‘Worst Ride of My Life’: Man Afraid of Heights Stuck on Bungee Ride for Three Hours
- Posted on July 20, 2011 at 5:45pm by
Madeleine Morgenstern
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William Macera, 23, was trying to get over his fear of heights. At his fiance’s urging, he agreed to ride the “Texas Blastoff,” a bungee ride that slingshots riders 150 through the air for a thrill that is supposed to last only 60 seconds.
Instead, due to a ride malfunction, the pair ended up dangling 100 feet in the air for three hours until firefighters could bring them down at the Zero Gravity Thrill Park in Dallas Monday night.
“I was pretty confident, it’s going to be over within less than 60 seconds, no problem,” Macera told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. “We just went for a fun ride and it turned out to be the worst ride of my life.”
Authorities said the bungee cords on one side of the ride got tangled, leaving Macera and his fiance suspended at an angle in the near 100-degree heat, helpless until firefighters arrived with a special basket attached to a ladder to rescue them.
“Texas Blastoff” is closed until the cause of the malfunction can be determined. The ride was last inspected in February of this year.
For Macera, the incident did nothing to quell his fear of heights, although it did bring the couple closer together.
“I’m never riding anything of that sort ever again,” Macera said. “If we can get past that, I’m sure everything else is good.”
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ComradeAdam
Posted on July 23, 2011 at 1:58amI bet they got free passes to ride it again.
Report Post »MUDFLAPS
Posted on July 22, 2011 at 10:32amproblem was not being caught up there for three hours. The problem is being stuck up there without wetwipes and a new pair of pants.
Report Post »breed3134
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 9:41pmYeah…when the word is referring to a female, there are two “e’s” in fiancee. One “e” indicates a male…unless he IS marrying a male…Borders, language, culture.
Report Post »nelan72
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 4:54pmThis ride is fun for about 3 seconds but then it just becomes lame and dull.
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 5:19amThis gives me an idea! Direct confrontation is the one of the best kinds of therapy for phobias.
Let’s take each liberal, strap them in a chair with their eyes propped open-ever seen that Stanley Kubrik movie, “A Clockwork Orange?”
And make them watch and listen to Glenn Beck, Allen West, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann and Ann Coulter.
I bet they’d emerge more conservative, and more humble and all-around better for it! Worth a shot!
Report Post »Gypsy123
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 4:38amGlad they weren’t hurt but that was pure stupidity.
Report Post »glennisright.com
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 1:39amThat which doesn not kill us only makes us stronger.
Report Post »pschlentz
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 2:50amGlenn is right!
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 5:12amYou got it! They say there is no betterr way to face your fears than to do it directly!
Report Post »miles from nowhere
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 11:32pmHe must be cured , he did not die.
Report Post »poppinbeaners
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:30pmIt is now repoted that Macera has called his wedding off.
Report Post »Chappy123
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 7:42pmIf you want to get over fear of heights, try starting out with sitting on the roof of your house and graduate to something else next time.
Report Post »quicker
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 7:30pmThey had one of these at Angleton county fair 1 year .I was going to try it till I seen all the wet pant coming off it.
Report Post »junque
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 10:15pmWet paint or wet pants??
Report Post »quicker
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 6:31amPants
Report Post »bitter clinger
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 7:16pmGet back on that horse boy!
Report Post »Ron_WA
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:57pmI congratulate him for at least confronting his fears & demons … too bad it turned out so wrong for him. Nobody ever got stronger by avoiding work; no pain, no gain; to win one must dare to lose; etc.
Report Post »BubbaT
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:47pmIt took 3 hrs for firefighters to get there? Yeah, I’d be suing somebody. Maybe not for much but for something. That’s ********.
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:40pmWhy would I want to scare the crap out of myself when I can watch other people do it to themselves?
Report Post »welovetheUSA
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:31pmIf………..your afraid of heights, Why go on this in the first place, is this an example of a Voter?
Report Post »vtxphantom
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:22pmI don’t like skydiving. I’m not going to prove it by jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.
Report Post »Quagmir
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:13pmSo he was afraid of heights before or after the ride?
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:07pmWhat fun!
Report Post »harumph
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:06pmGive ‘em two free funnel cakes and call it a day.
Report Post »ooskerDoo
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 7:55pmAnd and elephant ear, and MAYBE a deep fried Snickers…
Report Post »USMarine0311
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:04pmJudgeing from teh headline all I can say is …..Dumbass!
Report Post »Chet Hempstead
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:03pmIf you’re trying to get over a fear of heights, I recommend you start with a small ferris wheel instead of 150 foot bungee, and work your way up through increasingly high rides.
Report Post »Ndbbm
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 5:58pmA fear of heights… As a rock climber I call that a sign of intelligence.
Report Post »harumph
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 5:54pmThe big question: Is there any way he can sue somebody for this?
Report Post »Mr-T
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 5:54pmThis is the reason why I hate any fair ride outside of the normal bumper cars.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:07pmI hate bumper cars. When I get tagged without seeing who hit me, I get road rage.
Report Post »LOOKING_BOTH_WAYS
Posted on July 20, 2011 at 6:18pmMerry Go Rounds reminds me of what our Gov’t is doing to us
well someone had to make this Political, so why not me
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