A child was injured at an Orlando-area theme park after falling from a roller coaster, which has since been temporarily closed, officials said Friday.
The child, described as a 6-year-old, was hospitalized after he apparently fell Thursday afternoon from the Galaxy Spin ride at Fun Spot America, near Kissimmee, fire officials said.
“Units arrived to find a 6-year-old with traumatic injuries under the rollercoaster track which was approximately 20 feet above,” Osceola County Fire Rescue and EMS Office said in a statement.
An aerial view of the Galaxy Spin roller coaster ride at Fun Spot in Kissimmee, Fla., on Friday. WESH
The boy was taken to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, first responders said. His condition was not available.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is investigating the incident, department spokesperson Aaron Keller said.
“The ride is closed pending the outcome of the investigation,” he said.
Fun Spot said in a statement that a preliminary inspection of Galaxy Spin by state officials “found it to be in normal operating condition with no mechanical issues.”
The park said it would not reopen the ride until its leadership was sure such an incident will not happen again.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the child and their family, and we pray for a speedy recovery,” the park said. “The safety of our guests is our number one priority.”
The website Roller Coaster DataBase, which tracks coaster specifications globally, states Galaxy Spin has “spinning cars” that can rotate as it moves along the tight turns that help define it as a “wild mouse” style attraction.
The Galaxy Spin can travel at 29 mph and can subject riders to a force 2.5 times that of gravity, according to the database.
Fun Spot America, which also operates parks in Orlando and Atlanta, said children must be at least 48 inches tall to ride Galaxy Spin or 42 inches if they’re with an adult.
Kissimmee is about 22 miles south of Orlando.
The injury comes days after an incident involving a roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, in which the ride appeared to unexpectedly freeze near the top.
Videos and photos posted Monday on social media appear to show passengers walking down stairs from near the top of the 205-foot Magnum XL-200 coaster.
Cedar Point theme park in Sandusky, Ohio, on July 31, 2023.Tony Cafego / via Facebook
The coaster is touted on the park’s website as a Guinness Book of World Records holder for its leading-edge height.
Representatives for Cedar Point amusement park did not respond to a request for comment.
Over the Fourth of July holiday, a video shared by festival-goers in Wisconsin showed a number of riders hanging from a roller coaster stuck upside down midway. Last month in Rye, New York, a spinning ride would not stop until the amusement park’s staff eventually had no choice but to pull the plug so passengers could exit the ride.
Also this summer, a ride at Carowinds in North Carolina was shut down after a guest spotted a large crack that caused a support beam to move out of place as a car went by.
