QUEENSBURY, N.Y. — A father and his 21-year-old daughter had caught the teenage girl who fell 25 feet to the ground from an amusement park ride.
Matthew Howard Sr. and his daughter, Leeann Winchell, said they were about to leave Six Flags Great Escape near Albany, New York on Saturday when they saw the 14-year-old dangling from the “Sky Ride” gondola. The girl’s little brother was sitting beside her and screamed for help.
Howard said he stood under the girl and promised he’d catch her. She lost her grip and she fell on top of him. Winchell said she caught the girl’s head and they all tumbled to the ground.
Howard was treated and released for a back injury. The girl, from Greenwood, Delaware, is at Albany Medical Center in stable condition with no serious injuries. Her brother was uninjured.
Authorities said girl was riding the attraction and fell from the stationary two-person car, striking a tree before landing in the crowd below.
Officials inspected the ride and said it was in proper working order. The park said in a statement that the accident “does not appear to be any malfunction of the ride.”
