Riders Stuck on Roller Coaster for More Than Two Hours

Twelve thrill-seekers got more than they wanted when a roller coaster at Universal Orlando malfunctioned and left them in the air for more than two hours. The twelve-story Rip Ride Rockit reaches speeds of 65 mph and, according to the webpage, "features six near-miss moments and first-ever thrills including a record-breaking loop."

Naturally, the fiasco was recorded on a cell phone.

Tom Schroder, a spokesperson for the park, called the problem a "technical glitch" and said, "We are going to work to understand what happened tonight before we reopen the ride again."

It took a while, but rescue teams moved the stuck car to a horizontal position that allowed people to walk along a platform towards elevators to ground.

With more than 99,000 followers, Universal Orlando's Twitter page appropriately addressed the situation:

Discussion Starters:

• Assess the communications we have from Universal Orlando so far. What's your view of the spokesperson's statement and the tweets?
• What would you suggest the company tweet when the ride reopens? Write a few tweets that would be appropriate to the situation.