Thunderstorms - some locally heavy downpours are possible, especially during the afternoon hours. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Scattered thunderstorms, especially during the evening. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.

Onlookers wave to family and friends riding on the “Family Fun Wheel.”  | photo by Max Bouvatte

Kirkwood firefighters rescue stranded riders from the Sidewinder. | photo courtesy of Kirkwood Fire Department

Onlookers wave to family and friends riding on the “Family Fun Wheel.”  | photo by Max Bouvatte

When Laura Sanders got a phone call from her son last Friday night, she wasn’t expecting to hear that he was stuck 40 feet in the air on a carnival ride in Kirkwood.

“I love you mom,” Noah Dalton, 15, said as he was bent over the lap bar of the Sidewinder, facing the pavement. On the ground below, aghast fairgoers at St. Peterfest at St. Peter Catholic Church had gathered around the amusement ride awaiting a favorable outcome.

As authorities moved onlookers back and away from the ride, Dalton wondered if he might die.

“I was scared because I thought we were going to hit the ground,” he said. 

His mother drove as quickly as she could to St. Peterfest from her parents’ house in Ballwin. When she arrived, there was a crowd gathered and a dizzying array of flashing lights from emergency vehicles. Father Archer, associate pastor at St. Peter Church, and a group of sixth graders prayed together as the scene unfolded.

Kirkwood Fire Department Assistant Chief Brian Zaitz said that the first call for help came in at 9:55 p.m. on Friday, June 3. The first emergency providers arrived five minutes later.

“Crews arrived on the scene and determined that there were seven people trapped inside the cars,” Zaitz said. “Due to the complexity of the ride and malfunction, crews had to secure the ride and determine the shifting of the load.”

Three riders were in a car about 40 feet in the air, with four others about 10 feet off the ground. The Sidewinder consists of a rotating arm mounted to a pivoting hinge on a central column. The arm has two enclosed cars where riders are seated that are free to rotate horizontally while the ride is in motion.

The cause of the malfunction remains under investigation. Church officials said this was the first time they’ve had an issue with a ride in the 30 years the festival has been held.

Kirkwood firefighters rescue stranded riders from the Sidewinder. | photo courtesy of Kirkwood Fire Department

Firefighters used ropes and manual brakes to secure the ride. Crews used an aerial ladder to reach those trapped 40 feet above the ground. Emergency service crews freed riders, lowering them to the ground in a firetruck bucket. By 10:38 p.m., Dalton and the others were safely on the ground. 

Zaitz said Kirkwood fire crews are trained in all aspects of technical rescue, from rope-rescue, confined space, hazardous materials, trench structure, collapse and machinery rescue.

“Those all came into play on Friday night,” he added.

Dalton said he escaped the incident without serious injuries, aside from “a few bruises here and there.” He added that his neck was sore due to minor whiplash from the ride’s abrupt stop. Another teenager who was trapped on the ride also said he suffered bruising and whiplash, but the Kirkwood Fire Department said no serious injuries were reported.

Robert Walsh, president of American Banner Amusements, said the company acted with an overabundance of caution. American Banner Amusements, based in Marine, Illinois, is a family business established in 1969.

“We very likely would have been able to evacuate the riders on our own,” Walsh said, but said the company decided to go with the fire department ladder truck. 

He declined to say what the malfunction was or what caused it, but church officials said the ride broke down because of a broken part. 

Dalton’s mother said she wants carnival rides to be more thoroughly inspected, and cautions other riders.

“Just be mindful that they go from place to place,” she said.

Apart from the ride malfunction on Friday night, St. Peterfest was “an exceptionally great event,” said Kevin Stillman, director of finance and operations for St. Peter Catholic Church. Stillman went on to say that the weather was the best it had been in years.

After a two year hiatus due to the pandemic, Stillman said St. Peter Catholic Church was happy to be able to hold the festival again. In addition to carnival rides, the two-day event included kids’ games, food, live music and more.

“Not just the people of the parish, but the Kirkwood community, was yearning for the opportunity to get together as a community and celebrate and kickoff summer,” Stillman said.

Despite large crowds, the event went off without much trouble, to which Stillman credits the co-chairs of the event, Maria Jokerst and Rita Schuman. 

Schuman said although planning for the festival began later than usual, the event came together quite well.

“I don’t know if it was the fact that we hadn’t had it in a couple of years, but we filled almost every single slot out of hundreds of volunteer slots,” Schuman said. “That makes all the difference in the world to have that much support.” 

Max Wilson is a student at St. Louis Community College and Northwest Missouri State University’s online program, and is an intern for the Webster-Kirkwood Times.

See more pictures of St. Peterfest here.