Riders Left Hanging At 300ft For Four Hours

Twenty thrill-seekers were left dangling 300ft above ground for almost four hours after a ride at a California amusement park broke down.

The Windseeker attraction at Knott's Berry Farm, which is designed to lift riders high over the park and spin them in a circle, came to a halt when its security system activated on Wednesday afternoon.

Among those left hanging as the sun went down were Jimmy Garrison, a tourist from Baltimore, who left the park hours later with a souvenir T-shirt that read "I SURVIVED WINDSEEKER".

"They didn't tell me that in the brochure," he told KTTV-TV.

"They were on the PA system and they were telling us 'be patient with us,' and that sort of thing.

"I was looking over at the steel cables, they're about that thick,' he said, holding his thumb and forefinger several inches apart. "There's a whole bunch of them so I know you can't fall."

Garrison's wife Donna said her husband kept her from having a totally traumatic experience.

"I have a fear of heights so that first half-hour was a little bit daunting," she said. "But he's a great coach. He talked me through it."

Maintenance workers brought all the riders safely to the ground between just before 8pm, long after the park had closed and night had fallen.

Knott's says the ride, which also broke down on September 7, will remain closed while the cause of the problem is investigated.