Coachella 2011: Ferris wheel jumper saved from fall -- or rescued by a superhero

 A young woman who attempted to jump out of a Coachella Ferris wheel gondola was saved from almost certain injury late Friday evening when a nearby companion grabbed her legs and held onto her until the gondola could be lowered, an Indio Fire Department spokesman has confirmed. A potentially major crisis was averted as the woman was unharmed.

News of the incident didn’t appear to be widely known around the Coachella grounds, but some concertgoers reported hearing  rumors of a woman jumping hundreds of feet only to get caught at the last second.

Fire battalion chief Daniel Talbot disputed that rumor but was scant on details. He said the department received a call that a woman had jumped from the Ferris wheel; from what height was unknown. The department went into hazard mode and radioed for a helicopter.

Indio police were first to the scene, and the would-be jumper, "a young lady mentally altered on substances," said Talbot, was taken off-site for further care. It was unclear whether the jumper was saved by someone riding in the same gondola, or was caught by someone in the gondola below her. (Rumors of the latter version include someone in the second gondola yelling "I will catch you" before the attempted jump.)

Photos: Panoramas of Coachella 2011

Details varied wildly even among city officials. Benjamin Guitron, a spokesman for the Indio Police Department, confirmed the incident, but said, "I thought it was a man" who tried to jump. He said a woman was arrested at the Ferris wheel last night for drunk and disorderly conduct.

The Ferris wheel is running Saturday afternoon, and the woman selling tickets, who identified herself as the owner, refused to speak to a reporter. "I haven't heard that and don't know anything about what you're talking about," she said. "No comment."

A spokeswoman for promoter Goldenvoice’s publicity firm, MSO, said she was unaware of the incident, and the story took on increasingly exaggerated tones as the day continued. “I heard she was saved by a masked crusader,” said one security official who heard the unsubstantiated rumor as he was walking by.

Despite the Ferris wheel scare, Talbot said this has been a relatively safe and incident-free Coachella. Onsite medical staff on Friday treated 150 people –- “nothing serious,” said Talbot –- and transported 12 to a nearby hospital. Talbot noted that Goldenvoice had invested more this year in emergency medical staff, and added, “from my perspective, it’s paying off.”

Images from the 2011 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

“There has been nothing real serious at this point,” Talbot said. “Things have been real good, knock on wood.”

Guitron said there were 20 arrests on the first day of the event, all alcohol- or drug-related.

Pop & Hiss will update if any details come more into focus. Or if an Indio superhero is discovered.

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-- Todd Martens

Photo: Ferris wheel at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Flanito de Bandito]

What a stunning piece of journalism! Thanks for cutting through the rumors and delivering the cold hard facts.

[David]

I don't blame those people for not talking to the media. After the media made a big stink about the incident at the Electric Daisy Carnival people should be very careful about talking to the media. All the media does lately is sensationalize the news and blow it out of proportion. If that girl had been severely injured or killed at Coachella that's all they would have been talking about instead of how smooth the festival has been going.

[Todd Martens]

Hi Flanito,

There were about 18 people people interviewed for this post, many were quoted and many spoke on background. I spent about six hours tracking people down on Saturday on the grounds. Due to the fact that the attempted jumper is A-OK, there was no documented information, and I did my best to piece together the various stories I was told. Sorry it left you unsatisfied, but thank you for reading.
Cheers,

[Velouria]

Flanito... :)

[Bob]

Girl tried to jump and was caught by one ankle. others in the car pulled her in and restrained her in car until they got down..those are the facts because my daughter was in the car.

[sean]

this superhero is my friend flanders

[R.C.]

Flanders was the person who saved the girl from jumping. Additionally, at first security did not remove her from the premise, and she got back in line to go up again, so he had to find a police officer to save her.

[R.C.]

Flanders was indeed the person who saved her. Good job bud!

[LC]

This definitely did happen. We were in the car above theirs on the ferris wheel. This girl didn't know anyone else in the car, jumped in at the last minute, then tried to jump out at the top. This guy (Flanders apparently) grabbed her by her ankles and pulled her inside, and on the way back around they had the ferris wheel stopped and got her out. The attendant even said "How did she get back on?" Guess she tried earlier too. They were left in the car with her shoe... I remember it, a flowered print flat. Couldn't believe it then still can't really believe it now... Crazy stuff. Flanders, you are a superhero! :)