Houston Students Rescued After Hours Stranded on Galveston Roller Coaster

Eight Houston-area students were rescued Thursday after spending nearly four hours stranded atop the Iron Shark roller coaster at Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier following a ride malfunction.

The students were participating in a school trip when the coaster stopped during its initial ascent, leaving riders suspended near the top of the attraction’s approximately 100-foot vertical lift. Emergency crews were called to the scene shortly after the ride came to a halt.

Galveston firefighters used specialized rescue equipment, including an extended ladder truck and safety harnesses, to remove riders individually from the coaster. The operation lasted several hours before all students were safely returned to the ground.

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Fire officials said the students were shaken by the experience and evaluated for dehydration after spending an extended period in the Texas heat. No serious injuries were reported.

Pleasure Pier officials said the ride experienced a malfunction during its initial climb but stopped as designed under built-in safety procedures. The attraction will remain out of service pending a full inspection.

For Houston-area families, the incident comes as Galveston enters one of its busiest tourism periods of the year. While officials emphasized that the coaster’s safety systems functioned as intended, investigators are still working to determine what triggered the stoppage.

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