A malfunction on Universal Orlando Resort’s Jurassic Park River Adventure attraction left dozens of guests trapped on board. Two boats collided, leaving one partially submerged and families unable to disembark until the issue was resolved.
A TikTok video shared by @parksidewithholly on July 11 captured the incident from a nearby boat. While the user was not on one of the affected boats, the video provides a clear view of the aftermath:
@parksidewithholly Nothing beats a Jet 2 holiday. What’s really scary is if you know what’s going to happen shortly after that bend. 😅
The collision caused one boat to tip forward, partially sinking into the water. Fortunately, the guests on both boats appeared to be unharmed. However, the ride was shut down for an extended period while team members addressed the situation.
“It’s called piggyback,” said @lescarymary, a former Universal Orlando Resort team member who offered a possible explanation in the comments. “The boats retain water and was probably not drained all the way making it heavy. Or maybe there was a back up and the boats just pushed on each other. Looks like the pumps are not fully on.”
Another user, @fixiefixie81, who claimed to have done maintenance on the ride, added, “If the drain flaps on the back came off or got stuck open, it may have taken on water and if the weight distribution was towards the front, caused it to sink in front and drag on bottom…..may have done this on purpose before on a ride through….😆.”
Somehow, Universal’s Islands of Adventure team members managed to reset the boats without evacuating the attraction.
“We made it safely,” the TikToker commented. “…I was surprised they didn’t evacuate the ride but they let us keep going and risk it all in the drop 😩 get. me. off.”
At the time of this article’s publication, Universal Orlando Resort had reopened Jurassic Park River Adventure, and the attraction was operating normally.
Have you experienced a ride malfunction at Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, or Epic Universe? Disney Dining would love to hear from you in the comments!
