Teen stuck on roller coaster, firefighters who conducted extraction, recap harrowing rescue
GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A harrowing high-wire rescue mission to extract eight students who were stranded 100 feet midair after a Galveston roller coaster malfunctioned made national headlines and had ABC13 streaming live for hours on Thursday.
Now, a teen who was stuck on that stopped train spoke to ABC13, as well as the brave firefighters who climbed into the air and safely got the teens down.
ORIGINAL REPORT: 8 students rescued from roller coaster that was stuck for hours at Pleasure Pier
'I got scared': Teen recalls roller coaster rescue
A field trip organized for Energized for STEM Academy Middle and High Schools made national headlines when eight students were left stranded in the air.
Eighth-grader Frank Mendoza was one of the eight students stuck on the train, and said the ordeal has left him shaken.
"I got scared. I started feeling lightheaded for a few hours. My body started hurting, and it still hurts," Mendoza said.
Mendoza and all the students attend Energized for STEM Academy, a charter school within HISD. They were visiting Pleasure Pier as part of an end-of-year field trip.
Other students said that some riders had safely ridden the coaster earlier in the day, only for it to suddenly stop with eight teens on board.
"Everybody was getting on normally until they got on and started again, and everybody was worried about them," student Dayana Sigaran, who had just completed her ride before the malfunction, said. "We were trying to contact their parents and stuff."
Mendoza said firefighters repeatedly encouraged the riders during the rescue.
"They told us to stay calm and that everything was going to be okay," he said.
After more than three hours, all eight teens were safely brought to the ground without serious injuries.
For Mendoza, the experience was an unexpected ending to what was meant to be a celebration.
"It was for the end of the school year," he said. "The last thing we do before school ends."
'Check, double check, triple check': Firefighters climbed 100 feet in the air for high-wire extraction
Galveston firefighters responded to the scene and worked carefully to rescue each rider. Along with the technical rescue effort, crews focused on keeping the teens calm.
"They were pretty frightened, but they're pretty brave," Capt. John Fearrington of the Galveston Fire Department said. "You reassure them every step of the way and tell them what you're going to do."
Fearrington said the rescue "required them to do something they'd never had to do."
As shown in SkyEye13 video, the firefighters took turns in the bucket of the 105-foot ladder to check on the students.
The crew said the training they've undergone for situations like this required a piece of equipment that helps people get down from high areas, which was broken on Thursday, prompting them to pivot to other maneuvers.
"We were starting to look at what rigging we needed ... how we were going to address it, but, luckily, everything fell perfectly," Featherington said.
"The goal was to harness them, but you also have to tether them to something secure. You need something to stop them if they fall off. Every step of the process you have to check, double check, triple check," Featherington said.
Riders and responders relieved now that feet are on the ground
Featherington said that even with the equipment challenges and the students sitting in the sun for nearly four hours, the rescue went perfectly.
On Friday, Mendoza was still feeling pain in his back, thighs, and neck. He was visiting doctors at a local hospital when ABC13 spoke to him.
"We are grateful that all students, staff, and chaperones are safe. School administration is in direct contact with the families of all students who were on the trip," HISD said in a statement Thursday evening.
One of the riders told ABC13 that it was her first time on a roller coaster and that she "never wanted to get on one."
Pleasure Pier owner Landry's says the amusement park has reopened. However, the roller coaster involved in the incident will remain closed while a full inspection is completed.
