Galveston authorities worked Thursday evening to rescue eight people stuck on the Iron Shark roller coaster at Pleasure Pier after the ride stalled around 5:35 p.m. Police said the coaster stopped with riders still on board, and firefighters used a tower truck to begin bringing them down.
By 8:20 p.m., five riders had been safely removed from the ride and were being taken down a ladder by firefighters, while three riders remained on the coaster. Each person was being placed in a safety harness before being lowered, as crews continued working at the scene.
The cause of the stoppage was not immediately clear. Terry Turney said the ride experienced a malfunction during its initial ascent and stopped as designed to keep everyone safe. He said Pleasure Pier contacted the fire department to help remove all guests safely and that the ride would undergo a thorough inspection before it returned to service.
The Iron Shark is one of Pleasure Pier’s signature attractions, with a 100-foot vertical lift, a beyond-vertical drop, a 1,246-foot track and four full inversions. According to the pier’s website, the coaster reaches 52 miles per hour, making the delay especially notable for riders who had expected a fast, high-thrill ride and instead spent the evening waiting to come down one by one.
The rescue showed how quickly an amusement ride problem can turn into a careful evacuation once passengers are stranded in the air. The remaining riders were still being brought down as crews continued to secure them, and the next step for the coaster is clear: it stays out of service until inspectors decide it is safe to run again.
