Six Flags guests stuck at top of roller coaster in the rain

A woman who recently visited Six Flags New England said she was stuck at the top of a 12-story-tall roller coaster for almost an hour in the rain.

In a video shared by Providence news outlet NBC 10 WJAR, Samantha Stanley said she was at the Massachusetts theme park with her friend and her friend's two children on May 9.

Stanley and her friend's 11-year-old rode the Joker roller coaster, a "tumbling free-style coaster" with inversions and a 120-foot-tall hill, according to the Six Flags website. The two "had a blast," as Stanley put it, and asked the attendant to go on the ride again.

"When we were on our way up, it just stopped at the top – the very top – and it was drizzling so I was like, oh whatever, it's probably just because the rain, it's going to stop for a minute," she continued.

She said her friend's daughter heard a click from the coaster and it came to a complete stop at a 45-degree angle, right at the highest point of the ride.

According to Jakob Wahl, president and CEO of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, it's not unusual or a sign of danger for a ride to stop if one of its sensors is triggered, given that they run off of complex information technology systems.

"It might sound strange, but this is actually a good sign, because if a vehicle is stopped on the lift hill or on a brake, it means that the ride system signalizes 'Hey, something here is maybe not 100% correct, so we will check on that, and this is why we are holding the car,'" Wahl previously told USA TODAY.

Six Flags New England confirmed this to USA TODAY in a statement. "Every attraction is equipped with safety sensors that monitor all aspects of the ride cycle. On occasion, a sensor will send an alert to the control panel that stops the ride, similar to a 'check engine' light. However, unlike your car, rides will not run when a sensor is engaged. This maintains the safety of riders and operators. In most cases, a complete systems check can reset the ride quickly, and the ride resumes. Sometimes the ride requires a lengthier review by our maintenance experts."

As maintanence workers checked out the ride, Stanley and her friend's daughter occupied themselves by talking about the nearby waterpark area. "It just got harder and harder as the time was going on and I was like, oh no, how do I keep this 11-year-old girl calm during the rain and the ride has stopped?" she said.

Then an announcement over the speaker said they were going to unlock the ride. The coaster completed and park workers unlocked the guests from their harnesses. Stanley said riders were given dry clothes, food vouchers and tickets to skip the line at other rides.

On the whole, theme park rides are designed with safety top of mind. Manufacturers follow highly detailed, prescriptive safety standards set by industry experts and the rides go through rigorous testing before guests set foot on them.

"The safety of our guests and employees is a top priority," said Six Flags. "The ride was thoroughly inspected and returned to service."