in direct contact with families.
The Iron Shark sits among Pleasure Pier's most visible attractions, with a 100-foot vertical lift hill, a 1,246-foot track and speeds of up to 52 miles per hour, according to the pier's website. That height made the stop especially difficult to manage, turning a mechanical malfunction into a long rescue operation in full view of families and visitors at the pier.
Landry's Inc., which operates the ride, said it experienced a malfunction at its initial ascent and stopped as designed to keep everyone safe. The company said its focus shifted immediately to getting guests off the coaster and that a thorough inspection will be done before the ride goes back into service. The detail that matters now is not that the system failed, but that it failed in a way meant to prevent worse harm, and the students came down without injury.
