A young girl who was on the “tallest travelling freefall” attraction in Australia has described the moment she decided to leap in an effort to save herself after the harness that was supposed to keep her in place broke down. Holly Brown and her friend Ava were the only two riders on the Mega Drop, and since they had already ridden it earlier that day, they felt they knew what to expect.
The Mega Drop is described as the “ultimate” thrill ride, with riders being dropped from a height of over 130 feet in the air and reaching speeds of 130 miles per hour.
However, as the ride began, 12-year-old Holly realised that both her and Ava’s seat restraints were not properly locked into place.
Initially, Holly thought it might be a prank, but when she realised it was not, she fully grasped the seriousness of the situation.
She said: “I was really scared, like really, really scared.”
The Mirror reports the seat restraint had flung up above her head and she was unable to reach it, while Ava’s was still down over her shoulders it was also not in place and she desperately pulled it to her chest.
Holly said: “So I thought, ‘Well, I either jump and maybe I break a few bones or I go up and die’.
“So I was like, ‘You know what, breaking bones is better than losing my life’, so I jumped.”
Eyewitness Danielle Snow who was at the Kilcoy Show in Queensland, comforted Holly after her jump and said the ride operator slipped and fell about three metres before yelling at Ava and Holly to jump.
Ava didn’t jump, was unbuckled and alone travelling up the tower before the worker eventually hit the emergency stop button and brought the ride to a halt, saving Ava.
Ms Snow said: “Ava thought Holly had died.
“Because from the height, she just assumed that she would have died, that she wouldn’t have survived that.”
The youngster was stuck on the ride, not knowing if Holly was safe, as paramedics rushed to treat her friend on the ground.
Holly fractured her foot and is recovering at home.
The incident is being investigated by Queensland Workplace Health and Safety.
