Horror moment girl's rollercoaster harness fails as couple desperately hold it down

A couple saved a young girl after her restraints failed on a roller coaster (Image: Wikipedia)

Camera footage has captured the quick-thinking actions of a couple that saved a terrified girl's life after her restraints failed while travelling on a 75mph, 208-feet-tall rollercoaster. What should have been a fun day out at the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, turned into a nightmare when the girl's seatbelt came undone on the Mamba ride on October 11. 

Luckily, Chris and Cassie Evins, a couple from Missouri and parents of four, were sitting in front of the girl when they heard what Chris described as "blood-curdling screams" coming from behind them. “The shrieks were like I’ve never heard before,” he said, explaining that at first, he “assumed it was her first time on the ride.” However, upon turning around, he realised this was not just a scared child and something was seriously wrong. Chris said: '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 seatbelt.

The rollercoaster camera captured the moment Chris and Cassie were helping the girl (Image: Facebook/ cassandra.nicole.50)

" I looped my arm underneath the lap bar, and I grabbed a hold of her wrist. My wife was pushing down on her legs," he told  KCTV5.

The couple, who had season tickets to the park and had ridden the ride many times, knew that steep hills and turns were coming, which could have launched her out of the unsecured seat. Chris said they shifted their positions to push down on her whole body to keep her from coming out of her seat. The Evinses were able to keep the young girl secured until the ride ended, and likely saved her life.

The rollercoaster camera, which usually captures riders' screams of delight, captured the much more serious and terrified screams of the Evinses and the girl they were helping. In the photo, Chris and Cassie can be seen reaching into the seat behind them, their expressions distraught, and the girl is bent forward with a petrified expression on her face. 

The couple immediately reported the incident to park staff and the ride was closed for inspection (Image: Facebook/ cassandra.nicole.50)

After they escaped the ride, the couple immediately reported the incident to park staff, and were told that the Mamba would be closed for inspection for the rest of the day.

The Mamba's last inspection prior to the close call was on April 25. A series of inspections since the girl's seatbelt failure took place on the same day and the following days. 

Mike O’Connell, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, told the Kansas City Star that one of those inspections on October 30 determined that several belts on the ride were found to be not working properly. 

The park spokesman said: "On Thursday, the ride underwent a comprehensive safety review by the Fire Marshall. 

"Again, the lap bars and buckles were found fully functional, and we implemented slight modifications to a number of seat belts to ensure they met or exceeded all applicable safety standards before the ride opened to guests that evening."

The Evinses won't be returning to Worlds of Fun they see a change and are comfortable taking their four children there (Image: Facebook/ )

A Worlds of Fun spokesperson later said in a statement: "The safety of our guests and team members is a top priority. Following the report of a guest concern on the ride several weeks ago, our team immediately closed the ride and completed a thorough inspection before reopening it that evening. 

"The ride is equipped with a multi-layered restraint system, with lap bars being the primary restraint. The seat belts serve as a secondary restraint. 

"Throughout multiple inspections, there was no evidence of restraint failure in the lap bar system or the buckles on any seat belts during any of the ride inspections and the ride has operated safely since the initial concern was raised."

Despite these assurances, the Evinses have said they won't be returning to the park anytime soon: "We probably won’t go back for a while," Cassie said. "We need to see a change, and once we see that change I will be comfortable taking my four children [there] – who I am not comfortable taking currently."