Riders Stuck for 90 Minutes on Dorney Park's Stinger

Riders were stuck for 90 minutes Wednesday on 's new coaster, but a rescue was averted when the park got the coaster moving again.

The Stinger, an inverted coaster that flips riders six times, is new to Dorney Park this season.

It had been acquired from Great America park in California, where, according to a published report in 2009, 24 riders got stuck on the ride (then known as Invertigo) for hours in 2009 because of a mechanical failure. No one was injured at that time.

No one was injured on Wednesday afternoon either, but medical personnel had been called to evaluate the riders as a precaution.

Were you stuck on Stinger Wednesday afternoon? Tell us in the comments.

Spokeswoman Carrie Basta said the coaster got stuck "on the lift tail"  (as riders were being lifted up the track, about 138 feet high), not during any flips or turns. She said everyone was able to get off the coaster when the park got it moving again and the ride was returned to the station. She said the riders were back enjoying the park.

The cause of the malfunction is being investigated. But Basta said what happened was "not even in the same ballpark" as what had happened at Great America park.

"These coasters are machines," she said, "and just like your car, an unexpected thing is going to happen once in awhile."

On the Stinger, riders sit face-to-face as they go along 1,014 feet of overhead track, forward and backward, at speeds up to 55 mph.

As of late Wednesday afternoon, the ride was not operating and safety checks were being run.

When the new ride was first announced for Dorney, park officials said it had undergone an overhaul, including ungraded control systems and new installed mechanical and drive systems.

Check back on South Whitehall Patch for any updates.