'My husband was banned from theme park after humiliating water ride - it wasn't his fault'

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A family man was left so embarrassed after a water ride mishap at a theme park that he vowed never to return, even after two decades.

Theme parks are a paradise for those seeking thrills and spills, but they're not without their hazards. It's understandable if some visitors feel a bit jittery or unsettled.

One dad, keen to ensure his family's safety, decided to take action when they found themselves as the only passengers on a log-flume ride.

This classic theme park attraction, a staple at many parks worldwide, involves riders sitting in faux logs or boats, which are then sent hurtling down a water chute before making a big splash into a pool. The man was visiting the park with his wife and their two pre-teen sons.

They chose to go on a day with light rain, meaning most of the rides were practically empty. This resulted in them being the sole occupants of the log-flume, which had the capacity to hold many more.

Sharing their ordeal on Reddit, the man's wife revealed they "unfortunately backloaded the ride" but were still "having a good time" until they began ascending the chain conveyor belt for the big splashdown. That's when things went awry.

She detailed: "The ride wouldn't catch and the front started bouncing up and down, violently. We were screaming, but who isn't at a theme park and we were just out of view of the workers at the top of the conveyor belt.

"This probably happened in seconds but it felt like minutes of 'bounce, bounce, bounce'. My husband decided to use the emergency stairs that run parallel to the conveyor belt to go up to the workers to have them stop the ride.

"He stepped out of the ride and ran up a few stairs when the workers noticed and stopped the ride, but they never saw the ride malfunction, just my husband on the stairs. The workers immediately stopped the ride and called security."

After this incident, the theme park staff wouldn't let the father move, nor would they allow his wife and children, who were visibly upset, to get off the ride. Eventually, a security guard arrived and escorted the man away while informing his wife and children "they were restarting the ride".

The woman continued: "I told him, 'not with me and my boys in it' and he actually looked shocked, tried to argue with me. We were allowed to disembark and were taken to the front where my husband was being processed.

"My husband, who has never ever broken the law (nor most polite rules of society) felt humiliated. He was given a one year ban from the park and we had to immediately leave. He has not stepped foot into an amusement park for the last 20 years."

Fellow Reddit users shared their thoughts on the family's ordeal in the comments section. One person commented: "This is almost exactly how four people died in Australia recently", referring to the tragic Dreamworld incident of 2016.

Another individual chimed in with outrage and said: "OMG that's horrible! And the added insult of your husband being banned for literally trying to save your lives. I'm pretty sure that ride isn't supposed to bounce. They should have given him a year's pass for free instead of a ban."

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