Tweet
While I have heard news reports about the incident yesterday, they are WAY over blown...
A casino executive blamed high winds for a thrill ride shutdown that stranded two girls high above the Las Vegas Strip early Wednesday morning.
The ride extends a curved arm from a tower platform and spins up to 10 passengers around on seats suspended at the end of mechanical fingers.
Gabriella Ceniceros, 11, and Erica McKinnon, 19, of Las Vegas, were the only passengers on the ride when it stopped about 12:45 a.m. They remained suspended about 900 feet above Las Vegas Boulevard until workers pulled the arm back to the platform about 2 a.m. and rescued them.
The two girls were unharmed.
Hotel officials said the ride is designed to go into "pause mode" when high winds are registered.
"The Insanity ride operated exactly as designed," Bobby Ray Harris, Stratosphere hotel-casino general manager, said in a statement.
Wind gusts were clocked as high as 55 mph late Tuesday atop the Stratosphere tower, which stands more than 1,100 feet tall and resembles the Space Needle in Seattle.
Harris said the ride, which opened March 10, passed inspections and resumed operation Wednesday morning.
The Stratosphere is the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River.
My question.. what was an 11 year old girl doing riding it at almost 1 AM in the morning! 
A casino executive blamed high winds for a thrill ride shutdown that stranded two girls high above the Las Vegas Strip early Wednesday morning.
The ride extends a curved arm from a tower platform and spins up to 10 passengers around on seats suspended at the end of mechanical fingers.
Gabriella Ceniceros, 11, and Erica McKinnon, 19, of Las Vegas, were the only passengers on the ride when it stopped about 12:45 a.m. They remained suspended about 900 feet above Las Vegas Boulevard until workers pulled the arm back to the platform about 2 a.m. and rescued them.
The two girls were unharmed.
Hotel officials said the ride is designed to go into "pause mode" when high winds are registered.
"The Insanity ride operated exactly as designed," Bobby Ray Harris, Stratosphere hotel-casino general manager, said in a statement.
Wind gusts were clocked as high as 55 mph late Tuesday atop the Stratosphere tower, which stands more than 1,100 feet tall and resembles the Space Needle in Seattle.
Harris said the ride, which opened March 10, passed inspections and resumed operation Wednesday morning.
The Stratosphere is the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River.
Comment