{"id":450583,"date":"2026-09-29T00:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T00:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/450583\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T00:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T00:14:11","slug":"riders-removed-from-cotaland-roller-coaster-after-operational-stop-on-opening-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/450583\/","title":{"rendered":"Riders removed from COTALAND roller coaster after “operational stop” on opening weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Videos from COTALAND’s opening weekend<\/a> appear to show riders being evacuated from the amusement park’s Circuit Breaker tilt coaster and brought to safety after it stopped at the top of a vertical drop.<\/p>\n

In a video posted to Instagram<\/a> by user @lonestarrider, riders appear to face the ground at the top of the coaster but the ride does not continue.<\/p>\n

Within seconds, the person recording realizes the ride is stuck.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? Oh my God. No way,\u201d he said. He waves down to friends, who ask if he is okay.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m good! We\u2019re just a little stuck,” he responds.<\/p>\n

COTALAND employees are then seen assisting riders off of the coaster. They urge passengers to watch their step as they get off the coaster and hold the railing along a metal staircase alongside the track. <\/p>\n

ALSO | Ribbon cut at COTALand as thrill-seekers get first look at new theme park<\/a><\/p>\n

In a statement to CBS Austin, COTALAND described the stop as part of the ride’s safety systems, writing:<\/p>\n

Circuit Breaker experienced a brief operational stop today after the ride\u2019s monitoring system detected a condition that caused it to pause automatically. Guests remained safely secured throughout the delay. The ride vehicle returned to its normal horizontal position in less than five minutes, and guests exited normally.Circuit Breaker, like modern roller coasters and other major thrill rides, has numerous sensors and safety systems that continuously monitor operating conditions. If a required condition is not satisfied, the system may automatically stop the ride rather than allow it to continue. When that happens, riders remain safely secured while attendants follow established procedures, complete the necessary checks and verification cycles, and return the ride to service once those checks are satisfied.Occasional operational stops are a normal part of operating sophisticated amusement rides. Our goal is to complete the necessary checks efficiently, minimize the inconvenience to our guests, and get everyone back to enjoying their day at COTALAND.<\/p>\n

“Everyone was ok and the COTALAND team did an amazing job getting us down safely and that the ride worked as designed to keep us safe,” the Instagram user who shared the video told CBS Austin.<\/p>\n

The same ride is the subject of a lawsuit against Circuit of the Americas <\/a>following a stop in December 2025.<\/p>\n

A rider filed a lawsuit seeking more than $1 million in damages after he was left suspended at a 90-degree angle on a roller coaster at COTA for more than an hour, according to court documents filed in Travis County.<\/p>\n

At the time, COTA attributed the stoppage to a sensor pin malfunction that disrupted communication between mechanical and computerized components of the ride.<\/p>\n

EDITOR’S NOTE: COTALand is an advertiser with CBS Austin. CBS Austin’s newsroom independently determines its coverage and editorial content.<\/p>\n