The National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan offered a horrifying sight for many, leading to shock and praise for those nearby who tried to save the situation. The ride, Magic Carpet, was similar to the swaying ship rides that send you upside down, but this didn’t seem to be working properly.
In video shared across social media, the ride can be seen wobbling and almost lifting off the ground as the ride continued operating. According to the Mirror, it can be heard hitting into the concrete, prompting many to run and attempt to stabilize the ride while it was brought to safe stop.
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This angle is much, much worse! Wow pic.twitter.com/2cEJK3h0ee
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 10, 2021
The near accident occurred at 11 p.m. local time, with riders on the Magic Carpet secured in their seats until the ride had been safely brought to a stop. According to WPBN, the ride has been shut down and dismantled due to the incident and no injuries were reported. The Mirror adds that when they were finally released from the ride, passengers shared a hug to cheers from onlookers.
Video of the incident made the rounds, popping up on Reddit early on Saturday morning, before other angles filtered around social media and YouTube, with ViralHog hosting a video that shows another angle of the near-disaster.
The 95-year-old festival has been going strong, with President Joe Biden even popping in over the July 4th weekend. He luckily stayed far away from the Magic Carpet while visiting.
TMZ reports that the company behind the ride itself had no comment on what happened, with the festival organizers taking a similar stance. Still, many online praised the onlookers who rushed to try to help stop the ride from tipping. Others were just happy to not be on the ride themselves.
“I learned my lesson on a wooden roller coaster at a carnival in SC. I’ve seen too many Final Destinations to try my luck like that again,” one person wrote. “Fine for whoever cleared this ride as properly assembled and safe to operate. Totally endangered the public and thank God those bystanders rushed in to save the day,” another added.
