A Groves, Texas, carnival ride operator at a festival in is being called a hero after holding onto a malfunctioning ride that lifted him in 30 feet in the air Sunday, so he could protect a young girl who was not secured inside the amusement attraction.
Beaumont TV news station KBMT reported that the operator was working at the Pecan Festival in Groves, where he helped secure a 12-year-old girl inside one of the ride's enclosed cars, when a gust of wind caused the ride to malfunction, sending the arm of the ride to go up with the girl inside and the worker clinging to the apparatus.
The worker held onto the amusement ride, consisting of one arm with cars on each end, as when it went up.
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Video taken by Eric McCauley shows the operator clinging to The Bullet ride 30 feet in the air, while also using his foot to close the door to keep the girl safely inside the ride's car.
After a few intense minutes, the car returned to the ground, and no one was hurt.
The news station spoke to the girl’s mother, Caress Muraira, who said the family wanted to have a family day of fun at the festival.
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"We went and got the wristbands," she said. "That was the first ride she wanted to do."
Muraira explained that when the ride started moving as he was securing her into the car, it was moving slowly, and the ride operator tried to stop it because the door was not closed.
But as he went to close the door, the mother said, he "just kind of flew up with it."
"My daughter was up there and talking to him, saying ‘please hang on, don’t fall,’" Muraira said. "She kept telling me, ‘Mommy, I’m ok. I just want to let you know I’m ok.’"
Muraira said the carnival ride operator was a hero.
The ride was reportedly closed for the remainder of the day.
