This weekend, Fiesta Texas' famous Rattler roller-coaster is closing forever. Officials notified park-goers that this was their last opportunity to ride the Rattler, but those final rides didn't go as smoothly as planned.
The 20-year old wooden coaster races along at speeds close to 65 miles per hour on nearly a mile of track, diving up and down and in and out of quarry tunnels.
In the middle of one if its final runs, power to the coaster was suddenly cut, and cars loaded with people coasted to a halt, one on the crest of a hill and in the heat of the sun. After 30-minutes, park officials escorted the riders to safety on the ground.
People in the trapped cars were told they were safe, but the only explanation Fiesta Texas offered was that the ride was experiencing technical difficulties, and that maintenance technicians had been called and were on their way.
Fiesta Texas would only say that there are many check points monitored by computers, and it may be that one of those stopped the ride on this day.
Fiesta Texas isn’t saying why the Rattler is permanently closing or what, if anything, will take its place.
