19 Rescued From Roller Coaster, Stuck On Track, At Frontier City

Emergency crews were called in to rescue several passengers stuck on a roller coaster at Frontier City.

Nineteen passengers were on the Silver Bullet roller coaster when it became stuck, around 11:30 a.m. Park personnel were able to rescue seven passengers. Oklahoma City firefighters, using harnesses, were called in to assist getting the other 12 passengers safely off the ride, because those passenger's cars had gone past the catwalk. Eighteen firefighters responded to the scene.

A mechanical issue is blamed for the malfunction. 

This isn't the first time the Silver Bullet has gotten stuck. The roller coaster last was stuck in about the same location back in June 2016. During that incident, eight passengers had to be rescued from the ride. Before then, it malfunctioned in August 2008 and again in August 2014. 

A spokesperson for Frontier City issued the following statement regarding this situation:

At approximately 11:25 a.m., the train on the Silver Bullet roller coaster at Frontier City stalled in a safe position on the lift. Due to the position of the stalled train, the back half of the cars were able to be evacuated by the park personnel. The fire department had to be called to evacuate the guests in the front cars.

Guest safety is Frontier City’s top priority. As soon as each guest has been evacuated from the Silver Bullet, a thorough investigation into the reason the ride stalled will take place.

The spokesperson went on to tell News 9 that the park was not open to the general public today. The people in the park were part of a private event.

Later, a theme park spokesperson issued a second statement on the incident:

Frontier City and the Oklahoma Department of Labor are conducting a thorough investigation of the Silver Bullet roller coaster after its train stalled in a safe position on the lift Thursday morning. All guests were safely evacuated by 1:15 PM.

The Silver Bullet’s safety system reacted exactly as it was designed to do in the event that a full cycle cannot take place. The safety of our guests is our highest priority and the ride will be closed until the investigation is complete.

Thursday afternoon the Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Melissa McLawhorn Houston released the following statement regarding the Frontier City ride evacuation:

“As soon as we were notified, the Oklahoma Department of Labor began investigating the cause of this morning’s incident and temporarily shut down the Silver Bullet ride. After a thorough investigation, Oklahoma Department of Labor inspectors will complete a comprehensive inspection of the ride and ensure all safety standards are being met before the ride is operational again. As always, we appreciate Frontier City’s commitment to their guests’ safety and for efficiently executing their emergency plan. We also appreciate the quick response and assistance of the Oklahoma City Fire Department.”