A Missouri couple is being credited with saving the life of a young girl after her seatbelt came undone during a high-speed roller coaster ride at Worlds of Fun amusement park on October 11, as reported by The New York Post.
Chris and Cassie Evins, who were seated directly in front of the child on the Mamba roller coaster, said the incident began with a “blood-curdling scream” as the train climbed its first hill.
“We get on the roller coaster and the very first hill, the girl sitting behind my wife just lets out this blood-curdling scream like I’ve never heard before,” Chris Evins told KCTV5.
https://t.co/RNcJU5zlyD This could have easily been BAD news: A teenager in Kansas City was on a rollercoaster at an amusement park last month when her seatbelt came undone mid-ride. pic.twitter.com/e9pAAiprii
— Rod Ryan Show (@rodryanshow) November 5, 2025
At first, Evins said he assumed the scream was from fear. “I assumed it was her first time on the ride and she was just scared,” he said. But moments later, the girl yelled out that her seatbelt had come undone.
Without hesitation, the couple acted to keep the girl from being thrown from the coaster, which reaches speeds up to 75 mph. “I had looped my arm underneath her lap bar, which had a pretty big gap between her and the lap bar,” Evins said.
“So at this point, I’m seeing a huge space, no seatbelt. I looped my arm underneath the lap bar, and I grabbed ahold of her wrist. My wife was pushing down on her legs.”
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As experienced season ticket holders, the Evinses said they were familiar with the Mamba’s track and knew how to brace for its steep drops. “As we crested each hill or as we started to go up to the top, I recognized that it was going to lift her out of her seat,” Chris explained.
“So I kind of shifted our positions to, instead of hold her, to push down on her whole body to keep her from coming out of the seat while we’re going over those hills.”
The couple managed to hold the girl in place until the ride stopped safely. A ride camera photo captured the terrified girl screaming as the Evinses struggled to keep her secure.
“My whole thought after the incident is, what if it had been somebody else in our seats? What if it was others, her friends?” Chris said.
After the ride ended, the couple said they were separated from the girl in the confusion and did not have a chance to speak with her or her family. “You know, they could have had a drastically different outcome,” Chris said.
A spokesperson for Worlds of Fun confirmed that the ride was immediately shut down following the incident and underwent a safety inspection.
“The ride has undergone a comprehensive safety review, and we have implemented modifications requested by the Fire Marshall to ensure it meets or exceeds all applicable safety standards before it reopens to guests this evening,” the park said in a statement.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety said the Mamba had passed an inspection on April 25. However, after a “spot inspection” on October 30, the ride was temporarily closed again, underwent repairs, and was cleared to operate later that day.
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