Defective wheel bearing is responsible for Western Playland crash

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UPDATE, July 26: The owner of the Western Playland amusement park said on Monday that a faulty wheel bearing on a roller coaster car was likely responsible for the ‘El Bandito’ ride malfunction over the weekend that blocked eight teenagers.

The teens had to be rescued on Saturday night by firefighters in Sunland Park and West Valley from the 30-year-old merry-go-round.

Owner Patrick Thomson defended the decision to return the roller coaster to service a day after the crash, saying the two cars with suspected wheel problems had been removed and the ride had passed inspection tests and checks.

UPDATE, July 25: A roller coaster at Western Playland was back up and running on Sunday, just hours after a malfunction, forcing firefighters to rescue eight teenagers stuck in the ride.

Patrick Thomson, owner of the 30-acre amusement park located in Sunland Park, said the cause of Saturday night’s incident was unclear. An inspection did not reveal any problems with the ride.

Thomson told ABC-7 the roller coaster was back up and running on Sunday, but without the two cars that got stuck atop the ride – about 60 feet tall – with the teens in their seats. He said the route would undergo further evaluation on Monday.

Firefighters said on Sunday that it took about two hours for rescue teams to safely release the eight teenagers trapped on the journey.

West Valley Fire Chief Bill Adler told ABC-7 it took a few hours to complete Saturday night’s rescue efforts as they had to “shoot every child one by one” using ‘an aerial ladder truck.

ORIGINAL REPORT, July 24: SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico – Firefighters were rescuing seven teenagers stuck in the inner circle of the roller coaster at Western Playland on Saturday night.

Sunland Park and West Valley firefighters responded to the amusement park around 8:30 p.m.

Firefighters said no injuries were reported and a tactical team was working to get all the teenagers off the stuck roller coaster car.

Firefighters used an aerial ladder with a bucket and harness to perform rescues.

There was no word on the cause of the merry-go-round blocking.

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