According to Lagoon’s Adam Leishman, the event occurred near the loading area of the Sky Ride and involved an adult male who needed to be evacuated from the ride. Leishman noted that the man had a caregiver with him who was able to “keep him safe and offer support during this whole process.”

Per ABC4, workers who were at the park during the incident said that they saw the man hanging from the ride and heard people yelling for him to “hang on.”

The Farmington Fire Department joined park staffers in responding to the incident, and heavy machinery was used to facilitate the man’s rescue.

“The [responding fire department crew] was very close. They came right away and helped get this guest safe in the carrier and then our team was able to bring up a machine, a man lift, to actually evacuate that guest from the ride,” Leishman told the Standard-Examiner. “So, it ended, absolutely, as well as it could have. The guest, the caregiver and their group stayed the rest of the day. From what I gather, they come quite often.”

Leishman said that safety is the top priority where park operations are concerned, noting that every ride at Lagoon is inspected three times daily, save for the wooden roller coaster, which is inspected four times daily. He added that the Sky Ride, which is essentially an aerial people mover akin to a ski lift, must meet specifications established by the Utah Passenger Ropeway Safety Committee, part of the Utah Department of Transportation.

In the event that a rider does not comply with park rules or the safety guidelines for an individual ride, or some other emergency occurs, the park also has evacuation procedures for each attraction.

“There has been a fair amount of news around the country, especially this time of year, with ride evacuations, which are more common than you’d think,” Leishman said. “When a ride stops, it’s as simple as driving your car and your check engine light comes on. That safety system will alert the operator and it’s just part of the procedure to keep everybody safe. These evacuation procedures are planned and trained for.”

Leishman noted that the fire department and park officials had staged machinery and rehearsed a Sky Ride evacuation previously. He offered thanks to the workers and public safety officials who responded to the incident on Friday.

“I’m just so grateful that it ended as well as it possibly could have,” Leishman said. “Really grateful our team was able to respond so quickly and for the help from the fire department.”